The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-21
OF IRELAND'S DECAY
Gr. Patrick Egau Refutes Some OF the
Fallacies Advanced by Frank Hurd.
English Free Trade and Business Greed Con-
clusivsly Shown TO Be Responsible for
the Decline Of Irish industries.


To ire Editor OF the fndIanapoiis journal:
All over this country Democratic politicians
and freetrade cam paien speaksrs-folio wing the
text OF Hon. Frank Hurd-srs appealing to our
. citizens OF Irish birth and descent 10 support
the frss-trsds. OF tsrif-for-revenus only. policy
upon the ground that Ireland has always de-
manded free trade, and that the system has con-
ferrsd upon her people untold blessings. pro-
pose, In . brisf historical sketch, to expose the
supreme fsllaey OF this areumsnt nay. more. I
will prove 10 any unprejudiesd mind that English
commercial Jealousy Of ~IrelAnd's prosperity and
English free trade, or, In other words, Englsnd's
pirasicai greed Tor . free marke. for English
manufactures has been ~ We bottom Of all the
Ills Of unhappy Irsland-ths loss OF nationhood.
the loss az msDufacturss aud commerce. land
lord sxsctions. poverty, pauperism, misery, emf
grafton. famine and death.
70 The reign OF William III q law was passed
by the English Parliament 1t the instances OF
the Bristol wooden Manufacturers, which pro-
hibitsd the expectation from Ireland to
the American colonies, to France. Spain,
or. In fact, to anywhere else than TO
England. Of wool either manufactured or in the
natural state, under Q penalty Of 90. 500. together
with the loss Of the ship and the cargo. Various
other acts were passed in restriction Of IrIsn
com uctsl Eogland had. prior to the date
OF tas American revolution, obtained the COM
plete coctrcl OF lrelsnd's resources. Bnt Eng
land. being engaged 10 . life AID death struggle
with her American colonies and having fiery
France on her dank, was forced to consent to
the formation Of the Irish volunteer army under
csrismons, Grsttan, Flood and Napier Tandy.
and In l1o2,
When Grattan rose none dared opposs
The Slain he made for frssdorn-
The voice Of Henry Grsttsu. backed BY 50, 900
nsshine basonets. with $4,000 brave hearts be-
Napier Tsndys artillery, with . label suspend.
cd from the muzzls Of each quo bearing the
motto. Free trade or else -" appealed so
toucnineiy TO the tender susceptibilitiss of
came down and acknc wieaEsd "Th.t the king
DON OF ireland IL Q distinct kingdom, with .
Parliament Of hsr ewn. the sole legislature
thersof-that there 10 40 body OF men comps-
tent 70 make laws to bind the nation bu. the
King. Lords and Commons OF Ireland-nor any
Psriiameut which hath sny authority OF
power Of any sort whatever IN this
country, save only the Parliament Of. Ireland
Threatened from the muzzles of Napper Taudy's
Runa She conceded TO Ireland free trade,
which the the brilliant writer and historian
Mitehsi, forty years ago, defined as follows:
BY frea trsds Irish statesmen meant not freedom
fun powr Of their own Parliament 20 regulate their
own trade By such duties or exports or imports.
prossssiy dl.ssiminatiRs or grohisitery. as the In
In the exercise Of this full power Of their own
Parliament Irish patriots, under the leader
ship of Henry Grattar, in 1882 and 17e3, granted
toward the establishment Of Irish manufactures
borntiss to the large sum OF a. 500, COO. and i'm
nedisssty after put on strict protective duties
on oil importations including those from Eng
land. lrAand under protection. in the short
spare OF eighteen years, advanced as no nation
on the face OF the globe had ever advanced be-
fore III the same time Her wonderful proeress
- best described in tbs words OF Lord Plunket:
"A little island With . population Of abont 5, OOO.-
GOO OF people: hardy, gallant and enthusiastic. pos
tossed OF al thu means OF cultivation, agriculture
and eommsres-vsll pursued aud understood: laws
veil arranged and adm sistered; q constitution
fuiiy recognised and established: Lsr revenues, her
hope or example of any other country OF her
extsut-within those few years advancing with q IA
lp;ditx .xteaishins even to hcrself"-and ne goes on to
y "a frcs And independent constitution and the pro:ec-
ticn Of . domestic superintendent Parliament"
Her marvellous prosperity. however. oy incis.
