Speech #470161729

I read what Mr. Banks said inthe House of Representatives six yearsago fbr the purpose of showing that these charges are untrue. I read what tll6 consuls reported and what was said to us by the late Secretary of Slate. who is a distinguished citizen of New England. to show that all the representations they are now making about the pauper labor of Europe are unfounded. I have shown here before that since England made raw material free the wages of her laborers had doubled. and often trebled. and I have shown before that England now pays 25 per cent. more than France. 30 per cent. more than Germany. 40 per cent. more than Belgium. 50 per cent. more than Spain and Italy. as wages to her laborers for the same class of work. and she is driving. by their intelligence. skill. and machinery and the use of free material. the labor of those lowWage paying countries out of their own lands. until they have to shield themselves. as we are now seeking to do. by a protective tariff. which we have made so prohibitive that it makes our own people pay for all they want nearly double what anybody else in the world has to give for it. My policy means cheap material. high wages. and intelligent labor. so that our manufactures can go to South America. to China. to Japan. to the Indies. everywhere. backed by a great commercial marine such as we were building up before 1860. when this miserable protective system was inaugurated under all sorts of pretenses. and which has been kept up ever since under all sorts of false pretenses.