The Republican journal., 1882-03-23

WedVefS IN DuDllD, no carpef- maker JIG
all Ireland, no linen weavers in Cork, Boo
operatives in that city all the manufac-
turing industries, where fifteen years be-
fore there were 5000 weavers alone.
Free trade had done its work and Ire
land was starving. She is the only alb
solutely free trade country in the world
to day. the only land enjoying its rare
privileges in complete fitness, and what
commentary it affords; with a good
climate, fertile soil, great rivers, splen-
did water power, broad, safe bays and
harbors an abundance of minerals, an in
dustriously inclined people, it is the most
terribly veXed, troubled, suffering, dis
tracted, Impoverished. starving country in
the world lrishmen, loving their land ear
neStly and with more unbounded enthusi-
asm than the men of any other country,
have been driven into exile by the millions
Now, | do not blindly charge all of heI
woes to free trade alone land tenure has
to answer for portion, not for more than
half. Give her parliament Of her own
and the first act passed would be pro-
tectlve tariff, and in twenty years from
now the eXiled Irishman would return to
the land he loves and find it peaceful,
contented and prosperous. England, for
her-eNn selfish purposes, fastened these
two fearful leeches upon her and they
have been fattening on her blood. Eng
land and her ally the Democratic party,
are undertaking to fasten free trade upon
us, and strange to say, nine tenths of our
citizens of Irish birth, starved out of home
and driven here into exile, go every year
to the polls and vote with Englanfs
Democratic ally for fee trade.
Mr. President, the policy which has a
tendency to reduce wages in this cOun-
try and degrade our working men and
women is a bad one for the Republic, and
its sugarcoating by all the theories and
sOphistIles of democratic free traders can
not make it good. In Europe the women
carry bricks and mortar for the masons,
work in the field with the hoe and the
scythe; and report made to the British
Parliament few years since shows that
even in favored England there were forty
thousand little bare footed girls from six
to ten years of age carrying wet clay on
their little bare heads in the English
brick yards at from four to eight cents a
day. The descriptions of the condition
of the laboring men and women of Eu-
rope contained in The State of Labor in
Europe, published by authority of Con
gress in 1878, are terrible pictures of pov
verify, degradation, vice and utter hope
lcssness.
Let me Illustrate this with few eX-
amples. Take the manufacture of pot
terry. In 1860 there were about two
thousand men engaged in making pottery
The industry is struggling for an exist
ence. In 1870 there were over six thou
sand; in 1880, probably twelve thousand
in l-60 the capital invested was about
one million and quarter; in 1870, five
millions and quarter; in 1850, proba-
bly, double that amount. The census OF
1880 has not been SO completed as to
enable me to be exact.
To-day there are pottery establish
ments in every State in this Union, ex-
cept Florida. Let it be remembered that
in this industry the manufactured article
represents more than 80 per cent of labor
that the wages in Europe are considera-
hly less than one-half of those paid here
Return to free trade, and no pottery man
utactory could run for six months. What
has been the result as to prices? Pottery
sells to-day in the United States for 30
per cent less than it did in 1860
Nor, Mr.. President is the farmer lett
without protection. The duty on ami
mails is 20 per cent; bacon, , cents a
pound; beef cent: buckWheat, 20 pei
cent butter, 4 cents pound; cheese,
cents; corn, 10 per cent; hay, 20 per
I,nS ha1 f.,
10 to 20 per cent; potatoes, Is cents a
bushel; rye. l5 cents bushe sheep,
20 per cent; wheat, 20 cents bushel,
etc.
Besides, Mr.. President, are the five
millions Of workers in iron, copper, OF
cotton and wool, with five millions more
dependent upon them, all consuming and
producing nothing the farmers raise, 60
protection to them9 Adopt free trade
destroy manufacturing, make these men
producers instead of consumers, and
would not our farmers harvest ruin from
the changee
1t produces millions Of bushels of pota-
toes, the best in the world, but ordinarily
if forwarded to the markets, the long dis
tances on hard roads running through a
foreign country, they would hardly be
worth the raising Here the tariff that
''robber, comes to their relief, by laying
duty OF 20 per cent. on potato starch,
starting up starch factories over the
country, accessible to all, and easily tax
ing their surplus crop at fair prices. So
the country during the last 10 years has
been steadily growing in prosperity, her
farmers getting out of debt, making i'm
provements, clearing up new lands, build
ING great barns aud comfortable houses,
supplying for their families not only the
necessaries of life, but indulging them in
luXuries. had the pleasure Of travelling
through it last season, and found it in all
things a marvellous creation, as believe,
of a protective tariff
In the earlier days of the Republic.
when England undertook to weaken our
growing power on the seas, to defend it
we declared war; expended $3.50, 900, ,OOO
and thousands Of precious lives; in the
latter, when the same England, taking
advantage of our distracted country,
wickedly and seliishly succeeded in ac-
complishing what she ignobly failed in
before we allowed her to triumph, lest
WY ~ PiSHShttttlNCS VI tuC ptUplt SuUulu,
forsooth, be taunted with voting for sub
sides. But, sir, a discussion of the ques-
tion of the restoration of our ''swelled
tonnage of the past is hardly legitimate
to the measure now under consideration
and refrain, simply asserting that Sen
ator Beck's method of restoration is ut
terly delusive; that free trade in ships,
the repeal of our navigation laws, could
not possibly have any result other than
the immediate closing Of every ship-yard
III the country, the entering into other
trades Of all our skilled wOrkmen, the
placing of our country at the mercy of
England III event of war; and the com
plete surrender Of our coastwise trade
Mr.. President, | have endeavored to
show that the doctrine of free trade
sprang from a selfish and unworthy pur-
pose; that while marvellous changes have
been wrought in our country, slavery
abolished. labor elevated, industries de-
veloped and multiplied, the Democratic
party still adheres to the dangerous
heresy; that free trade is antagonistic to
our institutions and to our civilization
that its adoption would necessarily de-