The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-14
PRESIDENTIAL STRAWS.
BLAINE'S LETTER.


BLAINE'S LETTER.
THE BLAND BLAINE sPEAKs-HE REVIEWS
THE SITUATION POLITICAL-HIS VIEWS on
THE CURRENCY QUESTION, FREE TRADE
AND CANADIAN RECIPROCTTY-A GOOD WORD
FOR GRANT.
A special dispatch to the Chicago Tribune
from Boston, gives the letter Of Speaker
Blaine to the chairman OF the convention,
which recently renominated him for con-
gress. The letter is dated the 18th, and is as
follows:
GENTLEMEN:-I avail myself ofthe earliest
moment of leisure after my return from
Washington, to reply to your vor of the
Goth of June. communicating to me the
fiattering intelligence of my unanimous
nomination as the candidate of the repuD-
lican party for representative in the Forty
fourth Congress from the Third district
of Maine. The resolutions 10 which You in
vite my attention are so generally accepta-
BILE to the people Of the district that no issue
will be made on the matters embraced in
them. The currency question, aV one time
threatening 10 divide parties and, what
would De far more serious. Ia divide sections,
is in process of happy afjustment, partly
by wise and temperate enactment. passed by
large majority in both branches OF Con-
gress and approved by the President. but
more largely by the operation of causes
In these remarks ! am indeed but repeat
ing in substance the resolutions of your con-
venIiOn, and / gladly adopt as my own the
leading declaration of the series, that 1t is
the imperative duty of the national govern
ment to return 20 specie payments "a soon
as wise statesmanship can safely reach that
result but while our political opponents in
Maine Will not seriously contest any position
taken by us, they have themselves chosen to
raise another Issue on which we will not
be slow to differ from them. ''The
democratic state convention, in renOmi-
mating their respectable candidate for gov
ernor, adopted, with suggestive unanimity.
the following resolution the leading article
in their revised political creed:
"Resolved, That a protective tariff is
most unjust, unequal oppressive and waste
full mode of raising the public revenues. It
is one of the most poignant and fruitful
sources of the cOrruptiOns ih adTniuistra-
ton. We, therefore, the democracy Of
Maine, in convention assembled. declare for
free trade, and in favor of an unfettered and
unrestricted commerce"
''This advanced position. now formally
and boldly taken by the Maine democracy
in their State Convention, receives addi-
tional point and meaGing by the letter of
the gubernatorial candidate, Mr.. Titc3mp,
who, in accepting the nomination, specially
approves the foregoing resolution, and init
mates his endurance of the lowest form of
revenue tariff only until we shall be edu-
Gated up to the idea of equal, direct, and,
therefore, moderate taxation for
THE SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT
and until this idea shall be brought into
practical operation. If there were the slight
est danger of the democratic party, with this
avowed policy, coming into power, the dam
gers ahead would be truly appalling; but. as
no such calamity impends, we may be al
lowed to examine with moro GOODNESS the
wild absurdite of the proposition. You will
observe that the issue proposed is
not the old and familiar one be-
tween those who advocate tariff for pro-
lection and those who wish duties imposed
only for revenue. That is an issue as old as
the levying of imports and, with occasions
exceptions, has been determined largely by
latitude and longitude or by the differing
interests which change of section and vary
ing forms OF interest have developed, but the
Maine democracy assume that all tariffs are
more or less protective. and hence they are
hostile to them and pronounce for free
trade, pure and simple. absolute and with
out qualification; or, TO quote their own
words, for IAN unfettered and unre-
stricted commerce" For some wears
past, to deal in round numbers, the federal
government has been collecting a revenue
of $500, 0O0, 600, one-tbird from internal
is now proposed 81 the Maine democracy to
abolish all these duties, have absolute free
trade, with an unfeitered and unrestricted
commerce. In other words, the Maine dem
Ocracy propose to raise the 5000, 900 900 in
gold coin, now obtained from tariff duties,
by direct taxation, or by sys-
tenn of excuses, which might prove
even more oppressive than direct taxation
itself there is no other mode open under the
constitution by which the money can be
raised than the two named, if the tariff be
abandoned and Mr.. Titcomb, declares for
direct taxation, Now if the money is to be
secured by direct taxation, as Mr.. Titcomb
proposes, it will be found to be
NAMES GREAT MISFORTUNE
that the constitution requires the tax to be
levied in proportion to population, and not
according to wealth, but if, against Mr.
Titcomb's policy, the direct tax were
avoided, il would be necessary TO have, in
stead of it, a system of excuses as onerou:
and odious as human ingenuity could de-
wise. A heavy internal tax would inevita.
bly, be levied 'upon all manufactures
and. indeed, upon all the products of t.;
field and forest, the shiPyard and the quarry
and every form Of industry would be bur
dened and borne down by the exactiOns o.
the tax-gatherer, and these grievous hard.
ships would be imposed on our own people
in order that foreign countries might have
the benefit OF our markets for our products
without duty and without tax. Our lumber
interests, embarrassed and oppressed
would have to compete with the IN.