COMMON SENSE AND THE TARIFF QUESTION. 595 



the product of agriculture found its home market only by sale for 

 export to foreign countries ; since then the proportion of exports 

 has diminished ; exports now range from ten to fifteen per cent in 

 value of the total product of agriculture, varying with the rela- 

 tive supply and demand. It therefore follows that there is a 

 vastly greater proportion of farmers and farm laborers whose 

 home market depends upon the export trade than there are of 

 those who might possibly be harmed even if, through imports of 

 foreign articles of like kind, the demand for their own product 

 were reduced. 



When we take up the fourth class, manufacturing and me- 

 chanic arts and mining, one's judgment may vary as to the pro- 

 portion whose home market depends upon export and the propor- 

 tion whose product could be in part imported from a foreign 

 country. In a rough and ready way it may be said that about 

 one half the total number under this head of 3,800,000 were me- 

 chanics engaged in building trades or in other arts which can not 

 be conducted on the factory principle, and which can not be inter- 

 fered with or affected to their detriment by any import from any 

 foreign country, but may be greatly benefited by the removal of 

 taxes from the materials on which they work. 



It is not worth while at this time to enter into the details of the 

 classification of the other half of this number. Let it be admitted 

 that there are about 1,900,000 to 2,000,000 people more or less, each 

 of whom supports two others who are occupied distinctly in the 

 manufacturing and mechanic arts, a part of whose work may be 

 promoted by a tariff, and a part of whose work might perhaps be 

 adversely affected by injudicious or revolutionary changes in the 

 tariff policy of the country. The main point of this analysis is 

 to call attention to the fact that at least eighty per cent, and 

 probably more, of all who are occupied for gain in this country, 

 have no direct interest in the tariff question except as consumers ; 

 while the remainder, about evenly divided between producers and 

 consumers, may be affected more or less by changes in the tariff 

 system to their benefit, or to their injury by injudicious or revo- 

 lutionary changes. 



There are probably twelve to fifteen hundred thousand per- 

 sons occupied mainly in agriculture, but partly in the mining, 

 mechanic, and manufacturing arts, whose home market depends 

 absolutely on sales for export, and about ten to twelve hundred 

 thousand occupied mainly in manufacturing and mining but in 

 lesser proportion in agriculture, whose product would be in part 

 imported if all duties on their products were abated. The reduc- 

 tion or abatement of duties on imports would necessarily promote 

 exports, but how much imports would be increased or diminished 

 can not be determined until the effect of the removal of duties on 



