The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-02-20
FREE TRADEIx IRELAND.
How % Destroyed the Nome Industries
Of the Green IsIs.

How 90 Destroyed the Nome Industries
ofths Green IsIs.
Prom the American Economist
Sir John Barnard Byles, one Of
England's foremost jurists aud pO-
litieal economists, writing In 1850 In
response to the arrogant claim Of
Free trade for Ireland and the
evils Of ireland will wsrk their own
cure" alphabetically said, Never!
For nearly half . century ireland
has had perfect free trade with the
richest country In the world. What
has free trade done for her" IL
will be noted that the above was
said In the days when British free
trade with all the world wac but
four years old, though between Eng
land aud ireland, as between our
states, Il had been in existence
nearly half q century. IL will also
be remembered that with the proven
bal eLtIuslasm Of new converts
British Tree traders were elamOrous-
ly propheSying that In ten years
every nation IN the world would
have abandoned protection to its
home industries aud Joined Eng
land in its mad crusade for universal
free trade, but England 10 not only
rs solitary In her preaching and
practice Of free trade As then, but
her colonies have abandoned these
fallacies to their great gain. But
ireland IL not regarded a. q colony,
but as Q conquest, aud subject To the
| tyranny Of her successful invaders.
Save late In the last century, Eng
land, terrified at our success ia
achieving Independence and nation
atty, relaxed her discipline and
permitted her victims TO have their
own Parliament, which lost no time
| In passing laws protective Of her
home industries, and soon that land
| was rescued frem being a compare
tive desert Of enforced idleness aud
| poverty and transformed into a
| garden Of industry and comfort.
But this did not suit the views OF
her ancient tyrants. By 9 series Of
bribsries, intTigues and corruption
unparalleled In history they depriv-
ed her Of her Parliament, and in the
year 1900 King George I'LL, who was
then, rs now cursed by every Amer
lean ~ earnestly as Jefferson cursed
him I'm our Declaration OF Independ-
snce, signed the bill which annulled
that Parliament, and relegated Ire
land TO her former woes.
What was the result? With the
destruction Of protection TO home
industries they persisted. Judge
Byles gave . practical list of q few
Of those destroyed, from which we
abstract thus: The master wooden
manufacturers in Dublin I'm 1900
,,U,,,baraI al .,,,,Invinu IutG manila
In 1910 there were but l. factories
aud G02 operators. In the same city
In 1850 there were 80 master wool
combers aud 30 working people; i'm
ISBO there were but > employers and
60 employees; also, in 1900 there were
10 carpet factories and I'D artisans ;
In 1871 l factory and 10 operators.
Dublin had also 800 silk-lOOm
weavers in $500. In 1910 but 30.
The So blanket manufacturers Of
Kilkenny employed 300 in $50,
which diIninished to I2factorles and
a2J workers in $50. There were
lO0 flannel looms In the county OF
Wicklow In lSOO, not one Of which
was at the work In ISL.
Only one manufacturing interest
survived, aud that was OF linen,
from which protection had not been
removed.
Pages Of this journal might be
filled with similar quotations, show
ing not only that Irishmsn in this
country should vote for protection
TO home labor, but the also interest
ing fact that free traders In this
country not only make war as they
did Ia Ireland on all Industries, but
that they single out now and here as
they did then and there wool and its
fSbi les as especial targets for their
hatred and attacks.