Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/227

 CRISP

out the surplus products from foreign lands shuts in the surplus products that we make at home.

Let us bear in mind that if we do not some- times buy from those to whom we ship our prod- ucts they can not always buy from us. No man can always buy unless he can sometimes sell. The system fastened upon us by the Republican party is one that permits us to sell abroad, but does not permit those people to sell to us. We can deposit what we have there, we can exchange it for their goods, but M'hen we bring them home we must pay a penalty to the American manu- facturer because we have dared to exercise the libertj' of an American freeman to buy where he pleases.

Whenever we have had an opportunity to go to the people upon this question they have been with us. The gentleman says for thirty years we have had protection. So we have, but for ten or fifteen years after the war the people were in no condition to discuss economic ques- tions. The Republican party was then flushed with its great political victories. The people throughout the country were srenerally preju- diced against the South. Reason had not resumed its way, and when Democrats talked about a reduction in the tariff, onr kind and loving friends on the other side said. "Oh. cro to the polls and vote as you shot, against th'^ South," and that ended it.

That is all there was of argument about it,

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