Speech #500032605

Statistics of growth in all conceivable forms have been pa- Against an aggregate of $692.320.000 of imports. our nonprotected raded. accompanied with the exclamation. "Behold the tariff!" This farmers can show an aggregate export of $523.073.798. while our prois all pure exaggeration. tected manufacturers can only show a paltry export of $136.735.105. The tariff with a multitude of other causes have. all combined. pro- Let it be remembered. too. in this connection. that while our farmers duced the magnificent result. The chief factors. however. have been thus proudly enter into the competitive markets of the entire world. our abundant supply of the most fertile lands in the world. which wb the wages they pay the agricultural laborer are. as compared with the have freely given away under our homestead laws. together with the. wagei paid in any other country for such labor. relatively much higher immense tide of immigration. with all its capital of money and mus- than the wages paid by our manufacturers. as we shall hereafter point clo. This has produced our great home market. Our oceans of land. out more in detail. as free as water. and the development of the same have covered a mul- If our export trade were limited to the products of our manufactures. titude of sins. and. not least of all. some of the sins which lurk here and our imports would soon necessarily reach the same level. and our forthere in our tariff laws. eign commerce would thus be but a bagatellea desideratum longed Our leading agricultural staples are breadstuffs and cotton.