New-York tribune., 1888-08-28
IRELAND UNDER FREE TRADE
PATRICK EGAN EXPOSES SOME RECENT
DEMOCRATIC soPHIsTRIES.
RIppLrNG FRANK II. HURDs ATfEMri 1o oIos
OVER THE EFFECTS OF THE ENGLISH
POLICY IN IRELAND.

Tothe FditorofThe Irto""e'
SIR: have seen 10 day for the nSt time tho letter
Of the Hon. Frank II. ,iurd vhch appeared In Tho
Nev.yorh World of August 10. and lind II contains
co NV c,.,,rs m,ssateuaents and Is 80 pcrversvc
-, Tho h,soracal inc dents In regard TO the question Of
irish FREQ trade With which II undertakes 10 deal that
cannot permit 10 remain unanswered lndrrd.
,ro, :, no, for the wel-hnown bigh and honorable
chs,ac,er OF the writer. one won.d imagine that ho
hal written With the deliberate intention OF misleading
supposng them to be cnt rely ignorant
n, tho history Of their country. Mr. Hurd saws; ain
order 10 excite pserd against tariff reform In this
country is often charged By proieconists that tho
Industries Of ireland have been destroyed by British
noe tradc. propose in a brief historical inquiry 10
show the absolute taiseness OF The charge He then
goes state his In four proportions In tho
hst he sets forth that Ire,and's manufacturing Inter
es;s were ruined By tho Engl sh protection system
le"o before flcc trade had been established IN Gres
Britain In fact IN the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. In support OF his argument he cites
numerous laws passed by the Engs Parliament In
restriction of Irish industries and for the purpose OF
9Th" promotion Of Engiand's traden Mr.. Hurd. able
political economist he appears overlook he fact
thai II was not the protection OF Iish manufactures
against English competition that ki'ld out Irish indus
tries, but the protection OF English manufactures
against Irish competition. and tna while Irish
facures, wfhout protection langshed and died. Eng
lsh manufactures, with protection increased aud -four
ishei.
may say hero that the phrase free trader In those
days In Ireland had entirely dIfercn, significance
from the English and American Of the torn at
en In order protect English trade from irish
petition the English Parliament had passed various
laws prohibiting tho shipment of Irish products direct
70 America and other couni"s Tho Irish phrase free
trades the removal Of those estrictonsnothng
more.
COMMERCIAL EQUALITY ASKED FOR NOT NON
PROTECTION
will here quote Me. IIurd's second proposition IN
FULL AS Irish sentiment on the subject Of trade
becam" strong enough assert itscf its demand
unanimous for commercial hety. The restrictive
laws to which have referred had been complained If
by the people OF ireland for years without avail.
But when the struggle for the independence OF the
American colonies began the opportunity for their
repeal camo. France and America being close allies,
the Irish leaders feared invasion They asked the
British Government for protection which was re-
fused. They then took steps to protect themselves.
Nearly 10000 volunteers were organized for that
purpose. One of the results Of this organization
was the stimulation OF an agitation for free trade.
AS means TO that end, the volunteers resolved to
wear nothing manufactured In England. The British
Government, embarrassed by the revolt of the Amer
ican colonies, to the attitude of Franco,
and disposed therefore, TO be conclatory to its irish
subjects removed many of the restrictions complained
and both branches Of tina, body In of their earliest
addresses 20 the Throne declared that 1T is not by
temporary cXpedcns, but free trade alone, ast tho
Nation Is to be saved fOm impending ruin Tho
free trade for which the Irish Parliament then asked
tho removal OF tho determinations In the statutes
against Irish industries that those Of both countries
might be placed under tie operations Of the same
laws This measure Of relief was at last fully granted
by the British Government In the sixteen years
which follOwcd-from 1882 to lT9e-the progress Uf
the irish people under tho po.Icy wonderful.
Lord Clare not often ready to speak friendly word
for ireland, wrote In l79S There is not nation on
the habltable globe which has advanced In c,iltiva
ton and in agriculture and manufacturing
with the same rapdity In the same time 1t is ap
parent that this British free trade for which the
Irish Parliament had asked did destroy Irish In
dOstries.' On the contrary. IL gave them the first
healthy impetus they had received for moro than a
century. From that timo until 1s46 the same laws
substantially governed both the Irish and English In
dustries. But these laws avowcdy passed for
the purpose Of protection. OF course, the baefIl
influences Of this system serous in ireland
than ln England, because Of the severity Of the
oppressive laws by which the former had been
governed In tho preceding century. That the
Irish people realized the burdens which
protection imposed. and hostile TO the continu-
snce of the policy, shown by the position they
took with reference to the repeal OF the Corn Laws"
THE FALLACY IN THE USE OF A TERN.
1t will be By the explanation already given
that the free trade7 which the Irish Parliament
so enthusiast ca!ly and detcrmincdy concnded was
no, the free trade" Of the Golden Club, but freedom
10 trade and is therefore misleading on the part of
Mr.. Hud describe as this English frcc-trade Tor
which the Irish Parliament asked" He will himself,
think, on consideration. see that he should have
called II Anti British free trade. The following rcsou-
tons against the union and against British free trade,
passed by the woOlcn cotton and silk wcavers, at
meeting held in the Weavers' Han, Dublin January 81,
1900 Will more clearly illustrate this point than any
words Of mine:
Resolved, That previous to the year 1889.
while the Parl ament Of Great Britain assumed
control the Parliament OF this country, our
manufactures In a angushing and decayed state.
THAT since thai period, having had the benefit
of enjoying the parental aud solicItude Of a
resident Parliament the manufactures OF Ireland
have increased In a rapid manner
" That we behold with anxious concern any attempt
made TO deprive US Of that Parliament and submit
the regulation Of our manufactures to the Parliament
Of country. under whose partial influence they
had been nearly annihIlaied.
"That humble address be presented Parlia-
ment expressive of gratitude for the unremittng
protection have experienced from them and
praying that they will moi relnqulsh transfer to
rival country the guardianship Of the manufactures Of
Ireland. whch comforts, nay, the existence
o. so many thousands depend.
That the following gentlemen, with the chairman
and secretary, be appointed committee TO forward an
address 10 Parliament: John Orr, {. Duffy, Richard
Power J. 7. Snnott, John Milliken, Thomas Parker,
Jacob Geoghegan Thomas Abbott, chairman Thomas
Smith. secretary
When tho independence Of the Irish Parlia-
ment was secured In 1882, one Of the
first acts Of that body TO
establish protective duties upon all import atIons In
cluding those from England In the words OF Thomas
Davis this done "parily from a belief that pro.
polop hoo In anil
partly out Of retrbution England" Speaking on
this subject In 1875 Henry Grattan, addressing the
Irish Parliament, said Remember that you have \
right take the products Of foreign plantations subject
10 your own stipulated duties that you have q right
TO carry on experimental trade n countries con
tguons to which Great Britain has established hsr
mOnopoIics: the power OF trade thsand instrument
nd ihnrit LIZ L4I.h