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VIII. The Assault on Imperial Control
- University of Pennsylvania Press
- Chapter
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v The Assault on ImpeT'ialCo rrtr-o I I Fresh from their victory on Free Trade, the Patriots now moved on to their next objective. Their aim-to free the Irish Parliament from British control and make it more responsive to Irish public opinion-involved a twofold struggle. The first struggle was the repeal of Poyning 's Law and the Declaratory Act of 1719 which together had the effect of making the Irish legislature a subordinate one, and Ireland subject to the acts of the British Parliament. The second struggle consisted in freeing to some extent the representation from the aristocratic borough-owners by whom, in large measure, the British government controlled the Irish House of Commons. The Patriots decided to concentrate in 1780 on the first part of their aim, that is, the removal of the constitutional supremacy of Britain over Ireland and the Irish Parliament . Their efforts involved the introduction of three v The Assc::wlt on Impei'iClI Conti'OI I Fresh from their victory on Free Trade, the Patriots now moved on to their next objective. Their aim-to free the Irish Parliament from British control and make it more responsive to Irish public opinion-involved a twofold struggle. The first struggle was the repeal of Poyning 's Law and the Declaratory Act of 1719 which together had the effect of making the Irish legislature a subordinate one, and Ireland subject to the acts of the British Parliament. The second struggle consisted in freeing to some extent the representation from the aristocratic borough-owners by whom, in large measure, the British government controlled the Irish House of Commons. The Patriots decided to concentrate in 1780 on the first part of their aim, that is, the removal of the constitutional supremacy of Britain over Ireland and the Irish Parliament . Their efforts involved the introduction of three 216 IRISH POLITICS AND SOCIAL CONFLICT measures: a resolution declaring that only the King, Lords and Commons of Ireland could legislate for Ireland; a bill for the partial repeal of Poyning's Law; and an Irish Mutiny 'bill, the passing of which would implicitly invalidate the British Mutiny Act which had always been accepted as binding for the armed forces in Ireland. Before dealing with these constitutional matters, it is necessary to first consider the completion of the Free Trade concession. The right to export freely had been only one leg of Free Trade: the other was the right to import direct from the colonies, a measure which was passed by the British Parliament in February of 1780 and was known as the Plantations Act. This would have to be balanced by passing equalizing duties in Ireland so that Irish external commerce would be placed under the same burdens and restrictions as British. The enactment of these duties involved no difficulty except for a tariff on the import of refined sugar; and it was found that sugar could create, politically as well as chemically, what the eighteenth century called a "ferment." The completion of the concession was launched in the British Commons by Lord North on January 24, 1780, when he introduced a bill to allow the trade between Ireland and the British Colonies and Plantations in America and the West Indies, and the British Settlements on the coast of Africa, to be carried on in like manner as it is now carried on between Great Britain and the said Colonies and Settlements.' The bill met with little difficulty in either house of parliament and received the royal assent on February 24. Sir Thomas Egerton made the interesting point that because the trade issue was now one of great national importance and no longer merely one of commerce, the manufactur216 IRISH POLITICS AND SOCIAL CONFLICT measures: a resolution declaring that only the King, Lords and Commons of Ireland could legislate for Ireland; a bill for the partial repeal of Poyning's Law; and an Irish Mutiny bill, the passing of which would implicitly invalidate the British Mutiny Act which had always been accepted as binding for the armed forces in Ireland. Before dealing with these constitutional matters, it is necessary to first consider the completion of the Free Trade concession. The right to export freely had been only one leg of Free Trade: the other was the right to import direct from the colonies, a measure which was passed by the British Parliament in February of 1780 and was known as the Plantations Act. This would have to be balanced...