390 HISTORY OP THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



divided among numerous branches of trade. Immense 

 sums are invested in these pursuits, and large fortunes 

 amassed. We export very little ; the bulk of our manu- 

 factures being consumed at home, so that the money 

 paid for them comes out of the pockets of the American 

 people. The cost of manufacturing is generally high in 

 this country, and our products of this kind cannot com- 

 pete in foreign markets with those of the great manu- 

 facturing nations of Europe, which are able to produce 

 at a much lower cost, and consequently to undersell us. 

 Our manufacturers are therefore driven upon a home 

 market, and must sell their goods to the people of this 

 country alone. 



It is very right and proper that the manufacturing 

 industry of this country should be encouraged, and that 

 so powerful an element of our prosperity and strength 

 should be fostered by all legitimate and reasonable 

 means. It was with difficulty that our manufactures 

 were built up. The cheap producing nations of Europe 

 proved themselves powerful rivals. They could deliver 

 their goods in the American market at prices below 

 those at which our own productions could be sold, and 

 in order to enable American manufacturers to hold their 

 own, the General Government imposed a tariff of duties 

 upon imported goods. This was at first limited to a 

 few articles, and was intended to enable the American 

 manufacturer to meet his European rivals upon equal 

 terms. Under the protection of the tariff the manu- 

 facturing interest of the country improved rapidly. But 

 with its growth, its demands increased. Protection was 

 extended to article after article, until at the present day 

 the list of protected articles makes up a good-sized 

 volume. Not only was the extent of protection* en- 



