England's Search for Good Markets.

But you not only want cheap food to feed your people, you also want good or dear markets in which to sell your manufactured commodities. Now if you can induce the United States or any other country to give up manufacturing and devote itself to agricultural pursuits, you not only thereby to this extent cheapen the price of food, but you accomplish another result, which also works to your advantage—you check foreign competition and create another market for your manufactured products. You are doubly benefited, and must necessarily grow rich. It is gain to you on both ends of the stick. You buy for less and sell for more. But how is it with the nation that is weak enough to be misled by such delusive arguments? It loses all that, indeed more than you gain, and if you thrive and grow rich it starves and grows poor; and it requires not much reasoning to demonstrate that bankruptcy and ruin must soon follow if this policy is persisted in. We think we understand these questions, and what our true interest is so far as they apply to our people and our country, and we do not regard ourselves as benighted because of the policy we have adopted, or behind any other country in the world, even England, in civilisation and progress. Indeed, we look with great satisfaction, if not pride, upon the rapid advance we have made as a people, and as a nation, in population, wealth, and intelligence, and think that history, either ancient or modern, does not show a parallel example. You will permit me to say, in conclusion, that we attribute no small share of this progress and development to the American system of Protection, in contradistinction to your so-called system of Free Trade.