The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1867-10-12


hardly earned wages to take the fowl out of the pot
and to quench the fire the hearth and to leave their
wives and children worse housed and worse clad than
they before-n Short to reduce them the level
of the kingrdden serfs of Europe-if this is their
English free trade, then away it, no matter by what
party in American politics it is recommended or sup
ported.
Amid the endless lies and shams which England is
forever palming off on unthnking world this free
trade of the greatest Does such thing as free
trade exist in England? IF any man is simple enough
think So let him try and land pound weight of Amer
lean tobacco in Liverpool or London Once he finds
himself in British prison, with ruinous fine to pay
into the bargain he will probably begin to entertain
slight suspicion that to believe English assertions about
things in general but particularly about the existence of
:" free trade" is simply to be fool.
The truth is the entire affair is only another astute
plan concocted by English sefshness to aggrandize
themselves. Everything that they stand in need of is
admitted free to the English market The breadstus of
America, for instance because, without Them Englsh
stomachs would remain in rather uncomfortable state
of emptiness. For which great boon of free trade
it is pompousy called quite as grateful as we
ought to be- Thank you for nothing, gentlemen Of
England You take -four Free when you cannot get
on without it. And we give you the comforting
that shall continue to let you have it long
our people do not require it. But we hope you
not unreasonable suppose that shall do for
an hour longer.
Of course you very clever in consulting your
interests. And give you credit for it. The arrange
which you pleased to call free trade would be
very convenient and comfortable for you Having
destroyed mercantile navy by your pirate cruisers
during the late war-which you did much to embitter
and proong, if not actually to produceyou have plenty
of available ships to send the laden with the
rotten rubbish of your manufactures. This would
simply stab the young giant Of American industry to the
heart It would leave our looms and factories idle and
the pockets of workingmen empty while it would
make nation dependent for it's very existence
on English capitalists who have always proved themselves
our persistent and malignant enemies And to complete
this blessed and beautiful arrangement you could
our American corn and wheat and flour cheap ballast
for your returning vessels and thus be able to feed your
millions of over-worked enslaved victims at cheaper
than you could possibly do if you had to raise the
bread out of your soil.
You would derive greater advantages still from this
precious free trade of which you have been pleased
to constitute yourselves the chosen apostles. BY flood
ing America with your English goods you would draw
all the wealth into England This would enable you to
employ and feed your myrads of white Slaves and keep
them contented with your blessed British Constitution.
So long you put plenty of gold into your English
purses, and plenty of roast beef and plum pud-
ding into your English maws, you will, like we'll
fed mules, bear any amount of kngly and
! nrinc nd 1ord1 and
oppression. Oh yes long this is the case neither
Radicalsm, Chartism, Republicansm have the
shadow of chance You could thus prolong your cruel
constituencies murderous tyranny for years. perhaps for
centuries But let your free trade be understood to be