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Show With protection a population equal to the entire present roster of the country would now havo been engaged in mills and facti ries.whilo as many more would have found prosperity in supplying them with the fruits of the soil. An English, governor and au EoglUh constabulary con-stabulary could not have ruined the country if Kngliab industrial and com-merciul com-merciul interests had nut bean placed in control there. Free trade has been the curse of Ireland, aad the country will not revive until tho cause of its decline shall havo been corrected. The condi-tim condi-tim of that land should be carefully studied by th student of practical political po-litical economy, and it will convive most any unbiased mind that free trado must be disastrous to any land that has anything of its on n to develop. THS CONDITION OF IKI'XAND. It may be that home rule would reestablish re-establish the glory of Ireland, but it is not likely that such a result would follow fol-low if the Irish people were not given authority to cucourage and protect home industries. It would bo au advantage ad-vantage to them to be able to elect their own legislative aud administrative officers of-ficers and to name the constabulary, but it is more essential that they be given the right of commercial home rule. It would bcuelit them to be able to own the land upon which they are now tenants, but it is far more Important Impor-tant that they should have home markets mar-kets for the product of the land. The greatest trouble with Ireland is that its trade has bea turned over to the English, the island having been sucked dry by the people across the channel. There was a time when Ire-laud Ire-laud was prosperous, but tho English plan of free trade applied to it left it a prey to English manufacturers. During the past lifty yean the population of the country has decreased nearly DO per cent. In lc-tl it was 8,lll),000; in 151 it had fallen to 0,014.000; in 1'U the census showed only 3,798,000; in 1871 there wore only 5, lO-'.UOO Inhabitants; in there was a further decline to S.KO.Obtl, aud the last census shows that the entire population of the country coun-try is only 4,700,000. Not only haa the population decreased, but poverty and misery have increased, and Ireland today, to-day, with only half as many people as it had half a century ago, is worse off than it was then. Dritish policy toward the country his been such as to close down its factories and drive tho people more and more to the land for their sustenance, while those who have lieen cn the land have had a constantly contracting con-tracting market to contend with. 1 If Ireland could Lavo been left with I protection for its home industries, in-j in-j stead of having tho tieidof tiadu turned over to tlie liritish, the conditions to-, to-, day would hare been vastly different. |