10 



OUR MARKETS, .THE HOME AND THE FOREIGN. 



There is no escape from the proofs offered by these figures. 

 They show, beyond room for doubt, that domestic exports and im 

 port entries increased faster under Protection than they did under 

 partial Free Trade, even distributed per capita, the growth of com 

 merce and trade being far more rapid than the growth of popula 

 tion. The average per individual inhabitant, during the second 

 period of fourteen years, was greater by $3.37.9 of domestic exports, 

 equal to 37.41 14 per cent, more ; and by $1.55. 7 of import entries, 

 equal to 15.57 per cent, increase. Are these evidences that the 

 Protective policy restricts either exports or imports, and tends to 

 scarcity? Rather, do they not contradict such a theory with all 

 the conclusive force of positive knowledge ? Our mathematical 

 refutation of the absurd dogma of the Free Traders is complete. 



Under the series of tariffs since 1861 we have sold more abroad, 

 and bought more abroad, of a wide range of commodities, than we 

 ever did before in a like term of years. The vastness of these ex 

 changes may be made appreciable by a simple illustration. Our 

 domestic exports, from the beginning of the Government to June 30, 

 1861, amounted to $6.700,802,122; for the fourteen years ending 

 June 30, 1875, to $6,598,904,453, the latter value tjeing 98.4793 

 per cent, of the former, indicating a prodigious growth of export 

 power. Further, our imports retained for consumption, during the 



