The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-07

or six times as much. Lord Derby, in his
celebrated speech at Liverpool, declared
1t produced twice as much, SO that upon
this question there is really no difference
of opinion except as to the quantity. That
| Belgium produces more we have no doubt.
As to whether the extra fertility of Bel
gium came from any natural superiority
| in the soil, you will hear Professor Bald
win, of Dublin, who says that, on the
| contrary,
THE SOIL OF IRELAND IS VASTLY SUPERIOR
TO THAT OF BELGIUM,
but that it is on account of the superior
farming by the men who own their soil,
who cultivate their farms as they would q
garden, knowing, as they do, that no one
can disturb them in the possession of it,
and that all the Improvements belong to
them and their heirs forever, and that
cloud cheering). In England the land is
not cultivated because it does not suit
the upbolder Of the feudal law to part with
his right of raising the rent, which involves,
and thereby confscates, improvements
which the tenants may make, or which
civilization may confer upon the coil.
Now, how does this affect the land ques-
tion Let me show you. Here is a coun
try drawing from these three great natural
resourcee-coal, iron and land and here
lie another country drawing from coal and
iron osly as q matter of course in compe
tition it must be beaten (hear, hear). The
workiDgmen ON the Clyde receive 6s per
lar occupation 10 Belgium will receive 3s;
and the 8, there will command more of the
necessaries of life than 6, will in Scotland,
in England or in Ireland (spplause). Now,
our iron man ufacturers complain they are
not able to make goods cheap enough, and
consequently they try to reduce the wages
of the working classes. But the working
classes are of more intelligence than in
former times, and they are more desirous
of enjoying some of the comforts of life
(hear, hear). They look around them, and
see the palaces of merchant princes rising
every where they see the beautiful gardens,
costly equipages, and lavish outlay, and
everything indicating wealth and comfort
They know that labor created all this, and
yet see that those who by their arms Great
ed it are housed in unhealthy slums in
Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast,
and Dublin /; that the workipgmen have
to return to homes in which decency and
morality are impossible, in which sewer
gas gives the headache, disturbs the tenn
per. and makes the conditions of life 30
uncomfortable that in many cases the beer
shop is the only resort the workingman
has for hours of enjoyment tcheersl;, The
workingman consequently says-"Shorter
time, more wages and more comforts"
The capitalists reply-"Demand and sup
ply we will give NO more for labor than
We can get for it, and we cannot get more
for we have foreign competition Well,
freely admit that there are few manufac-
>turers who can give more wages than they
are at present paying; but also afirm
that in very few trades to-day in Great
Britain and Ireland are the workingmen
paid as much as will give them the neces-
saries and comforts of life, to which the
honest workiDgman is as!much entitled as
any other member of society (cheeFs}. I
do not admit the laborer Is simply to be
looked upon as q mere steam epglne-sup
ply it with the necessary fuel, and all is
right but I hold that he must have COM
forts and enjoyments in life as we'll as any
other man, and ask you how he is to OBJ
tain them if the manufacturer cannot
afford to give them7 / answer that the
manufacturers of Great Britain can afford
to pay higher wages, or, what is the same
thing, can give a wage which will command
some of the comforts of life, if we reduce
the basis of life in Great Britain. Now,
WHAT DO 1 MEAN BY THE BASIS OF LIFE IN
GREAT BRITAIN 7
/ will tell you. We send 93O O0O; 900 to
Chicago for food. Belgium and France
grow their food. Let us produce from the
soil of Great Britain not three times as
much per acre, not twice as much per acre,
but say smaller proportion more than we
do-let US produce that which would be
equivalent tO one pound moro per acre,
our one hapdred aud nineteen millions of
British and Irish acres suppose We draw
next year 9lOO, ,OOO. 900 sterling in food,
corn, coal, etc, down would come every
thing which society uses, because the basis
of life had been reduced by S100, ,O09, 900.
No ESQ 600 600 now to Chicago, but
G30, 600, 600 into the country to the peas
ants to enable them TO go to the nearest
towns. Thus, we should have our decay
ing trade not only invigorated by a good
home demand to the extent of cay S10O,-
600 600; but we should have also the basis
of life reduced, inasmuch as 3s would COM
mand as much as six shillings had done
before, and the English merchant would
| once more be able to cope with foreign
competition cloud and continued cheerine).
For do hold that with the acquired skill
we have in this country, with the enormous
capital which we have, we could, if we
| shook out the reef of which Richard Cob
| den spoke-that is, if we offered
FREE TRADE IN LAND