New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-08-17
THE IRISH IN AMERICA.

| Commerce i'm the 'fast-anchorcd Isle as
destructive to the prosperity and happiness
of Ireland, yet vote in this country for the
party which favcrs and upholds that policy
bv means of what is called Free Trade, are
glaringly inconsistent. The Irish American
has printed and replied to our article--a
courtesy we feel bound to reciprocate 80
our cotemporary's reply will be found IN
this paper. And now hear us:
Our ground is this: 1. In the absence
of decided impeachment, there is a natural
irresistible tendency toward the central''d-
ton of Manufactures, Commerce, and the
wealth thereby created, upon that country
or region where they have already the
strongest foothold. The law of this ten
dency is identical with that of gravitation,
whereby the greater body attracts and alb
serbs the less. 3. This Capitalization OF
Manufactures and Trade is injurious to the
countries it diyests of them, diminishing
their Industry, Wealth and Thrift; inlu-
rious to the rising generation in those
countries, whom it deprives of opportuni-
ties to learn and earn in the vocations
thus Withdrawn from their vicinity: inju-
rious to their Agriculture, i'll that it tends
to narrow if not destroy its market for such
bulky products as Grass, Fuel, Vegetables
Milk, &C., and compel it to sell the Grain
and Meat it can still afford to produce at
prices diminished by the cost of reaching
their now distant markets. 3. Ireland, by
the Act of Union, was Invested OF the
power of protecting and unfolding her
own Manufactures, most of which have
since persisted in consequence, rendering
her an industrial as well as political ap-
pendage and satellite of Great Britain ;
hence the signal decline of her industry,
the relative inefficiency of her labor, and
the greatly increased poverty and wretch
edness of her people.
Such are the convictions which impel
us to demand, for Ireland, for America,
and for all other countries, such legislation
as will tend to diversity their Industry,
develop their now current resources and
bring consumers as near as may be to their
several classes of producers. We urge
the adoption of this policy, not that we
hate England, but because we desire to see
the condition of the Masses in all coun-
tries improved, and because we regard the
experience of Ireland, Portugal, India, &c.
as proving that the opposite policy tends
to secure bloated and Fictitious prosper
to that country which can, through its
command of experience, capital, skill, mar
kets, &c. best afford to try the policy known
as Free Trade.
In all this, we had no idea of urging
Irish Americans to use their franchise '.for
Irish purposes only" as our contemporary
imagines. We wished them to vote pure
ly as americans, enlightened by the sad
experience of their native land and anxious
to ward off the evils it had suffered from
the country of their choice. We wished
then in their Political action to remember
not Ireland only, but all mankind.
And let us here protest against our CO.
temporary's belittling idea of the miseries
of Ireland being mainly traceable to the alb
senteeism of her Rent consumers. That
this is injurious, we freely admit, (though
Free Trade is under the necessity of denying
it y but it is matter of far less consequence
than our friend supposes it. The Land
lord class never were and probably never
will be consumers of Native Products in
equal proportion with the Poor: they
cause earth and ocean to be ransacked for
dainties and gewgaws, while the poor man
is content with what is homely and sub
stantial. All the Absentee Landlords
of Ireland could not if they would afford
half so great a demand for Irish Manufac-
lures as would the Irish Millions if blessed
with Work and Wages even equal to those
enjoyed by their fellow-subjects of Great
Britain. Ireland has still customers and
consumers for Home Manufactures il
they had only work at decent wages where
from to pay for Fabrics. The mobility
and aristocracy might have fled the coun-
try and hardly been missed if they had
left behind the power of self-protection
and industrial development.
The Monopoly of the Soil of Ireland by
few hundred wealthy families is a deplor-
able fact; but it is hardly worse than thar
which prevails in England, while the rents