206 LAND AND LABOR. 



A home trade of consumption, by the industrial 

 masses of our people, amounting to ten and one half 

 billions of dollars, appears to be an object worth striv- 

 ing for, and cultivating, and sustaining by all the 

 power of our government and people. Not so, think 

 and teach many of our would be statesmen and polit- 

 ical economists. 



At this time the idleness in our country causes a 

 loss in the home trade of consumption of over eight 

 billions of dollars per annum. " But what of that," 

 reply our modem statesmen and foreign traders ; 

 " have we not gained in our foreign export trade to 

 the amount of six hundred millions of dollars ? Have 

 we not the foreign trade balance in our favor ? What 

 do eight billions lost to home traffic, and the comfort 

 and wealth of the people signify, when we can get an 

 increase in our foreign trade of six hundred millions 

 of dollars in seventeen years, with a favorable foreign 

 trade balance ? " The foreign trade balance was in 

 our favor in 1878, but in 1882 it was against us. It 

 is subject to constant fluctuations ; but in neither 

 case does it lessen the national evils nor increase the 

 benefits of foreign trade. 



But if we add this six hundred millions of foreign 

 trade we have gained, to the two arid one half billions 

 we have saved, we shall find that it gives a total trade 

 at the present time, home and foreign, of three billions 

 of dollars, against five and a quarter billions in 1865, 

 and ten and one half billions we should now have, if 

 all our people were employed. 



Does it pay ? 



Every dollar of foreign trade that we have gained, if 



