Talk away about self-renunciation, for that is beautiful;
but at the same time practice a little honesty.
CHAPTER XX.
HUMAN LABOR--NATIONAL LABOR.
To break machines, to reject foreign merchandise--are two acts
proceeding from the same doctrine.
We see men who clap their hands when a great invention is made known
to the world, who nevertheless adhere to the protective system. Such
men are highly inconsistent.
With what do they upbraid freedom of commerce? With getting foreigners
more skilful or better situated than ourselves to produce articles,
which, but for them, we should produce ourselves. In one word, they
accuse us of damaging national labor.
Might they not as well reproach machines for accomplishing, by natural
agents, work which, without them, we could perform with our own arms,
and, in consequence, damaging human labor?
The foreign workman who is more favorably situated than the American
laborer, is, in respect to the latter, a veritable economic machine,
which injures him by competition. In the same manner, a machine which
executes a piece of work at a less price than can be done by a certain
number of arms, is, relatively to those arms, a true competing
foreigner, who paralyzes them by his rivalry.
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