The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-01-09

together dependent on farming. There
must be manufacture and commerce
to furnish life blood for nation. How
much would the marvellous efficiency
of Germany count for today in the
world If she relied alone on intensive
farming. England having the ear of
the world pleads she went to war to
save the small state of Belgium. Part
Of the world forgets she destroyed the
last surviving republics in Africa, the
Transvaal and the Orange Free State
because of her greed for the diamond
mines and the gold of Kimberly and
Johannesburg. In the analysis of the
Home Rule Bill l will show that Ire.
land by its terms is effectually stopped
from developing foreign trade, and
is subjected to increased taxation
from the burden of an office.holding
brigade, without being able to increase
her resources from the profits of man.
uAdCtuAO ouU CUulIu0IC0.
Ireland contains $4,000 square miles,
England $4,000. Ireland is more fer.
tile than either England or Scotland
The population of England is close to
100000. Ireland is stripped down
to 100000 of inhabitants and ought
to be able to support in comfort 49,.
100000 of people. The island contains
coal, iron, marble, copper and various
resources not possible of development
because of English control and oppo.
sition. Her industries are confined
to small section Of the northeast,
held in hand by the descendants OF
invaders, fortified originally by con.
quest and rarely do you find a pure
native holding any important business
station in any of the 80 counties of
the island. The prevailing fashion is
to class the natives as lazy and in.
! competent without scrutinizing the
historic and economic reasons which
have brought them to their present
plight and left them at the mercy of
the conquerors. Few of her critics
take into account the repressive com.
mercial codes of centuries, lifted too
late, in part, to restore industry. The
English parliament enacted laws which
ruined the once prosperous manufac.
turing industries Of the country. As
soon as Ireland developed an impor.
tant direct export trade, England
crushed the life out of it by export
tariffs, hostile duties aimed at Irish
exports solely. At one time Irish
woolens were the first in Europe. The
output Of her looms found their way
to all the cities of the continent. The
cloth makers of England successfully
petitioned the parliament to place an
arbitrary, preferential export duty on
Irish woolens which annihilated the
industry. That trade never recovered
from the blow. England gave bounties
to manufacturers in various lines, sub
sides to ships and none to ireland
After bankrupting Ireland, she re-
moved these restrictions in the midst
Of the continental war exactly as she
promises Home Rule now as an emer
gency measure to superinduce recruit.
ing for the British army. The Irish
Volunteers of hundred years, OF
more, ago were organized as the re-
suit of the suppression of Irish trade
They forced the government to supply
them arms in the same manner az
the Irish Volunteers of today. The
great wars on the continent fright
ened England into granting an Irish
parliament in 1882 which was taken
away from Ireland twenty years later
Pensioners of the government and
traitors destroyed the national cause
exactly as they are trying to do today
That brief period of free country
was the one bright epoch of modern
Irish history. The factories were oc
cupied and increasing, the harbors
filled with ships, and immigration ex
ceeded emigration. Irish independ
ence and growing commerce aroused
fearful jealousies on the part of her
more powerful neighbor who proceed
ed to crush Ireland again by acts OF
repression. This led to rebellion and
bloodshed and the execution of Rob
ert Emmett, followed by the destruc
ton of Irish industries. Then came
seventy years of horror, broken only
by the gurgling cries of a strangled
people. Young Ireland rose in 1913
led by dozen educated young men
but the effort was futile. Famine had
starved to death q million people the
year before, another million fed to
foreign shores, the life blood of the
nation was exhausted and her children
scattered to the four corners of the
earth, but preserving good memories
suggest an acceptable business solu.
ton and finally proposes that they
play a Showdown poker hand. the