National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-05

their own interests when they insisted upon this
policy toward Ireland. Wool was for long period
the great staple of European trade. Every natural
advantage for its manufacture was in favor of Ire
land. Her wool and T0Olen products were re-
nOwned throughout Europe, and in great demand.
The labOring population of Ireland was mainly OF
Celtlc Diood-of a race whose genius turns 70
manufacture and trade much more successfully
than the Teutonic England would have been LEFT
behind in the march of modern manufacture and
trade and Ireland would have led il not for
the protective policy of England. Ireland was not
allowed to embark in trade or to enjoy share OF
English commerce; her relation to trade became
servile operative she supplied labor, as she IS stll
compelled 70 do, at low wages, and England reaped
the reward. The Irish were not incapable OF in
duStral progress. The Celts excel in skilled labor
Compare France with Germany as proof OF this as
sertiOn. Do not French Canadians and the
" Irish" supply vast amount of skilled labor 70
New England, and are not our factory hands every
where largely Irish? The Teuton turns almost
exclusively to agriculture, the Celt to trade and
manufacture. Yet he is nevertheless the peer OF
the Teuton at the plow.
Agriculture has reached its highest develop
ment in Celtic France and France surpasses the
world in the artistic finish of her manufactures.
The bitter experience of centuries has shown to
the Irish that high tariffs protect the industries of
a country and tend to their developement; that
prohibitions placed against foreign products cause
the retention and accumulation of wealth in the
country that DEGREES them: and that, under such
conditions, if nation have an intelligent, enter
prising, Industrious and ingeniIls population, as
for instance the people of the United States it can
them in the ratio of its natural resources.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain protected
English and Scotch industry, while it repreSSed
and exterminated Irish industry, until an enor
nous capital was realized and until skfli in pro-
dnction became hereditary i'll the manufacturing
population. Time alone can give nation these
advantages; but in this age the time would be
short to under stringent laws.
Great Britains foreign trade for the year 1873
amounted to Imports, 81 Si3S53,I 40; exports, ST.,
2 419 800 equal to s. Oh 2730O0 Ours for 1850 to:
ImDDTfS 7l6. OFF s53 nniial
81 lyl 9Ol O99. American ships Carried about seven
teen per cent. of our foreign trade and England's
ships carried most of the balance, the greater part
of her own, and large pereentage of the trade of
other nations; yet the population Of the British
Isles is not much more than twothirds of that of
the United States. England buys nothing from US
except what her circumstances compel her 10 pur-
chase to wit, grain, provisions cotton and tobacco.
These she can obtain nowhere else at our prices.
Everything we purchase from England we could
make as well in this country. OF our exports,
$50 99i "a (47) sent to Great Britain in 1880
and 694 l3l5l of our imports were British
products. In 1878 our imports from Great Britain
amounted to only SS7,SO9,52S equal to seven per
cent. OF British eXpOrts)
The enormously rapid increase in the volume of
imports of English products in the short space of
two years Is not healthy sign for our domestic in
duStrieS. What would ii be if tariffs abolished?
This is a question which our manufacturers and
their employees are, no doubt, considering; and il
is question which is beginning to attract much
more attention from our Irish fellOwcitizenS. They
are intensely patriotic Americans and ardent haeTS
memory of the unjust and bitter policy of England
to Ireland.
The present condition of affairs in Ireland is
closely watched by the Irish here. They have Or
ganiZed, or Will soon organize, under the name of
Branch Land-LeaguerS," in every city, town, and
hamlet in the United States for the purpose of
rendering pecuniary aid to their oppressed breth-
ren in Ireland, and when the tariff Issue comes up
and 1t appears 10 be ineyitable-it is more than
likely that each branch league in America VIII re-
solve itself into high protective tariff club"
Patriotism and a laudable desire to give England
small dose of the medicine which she so long pre-
scribed for Ireland will be powerful stimulantS to
our Irish citizens on the tariff issue.
They would gladly exclude all English products
from our ports; they would gladly pay their full
share of bounties to American ship-buiIders in
order to exclude British ships from our carrying
trade-all the more that such a policy could do no
injury to their friends in Ireland. The only man
ufaeturing industry there is that of linen: 1t is
confined almost exclusively to that part of Ireland
in which it was fostered by England, namely
Ulster The manufacturers are mostly descend
ants of the English and Scotch colonsts and of
William III, Prince of Orange" These Ulster
men are now siding with the landlords and the
English government against 1.-THE Irish" Our
" flax" product imports from Great Britain and
Ireland amounted to S23 30 326 for the fiscal years
1S79S0, equal to eleven twentyseconds of all our
imports). The looms of Ulster furnished the ex-
porter with almost every yard of the goods
We can raise as good flax here as that raised in
Ireland. Surely We are as capable Of manufacture
ing it as the Ulster 'Orangemen." am sure that
every patriotic IriShman in America would vote
very prohibitory tariff on foreign-made
linen if our farmers and manufacturers were to
give some attention to the growing and manu-
facture of fax.
The Irish in America are opposed to importing
any manufactured goods that can be made here
They believe that all British products can be re-
placed by home products, and they will vote ac-
cordingly on a high-tariff issue no matter what
particular party opposes or adopts it. F.B.