THE WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS
these desirable things to be secured if in the time of peace our armaments are maintained on a war footing? Remember that we are spending at this moment, I think, twice as much on the army and navy as we spent ten years ago. There may be, and I believe there are, fresh sources of taxa- tion to be tapped. We may derive something from the land, something from licenses ; and some irksome inequalities of taxation may be relieved. But even so, with an increasing military ex- penditure, how can we do the work of reform that remains to be done at home and at the same time bring relief to the taxpayers? Do not let us mind if in their folly they call us "Little Englanders." I at least am patriot enough not to desire to see the weakening of my country by such a waste of money as we have had for the last ten years.
What has it brought us, this waste of money for ten years? Shall I recite some links in the dismal and ugly chain? Dear money. Lower credit. Less enterprise in business and manu- factures. A reduced home demand. Therefore, reduced output to meet it. Therefore, reductions in wages, increase of pauperism, non-employ- ment. The fact is, sir, you can not pile up debt and taxation as they have been piled up without feeling the strain in every fiber of society. We are going to have a good deal said for the next few weeks about free trade. Let me add another thing. Did you ever hear a fiscal reformer plead- ing for economy, or crying out for lighter taxes 234
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