Why, then, have they not the courage to tell you so, and say, "Workmen, an iniquity prevails in the country, but it is of advantage to you and it must be sustained." Why?
Because they know that you would answer, No.
But it is not true that this iniquity is profitable to you.

Give me your attention for a few moments and judge for yourselves.
What do they protect in France?
Articles made by great manufacturers in great establishments, iron, cloth and silks, and they tell you that this is done not in the interest of the employer, but in your interest, in order to insure you wages.
But every time that foreign labor presents itself in the market in such a form that it may hurt _you_, but not the great manufacturers, do they not allow it to come in?
Are there not in Paris thirty thousand Germans who make clothes and shoes?
Why are they allowed to establish themselves at your side when cloth is driven away?
Because the cloth is made in great mills owned by manufacturing legislators.

But clothes are made by workmen in their rooms.
These gentlemen want no competition in the turning of wool into cloth, because that is _their_ business; but when it comes to converting cloth into clothes, they admit competition, because that is _your_ trade.
When they made railroads they excluded English rails, but they imported English workmen to make them.

Why?
It is very simple; because English rails compete with the great rolling mills, and English muscles compete only with yours.
We do not ask them to keep out German tailors and English laborers.

We ask that cloth and rails may be allowed to come in.