The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-30
"Rritish Free Trade. -

No one Ill I1IS eOHIlTs pTOpOStS
British free trade" or any other kind
OF free trade. When you hear a man
say. I'm going TO vote against free
trade he has not the intelligence
that is expected of an American citi-
zen. The only issue in this country
i between low and Eiyh taxes. What
the protectionist should say il, Il am
going TO vote against low taxes.
But. further than this. the effort to
use Irish hatred of England as n fac
tor in American politics requires the
Justification of history. British free
trade never added To the niis"ries Of
Ireland. for she was left ont Of the
English commercial scheme entirely.
Scotland refused assent to par'ia-
mentary union with England till she
was guaranteed place in England's
commercial policy. and no one hears OF
Scotch complaint against British free
trade, because Scotland, sterile and
stony. with her coast thumped by
ocean storms. gets her share of the
benefits of England's trade policy.
Ireland's complaint is that she is de-
MED that share. and she was denied
it under protection also, when that
was the policy of England. Once
only did Ireland rise to the hight Of
her commercial opportunity, and force
compliance with her demands in mat
tiers of trade. If any lrishman wish
es to know what those demands were.
let him read the history of Grattan's
parliament. which met in Dublin i'm
1852. Grattan refused to permit fur
ther taxation of Ireland for the sup
port of the British government un-
less that government would concede
to Ireland free trade" He began
his agitation in 11119, only three years
after Adam Smith, the Scotch philos-
opher. had published his Origin Of
the Wealth Of Nations" England
was then n strong protection country,
and Ireland was fanline-smitten
and inisgoverned. To enforce his de-
mand for Irish free trade, Grattan
filled Dublin with the Irish yolun-
teers," the SONS of Protestant Irish
men whose arms and uniforms were
bought 10y the Catholics, who were for
hidden by English law to bear arms.
After months of debate with the vice.
roy and the castle people, Grattan
carried his point. Irish free trade
was conceded by England, and then
began the first genuine prosperity
that Ireland had enjoyed since Strong
bows mercenaries went to the aid of
the traitor McMurrough. Under
Irish free trade the magnificent har-
bors of that island were filled with
ships, and prosperity sat on the
shores of Belfast and Waterford, of
Court Macsherry Clonakilty, Rosscar-
berry and Skibbereen, and every cairn
and cromlech lifted up its chaplet of
growing shamrock to the honor of
Grattan and the Irish volunteers.
In 1850 Grattan had said:'l laugh
at the man who supposes that Ire
land will not be satisfied with free
trade and Il free constitution" In
1885, when the tide of Irish prosper
ity had risen from the emancipation
of her commerce, England sought to
recall the grant Of free trade made
three years before, and a bill was
moved to that effect in the Irish par
lament, to which Grattan said:
But when the mover of the bill
asks me to surrender those powers,
am astonishea at him. have Meth
er ears. nor eyes, nor functions. to
make such Il sacrifice. What THAT
FREE TRADE FOR WHICH WE EXERT
ED EVERY NERVE IN 1119: that free
for which we pledged
life and fortune in 1882. Our lives are
at the service OF the empire: but our
liberties never.
English free trade dates from 1876.
Irish free trade ended with the parlia-
mentary union of 1901, in which the
enlightened policy Of the patriot
Grattan was unmistakab!y surrender
ed Ivy criminals, III the Irish parlia-
ment. Ireland has had no free trade
since, but she was the first country
in Europe to prove its benefits. and if
they were hers to-day she would not
be beggared and forlorn. This bit of
history has nothing to do with Amer
lean politics. except as an answer to
ignorant and malicious appeal to
Irish prejudice, by which republi-
cans assume that Irishmen don't
know the history Of their own coun-
try.-Des Moines Leader.