Ing the envy, the eupidity and the fear OF her
jealous ana ever wstcoful rival England, proved
her ruin. IrIsh manufactures threatened to
cut rival English, so much 50, that IN the words
OF Lord Shsf6s cid:
~>ssThs English then complained that ireland. If al
lowed 10 proceed in the manufactu,e OF iron. would
rapidly suPplant Britain IN that branch of trade and
that unless the export was protected By q duty they
fLuU4A r1ti<E Lu0I WOrks. which cost ml1On1 ard
enlsrsss with their capital to Ireland" similar com.
plants we're made in regard 10 other trades and many
Manufacturers Of silk, ealisoss: fustians aud other
abr.cs threatened to remove their plants and capital
from England into Ireland Irish protective tariff
stood IN the way Of English interest and in order 70
XII OF the dreaded rivalry Of Irish enterprise and
Irish genius, which we're stimulated by Irsh protso-
ton and IN order 20 open Up the lrish market tor
English fabrics, Pitt the champion Of the iron, the
cotton. she wol.en kings of England, determined 70
strange the national Parliament OF Ireland which IN
the verts Of Grsttan bad given to Ireland. Freedom
OF trado sal protsction tor her manufacturer
John Mitchell described this period IN his usual
eausuc vein- He says:
puring those eighteen years Of Irish Independence,
British rsiicy was suspended. Honest John Bull al
those ysss, was losing a yearly ineoms. which he felt
to be jcstly hs own. Our coantrymen began 20 man
~ufacturs again; aud seditiously consumed their own
corn and beef. Revenus sxpended N puelic improve.
Lendonsrs. Irish landlords Keeping tneir town houses
N Ireland and spending their rents at home, instead
of psyina -snt and wsgssin England. The thing was
not 10 be borne-and through intolerance OF Irish
prosperity" preparations we're made to conquer Ire
land agaie BY tbs act OF union-
Every Irish patriot fought against the unioa.
OF the ground that il would be ruinous 70 Irish
homo industries Speaker Foster, CT the Irish
House Of Commons. one Of tbs nost able aud
the most incorporating or the Irish leaders,
carried an address TO tbs crown In 1913, setting
forth, that the union would bring ruin TO
TIE manufacturing industries OF Ireland, which
had grown up under the Encouragement afford
ed them by irish protection The various
trade guilds Of Dublin, torseeing tie danger OF
English free trade. pstitionsd Aeainrt the
union The Guild Of Merchants resolved THAT
sue nittine the and the marutaet-
6rss OF this country to the control OF q parlis.
ment exercising its functions exclusively IN
Great Britain must be destructive TO toe pros
psrity Of Ireland The hosiers resolved ''fhat
. legislative incorporation OF Great Britain aud
Ireland would be destr uctivs OF our trade aud
subversivs OF COR constitution, and should,
therefore. be resisted The weavers resolved
THAT an humble address be presented TO Par
lament expressive OF our gratitude for the 10
rsuittiug protection we have experisnced from
them, cad praying that they will not rellno uish
or transfer 70 q rival country the guardianship
Of the manufactures Of Ireland. on which our
eomfort, nay. the existence of so many thou
sands, depends.7 Lord Chief Justice Bushs de-
seribsd The union a. The denial of the rights OF
nature 20 q great nation from an intolerance of
her prosperity. and ss q conquest degrading,
odious, absurd and abominAble-wors than the
tyranny which Lost America TO Great Britain. "
Henry Grattan, from the bottom OF his heart,
protested against the abandonment of the policy
of protection. which had IN 90 short a tims done
Tor Ireland 90 much good. He said: al the
policy Of nursing our growing fabrics and
thereby Improving the industries or the coun-
try, employing her children and expendiug her
wealth upon her own labor, il now abandoned.
and the language Of the union is, Buy where you
can. and - cheap as you csp.'
One Of the great Enelish arguments IN favoE
Of the uaion In 1873 and 1900 was: "As irelands
trade with treat Britain has boep great before
the union 10 viii be infinitely greater after the
Enion-s Pitt derlared In his snaech of Jan Al