Speech #500155207

I believe that is not the correct proportion. With the resources that I have for information on subjects of this kindand I believe they are resources that almost any other persons can resort to for such informationit is necessarily the case that our estimates must be only approximate. but that the agricultural interests of the United States have paid to the manufacturing interests and industries of the United States during these periods of taxation about the enormous amount that I have referred to I think is undoubtedly correct. Agriculturists in the United States have been able to bear this tax because of the great fertility of our soil and because of the immense number of immigrants that have come from other countries here to supply us with labor. as well as. also. because of the necessities of foreign countries. many of which have been engaged in very heavy warfare with each other and have consequently depleted their fields of labor so that their harvests have been comparatively small. ButI think I can state with absolute assurance. and every American citizen will appreciate fully the fact. that the agricultural interests of the United States. which. as I remarked in the few observations I made this morning. fixed the value of all capital and all money. have yielded to the protected industries more than five times the money that would be necessary now to rebuild every one of them if they were burnt to the ground. It has been the constant. unvaried cause of the depletion of the profits of agriculture. and while that industry has borne it with patience it does seen to me that when we are reforming our tariff act and are trying to reduce the surplus in the Treasury. amounting to $130.000.000 a year. our very first and most direct effort should be to lift the burdens from this industry that has contributed so enormously to the support of the Government. has provided this balance of trade in our favor. and has yielded to the manufacturing industries of this country. as I repeat. more money. by far more money than would be necessary to rebuild every one of the manufactories of the United States if they were burnt to the ground.