On the occasion to which the gentleman from South Carolina referred. I said: In 1856 the rate of duty on the aggregate of our imports was 20.3. and the number of immigrants were 200.436. in t859 the rate of duties had been reduced to 14.6. and the number of immigrants fell to 121.282. In 1861. by the acts of March 2. August 5. and December 24. the rate of duties was further reduced to 11.2. This broke the camels back. So many men were thrown out of employment and wages sunk so low that none but agriculturists could come to us with any prospect of iniproving their condition and immigration sunk to a point lower than it had been since the evertoberemembered freetrade crisis of 183740. In that year but 91.920 immigrants arrived. and time depression continued through the next year. and the number of immigrants was but 01.987. By the act July 14. 1862. the duties were raised. so that in 1863 they were up to 23.7. and the immigration nearly equaled that of the two preceding years. having gone up to 176.282. By the several acts of 1864. 1865. and 1866 the duties were increased. so that the duties on importations of 1866 averaged 40.2 percent.. and immigration went up to 318.554. Last year. when the West was further oppressed by the increase of duties on wool and copper they averaged 41.2. and the number of immigrants went up to 352.569. and the Commissioners of Immigration assure us that this year the number will exceed 400.000. It is thus demonstrated historically that precisely as we make our duties protective of high wages for labor. so do we bring skilled workmen from Germany. Belgium.
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