It is in direct conflict with the Democratic touchstone of legislation. "Equal rights to all. special favors to none." Our farmers are told by the protectionists that their system withdraws from the field hundreds of thousands of laborers and gives them employment in manufacturing. which furnishes a home market at liberal prices for their surplus products. This argument contains just enough truth to be thoroughly misleading. it is like a grain of wheat in a peck of chaff. If too many people are disposed to engage in agricultural pursuits why do you encourage a rapid increase of that num- ber by inviting and receiving from foreign lands a half million of emigrants\each year. and by your laws offer them every one a homestead of 160 acres of the public d6main if he will but locate upon and cultivate it? Diversification of labor is good. it does furnish a home market for a portion of the surplus of farm products. but it is the demand of the foreign market to which the farmer must look with hopefulness for a generous reward for his toil. And when a liberal system of exchange of foreign manufactured products. which our farmers need and must have. is denied to them or restricted by a prohibitory or high tariff. they realize much less on their farm products in the foreign market because they have to be paid for in cash.
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emigrants