The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16
IRELAND AND INDIA.
Ruin Wrought in Two Countries by British
Free Trade.

Ruin Wrought in Two Countries by British,
Free Trade.
New Haven Comm Special.
The students of Yale College were out In large
numbers this evening to listen to Prof r. q.
Thompsons fourth lecture in the Protection
course at Sheffield Hall. The subject was Ire
land and India" and the Pennsylvania graphic
ally portrayed the evils British free trade has
wrought in those countries. "Protectionists.
he said. 'distrust the assumptions and the de-
auctions of free trade, and believe them IN.
safe. India, once proverbially wealthy now,
Hunter, the great English authority warns us
has forty millions of Indians who don't get half
enough to eat. While there is some show of
wealth. there is insufficient food and no margin
for saving; nothing to fall back on. Under Eng
lands rule India has been greatly changed In
some respects for the better-in order Just
treatment of the women, care of wealth, and in
the growth of railroads and canals But in the
respect we are considering she has had far more
famine than plenty; more uniformity than
variety, changed her independence for depend.
ence, and massed debts both public and private
Until the beginning of the nineteenth century
India was a manufacturing country the greatest
in Roman times. The factories on her coasts
made rich fabrics, and even calicoes were spun
so fine that they themselves called them s'woven
wind" and dress of the material could be
drawn through finger ring England DESTROYED
this; first, by prohibiting her imports into Eng.
land; second, by breaking down protection in
India, and third, by compelling them to buy
their cloths and various goods from London or
else lose caste. Look at the result. India, Mr.
Georges ideal land, is demoralized; is taxed to
80 per cent of the income of the peasantry. and
a resort to monopolies by the government has
been necessary There is the indigo monopoly
the opium monopoly, and the vast salt monopoly
which forms large part of the nations income
and which is so stringent that natives in the in
terror eat rancid fish. 1t is illegal for man to
go to the sea and make handful of.salt, because
the making of it is government monopoly"
The speaker then said that India was terri
BILE instance of country devoted wholly to agri
cultural pursuits being visited by famines.
"And yet said he ''the ree-traders tell us that
the country is erpopulated and this causes
the famines. How can this be If it exports foodl
The real reason for midas famnes is that all
her people are devoted to agriculture There is
no diversity. All her eggs are in one basket and
if the basket drops all are gone There is no
remedy for Indias distress but protection.
Ireland is close parallel to India The pro-
tectve tariff of 1882 achieved splendid results
for Ireland. She made cotton, silks and what
not Cork, Limerick and Dublin were centres Of
industries The deft-fngered, ouck-witted
Celts were successful, but after the union
of Parliaments with England in 1901 Ireland's
labor was turned adrift The ree-traGe ieaven
began to work. The number of employees in her
cotton factories became reduced from IL, 500 to
I.620, and in the wollen mills from 30. 900 to 625
The famine came few years later-the terrible
dstress-frst in 1922, in Munster, Connaught
Galway and Donegal then in 1889; again in
1912. and finally, the last great famine, when in
August, 1886 between two millions and three
millions of souls persisted before food could be
got to them. People dreaded to open their doors
in the morning for fear starved corpse would
fall in upon them, and yet Ireland was then ex-
porting $l5 000. 600 worth of food year. Since
then the best of Ireland's people have been leav-
ing her steadily. Her men engaged in commerce
have decreased 13l 900, in textile manufactures
GA, 900, and so on
Here the speaker quoted Chauncey NJ De-
pew's recent remarks on Irelands condition He
continued "Gladstones legislation touches
none but the tenants. The real suffering Ireland
is embodied in landlord misery. freeholders' mis-
cry and landless' misery. the after among
the common people There are 900 900 there to-
day without employment Protection would help
this; and here let me say that when the Irish
Land League was started they came to US for
aid. but we thought the land was not the real
Irish question. Then they changed their plat
form and demanded the restoration Of industries
to Ireland and more protection for Irish indus
tries. This has brought Parnell and the Irish
generally over to protection, and now they de-
mand home rule in order to enforce tariff legisla
ton. MY own training in the Orange section