Advantage Quote by Benjamin Disraeli
“Why, I say, that to tax the community for the advantage of a class is not protection; it is plunder, and I entirely disclaim it; but I ask you to protect the rights and interests of labour generally in the first place, by allowing no free imports from countries which meet you with countervailing duties; and, in the second place, with respect to agricultural produce, to compensate the soil for the burdens from which other classes are free by an equivalent duty. This is my view of what is called "protection."”
About This Quote
The speaker argues that taxing the community to benefit a specific class is exploitation, not protection, and calls for policies that safeguard labor and agriculture through tariffs and duties.
In simple terms: Taxing for class advantage is plunder; protect labor and agriculture via duties.
Key Takeaway
Protect labor; use tariffs to shield domestic interests.
Themes
Economic justice
Protectionism
Labor rights
Agricultural policy
Class conflict
Mood
defiant
principled
critical
Type
political
economic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Government policy debates
- Trade negotiations
- Labor union advocacy
- Agricultural lobbying
- Economic reform discussions
Key Concepts
Taxation
Tariffs
Labor protection
Agricultural subsidies
Practical Applications
- Designing progressive tax systems
- Implementing protective tariffs
Questions to Reflect On
- How do tariffs affect domestic labor markets?
- What alternatives exist to protect agriculture without protectionism?
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
