The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-11-28

I
Like most people who kLow Irisl
history at very long range. Mr.. Grady
is ekepttcal about the plain facts O.
tho Irish situation. When a man eayi
he doubts the statement that free
trade with England has been the rui,
ofliish industries he writes himself
down tyro Oh the subject. The fact
is SO well made out that even English
writer's admit it, and try to prove that
ireland is all the letter for having nc
Industries but farming. Perhaps the
most eminent English economist OF
10 day is Prof. Alfred Marshall of the
University OF Cambridge.
| When he was in this country in 1875.
pressed tho matter Oh his attention,
and he admitted that free trade was
bad Tor Ireland. III | were dictator, q
said lie. Il would put premium upon
| every article of manufacture made In
Ireland" That" | replied, would
| he protection the other end up lie
| replied 10y a laugh. So Judge Byles.
one OF the greatest OF English jurists,
known probably TO Mr.. Grady as the
| author OF "Byles on Bills.n has point.
| ed out with much detail the wholesale
| ruin Inflicted on Irish manufacturing
Industries of all kinds by free trade
with England. while insisting also on
the hopelessness of getting any re-.
dress for Ireland so long as the Irish
people were under English rule. Some
forty years ago the Irish Catholic
| priesthood held convention to dis.
cuss the Irish situation. They de.
clared against the continuance OF free
trade, as 1t was ruinous to their coun.
try. The same ground was taken In
favor of protection for Irish indus
tries by Counsellor Butt, the founder
OF the Home Rule party, and equally
eminent es political economist and
as lawyer.
The 1fish-American Land League,
whose members may he supposed to
know something about Ireland, have
| declared In their platform or organi-
zation that Ireland needs Home Rule
Tor that very purpose, and the young
er Dillon has written book on The
| Dismal Science" in which he elabor.
ates the very facts which Mr.. Grady
refuses to believe. So outside observ.
| ors, such as Mr.. Gustave de- Beaumont
in his fine book on Ireland, and Mr..
George Pellew In his book I'm Castle
and Cabin" New York, 1888, have
shown that the root of irish mieery Is
in the want OF other employmentt
than farming. Mr.. Pellew. although Q
free trader shows this very clearly
and recommend Mr.. Grady to obtain
and study his work. 1t may serve him
| as primer.
have been so often over the ground
as to the connection OF FREQ trade with
Irish misery that 1t Is like thleshing
old straw to go at 1t again. To put
the case briefly:
l. Ireland in lTS2 achieved legisla.
tive independence for the purpose oil
protecting her Industries, and at once
used the power for that purpose.
2. he effect of this legislation was
a rapid and most beneficial develop.
ment OF her manufactures. giving EN-.
pIoyment TO her people, making the
! nest use OF her resources, and reduc.
I ing her dependence on Lnglish manu-
! features.
The returns OF the hearth tax prove
a rapid and guneral rise in the stan.
dard OF well-being; and the Earl OF
Clare, who hated the new law as he
hated everything national In Ireland,
in li9S admitted that no other country
OF Europe had made such rapid
progress in agriculture, manufac.
lures and commerce as ireland since
| l7S2.
4. The Irish Parliament In 1899 re.
| lected the proposal for Il union with
Great Britain on the ground that 1t
would ruin these very manufactures,
which 1t declared necessary to the wei.
| fare OF the country. ..5
D. he same Parliament,a year later,
was bought by places, pensions and
titles to vote the Treaty of Union, but
with the condition thGt those duties
should be taken of gradually. the last
disappearing by 1890.
6. AS tie duties were removed the
competition of tho abundaI.t capital and
longer trained labor Of England crush.
ed out the Irish manufactures. until
by 1880 hardly vestlge was left of
tho WOODEN and other leading trades
Z. With Tie disappearance Of manu-
factures conceded the coming OF
famine, which attacks merely nCri.
cultural and no other And with The
disappearance of other employments
than farming came the power OF the
landlords to exact rents, as the people
must get land or die.
g. These two results OF free trade
have reduced Ireland by starvation
and emigration from country OF ten
million people to ono OF less than halt
60 many.
9 In spite of efforts on the part OF
all classes, Catholics ana Pedestrians
landlords and tenants, In every part
oil Ireland. to restore their manllIar.
ture in the face OF English compctt-
lion that competition has been too
strong for them. lhe number OF peo
Die who live In Ireland by anything
but farming, diminishes with every
decade.
As Mr., Fellow shows the Whole Irish
people. substantially, of whatever
party, are protectionlsts; and. unless
n@land can tic tho hands OF tho
home Ruse Parliament elfertually,
protection uuher some form is sure to
established. Several of the proyi.
sions OF Mr.. Gladstone's bill aim at
preventing rrotevtlonlst legislation
IL Is only In America that many Irish
men can be found to ote FOR the poli
2y which ruined their country.
Alr Grady has his own theory of
the way IN which Ireland has Ieeu
made poor and miserable. He tries to
make two Joints: 4
!. Our tariIf Injuries Ireland by ite
chechl.e imports OF the manufac.
tuners OF flax and other products of
Irish skill. lie cannot. thin. mon.
ton a single article of Irish mnnpf,c.
ture, except linen. where export tn the
rest OF the world IA Of any importance
whatever. faks that OF linen alone
ia nat ireland at lurgr has no infer,si
whatever. 1t is the prttpd industry oil
tile lieiiast corner OF lst..r and il In
the hahds OF those 'loyAlfsts" who ure
doing SO much to stand in he Nav OF
lrelnnd's national aspirations. And
our tariffs. until the passage OF the
Mckinley act. never laid protective
dntS which suiii2cd either TO '.checkn5i
OF RESTRAIN tie imports of irish linens /
ltths niis"rN oil Ireland began wiia the ]
aaai'gs ol Tie mckinley tariff Ar. tira +
his scored his point. Otherwise
not. 80 voc
lie asGrihes Irish wretchyduess
|" ho political character q tho gov.
eitiH mt under ~ g.lsh rule. cr' -
ta5n an not inc .ilt'd To pvZlft,