The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-13
Speaker Blaine's Attack On President Grant.

Speaker Blaine's letter accepting renom-
ination to Congress is the first important
move on the political chess board for the
Presidential contest Of 1876. He makes
false, fictitious and pretended issue with |
the Democrats of Maine He makes a !
genuine, real and serious issue with Presi- |
dent Grant.
l. The platform of the Maine Dcmoc-
racy denounced "a protective tariff as a
most unjust, unequal oppressive waste
full and corrupting mode of raising the
public revenues, and declares for Free
Trade and an untettered, unrestricted com
merce.' Speaker Blaine falsely reprcs ents
the Democrats of Maine as denouncing a
tariff for revenue only, when they de
nounced the unjust, unequal, oppressive,
wastetul, and corruption breeding ''protec-
tive tariff which his votes have aided to
ruin the especial industries of Maine, and
to plumber the farmers of the whole Uni
ted States. Speaker Blaine falsely repre-
sents the Democrats of Maine as demand
ing the abolition OF taxation by custom
house machinery, when in truth they have
demanded that the custom house shall be
used for taxation only, and not for the ben,
eft of monopolists, jiobbers and corruption
lists, whose tool Speaker Blaine has always
been in appointing committees, and who
have used the custom house to plumber
taxpayers of more than five times the
$l50,0O0,0O0 per annum which it has col
lected for the Federal Treasury. Speaker
Blaine falsely represents the Maine Dem
ocracy as demanding direct taxation, in
order that he and his party may keep IA
cover for their indirect swindling BY Gus
tom house taxation the Federal Treasury
got over 500, 100000 revenue last year
from less than ten articles, at cost to the
people of the United States not only of
$60,000,000 taxes, but $780, 900 be-
sides: for the pockets of protectionists.
Speaker Blaine by his appointments Of the
Ways and Means Committeeman helped to |
convert the custom house machinery for |
needful taxation into this efficient machine |
for gigantic plumber. Caught in tho act |
by the Democrats of Maine, collared aud |
brought to the stand, he cries out that they |
are Directing to the $60,0o0,000 for Gov |
ernment expenses, when they are object |
ing to the $500, 000, 900 robbery. The des.
perate falsity Of this defence is worthy of
the Speaker who appointed Credit Mobil-
ierists and salary grabbers to the chairman
ship OF all the important committees which
shape legislation for the House of Repre-
That he also appointed the
tools of monopolists and protectionists on
the committee which frames all tariff legis-
atlon. is not surprising, nor that he now >
abors to perpetuate this perversion OF I
custom house taxation for revenue only,
INTO custom-house machinery for swinding
,hiefy q
2, But the chief purpose of Speaker ct
Blaine s letter is to raise an issue with a
President Grant, preparatory to contestng
with him the nomination for the Presiden-
cy in 1876. He selects for attack one of the !,
most important measures OF the Admins b
tration, the proposed Reciprocity Treaty a
between the Dominion of Canada and the
United States, now pending in the Senate
and lately published in these columns.
He assails it as reciprocity all on one
side, and he particularly denounces the
proposal, which he imputes to General
Grants Administration, to admit Canadi
an vessels to free American registry and a
share 10 our coastlng and lake trade, ia
king it for granted that the feeble minded
and degenerate people of the United
States would be unable to get any Cauadi-
an coast and lake trade, and unable to hold
our own. We suppose that no such clans.
in a projected treaty would pass the Sen
ate, even ii IL were inserted Tor auV pthpr
than diplomatic aud negotiating rurpns4s
But it has the advantage OF setting of
Speaker Blaine's effrontery in s,rikinp
light He. more than all other Maine men
put together, is responsible for destroying
the ship building industry OF Maine. lie
now sets himself up as the champius of
IAN interest that represents our distinctive |
nationality in all chimes and upon an !
seas; an interest that has given more and
asked less of the government than any
''other of similar magnitude; an interest
more essentially American in the highest
''end best sense than any other which falls
under the legislative power OF the gov
'-ernment and which asks only day to be
left where the founders of the republic
placed it nearly a century age" The
precise meaning of these many words may
be far to seek but as mere effrOntery it is
sublime.
On another ground Speaker Blaine as
sails President Grant to-wit, for his poll
ey of adjusting revenue questions by the
treaty making power Ii may be well that
sundry articles of Canadian product should
be admitted free. IL may be well for Can
ada TO admit certain articles from the Uni
ted States free. But, says Speaker Blaine,
let each country decide the question for
itself Independently. Even a free ex-