Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-10-12
LETTER FROM PETER DOYLE.
The Distinguished Irish american Dis
cusseS the Tariff Question.

cusses the Tariff Question.
Hon. Peter Doyle never writes any
thing which is not well worth reading:
but every point in the following COM
munication in which he applies the
test of common sense to few of the
standing arguments of the high takers
ought to be committed to memory:
ITO THE EDITOR OF THE MILwAU-
kEE JOURNAL: One of the standing
arguments of prOtectionists in this
campaign, if argument it can be called,
and one addressed especially to Irish
Americans, is that England is in favor
Of free-trade. tby which is of course
understood tariff for revenue only,
this being the settled meaning of the
term by the United states, and hence
it should not be adopted.
Now, is it a fact that England is in
favor of the adoption of free trade by
the United States? 1t is doubtless
true chat this is the case so far as a
considerable portion of the most liberal
Of the English people are concerned,
especially those who desire to see cor
rect economic principles established in
practice, without regard to selfish con-
siderations. But it is equally true
that the most selfish among English
writer's, statesmen and OtherS-in fact
all those who desire to see Great
Britain prosper at the expense of this
or other countries, without any regard
to considerations of right or Justice
are in favor of the continuation of a
protective policy by the United States,
knowing full well that were it not for
protection this country would be a
formidable competitor with Great
Britain for the trade of the world.
To illustrate this, it may be sutfi-
cient to quote briefly from an article
in Macmillan'S Magazine for February,
1882, written by Sir Lyon Playfair,
deputy speaker of the house of com
mons, soon after his return from a
visit to this country. He wrote: The
protective duties of America remove
from US the most formidable compel
itOr in the markets of the world by
raising its cost Of production. They
protect England in all neutral mar
kets, and enable us to send even into
the United States G25,O00,000 worth
of manufactured goods, while they re-
turn to us less than 100000 worth"
But even if it were true that the
English people generally favor the
adoption of free trade by the United
States, this of itself would certainly
be no good reason for its rejection. If
We are to reject thing just because
it is English, let us apply ourselves
at once to the study of Nolapuk, or
some other language, and declare war
upon the queens English although |
perhaps most Of us will sufficiently |
our hostility in this respect |
without any special effort on our part;
let us at once give up most of the |
laws that guard our personal liberty; |
let us also discard trial by jury which,
as used by us, is of English origin; |
let us in a word reject everything
English, just because it is English.
Do the advocates of protection, who |
use the argument referred to, desire !
this? Is not this argument, or rather |
50 called Argument, an appeal to pas
sion or prejudice rather than to reason
)r judgment:
Closely allied to this SO called argu-
ment in its character and still weaker
in its logic, is the appeal made to
Irish American voters to favor prOtec-
ton here because, as they are told,
free trade at times proved injurious to
Ireland. Time and space forbid ex-
tended examination or discussion. 1t |
.an only be said that during the few
years of the existence of an independ-
mt Irish parliament, free trade was
advocated by the ablest and most pa
riotic of Ireland's statesmen. If any
me will open WalpOle's " Kingdom of
Ireland he will find that in 1879 an
address to the king on the state of Ire
land was proposed in the English par
and that Grattan moved as
IN amendment that ait was by free
export and import only that the nation
was to be saved from impending ruin"
1t is not at all improbable that Graf
tan knew as well what ireland needed |
IN relation to the matter of trade as
most of those who now seek to get !
Irish-American votes in favor of con
tinuing protective policy in the
United States.
But few persons, however can be
misled by such appeals; and no class
Of voters comprehend more thoroughly
than those to whom such appeals are
specially made, the rural poets some
what homely but philosophic and truth
full definition of SO called protection:
Protection in a nutshell means,
\ right for certain classes;
\ little law that interveneS,
70 help them rob the masses;
The rich may place the prices high; |
The poor shall be compelled to buy"
Milwaukee, Oct. ,. PETER DOYLE.
Prof, John H. Parkinson