Which Is Best for the Farmers, Protection or Free Trade?: An Address Before the Agricultural Society of Lancaster County, Delivered at Lancaster City, Pa;, February 7, 1887 (Classic Reprint)

A case for protectionism from a 19th‑century farmer’s perspective, with practical examples and clear stakes.

This nonfiction address argues that tariffs protect farmers by supporting a thriving domestic market. It explains how wage growth, rail expansion, and a booming manufacturing sector benefit both rural and urban communities, using concrete examples from silk, crockery, and steel rails to show how protection helped sustain jobs and home industry.

• See how a protective tariff links farmers to mills and workshops, creating a robust home market.
• Learn why critics of protection claim cheaper goods come from abroad, and how the author counters with price and quality as real drivers.
• Discover real‑world examples, including the New Jersey silk industry, to understand how industries grow under protection.
• Understand the potential consequences the author foresees if tariffs are repealed, and who would gain or lose.