Speech #470160154

Mir. Clay was too good a reasoner to rest his case on a theory which defeats itself. The other day the Senator from Ohio put itentirely outside of that ground and said that capital needs no protection nor ought it be protected. that capital was strong enough. and he put iton the ground alonethat it is the protection of American labor against what he calls the pauper labor of Europe. I say if you put it on the ground of protection of labor. what is your syllogism? American labor should be protected against the pauper labor of Europe. The workers in the forge and in the foundery and in the loom are American laborers. and therefore should be protected against the pauper labor of Europe. That is the syllogism. Carry that out. The man who works in the cornfield. the tobaccofield. the cottonfield. the wheatfield is an American laborer. and therefore should be protected against the pauper labor of Europe. The man who cares for and protects cattle and -sheep is an American laborer. and therefore should be protected against the labor of Europe. The blacksmith. carpenter. cabinet workman. and workers in all the mechanical industries are American laborers. therefore should be protected against the pauper labor of Europe. Thus when you conic to work it out you have every laborer taxed to protect every other labor. and who then is benefited? The position is reduced to absurdity. It is not the protection of American labor against the pauper labor of Europe that would be protected by the theory of the Senator from Ohio. but the protection of certain special industries. worked and manipulated by capital. that are to be protected. while the great industry of agriculture. tme mining and the mechanical industries and stockraising are not thus to be protected. That shows that the syllogism on which lie bases his argument can not stand. but falls of its inherent weakness. and yet it is more plausible than the theory of the Senator from Massachusetts. Now. on.the point of killing the goose that lays the golden egg: sir. this whole bill shows that that is precisely what these protection people are doing in this bill. they are laying this enormous burden upon the shoulders of the unprotected workers so heavily that the people throughout the length and breadth of this land. groaning under an oppressive burden. paying into the Treasury $150.000.000 ammally more than is needed. and vastly more than that under a fallacious system into the pockets of the protected capitalists. will shake this load off.