If the computation could be made upon each class separately the advance would seem to be very much more. Suppose that it were possible to bring about a radical change of the tariff laws and to base them wholly upon the idea of revenue only. with no leaning even to incidental protection. Not only would the American standard of wages approximate to the European and Asiatic standard and our large manufacturing population suffer by being thrown out of employment. but it would soon be found that agriculture. with its unwillingly added numbers. cannot thrive by exchanging home patrons for those abroad. That is the insidious form of the absenteeism of landlords from all home expenditure. and by no means the least deleterious. A sudden depreciation of agriculturalproducts must follow. and also such a fall in the value of real estate as would be likely to effect a permanent cure of freetrade fanaticism for generations to come.