The Republican journal., 1874-07-23
Mr.. Sneaker Blaine and His Letter.

W e have mol been IN any haste TO COM
nent nj length upon Mr. Blaine's recent
letter to his constituents
(Which we print entire in another column)
because 1t IS not paper OF merely tenn
p0rary interest, but it is bound to exert
40 inconsiderable influence upon the Pc
lltc'i campaigns both Of this year and OF
me years Immediately 10 como me
Spesker's Wei known position before me
country as an able, popular ARD pushlhS
politician n almost certain, II we may
believe his friends. to be Il candidate tor
the Presidency in 1876, and as a possible
rival in that condidacy with the present .
occupant OF the White House. gives to AL |
his public 1tterances an exceptional in I
terest, and gives to this letter. in which 4
he takes direct issue with all the more ad-
vanced economical ideas, of the time. an
interest OF some permanencv The letter
astonlshes US in several respects; and per-
maps 1t will con0uce to clearness if We
specify and discuss these numerically
/ 1t IS not entirely ingenious. The
three things against which the Speaker
invelghs vehementlv are First. 4 tree
trade resolution OF the democratic con-
yentlon OF Maine; second, the proposed
Reciprocity Treaty; and third, that pro-
States which gives the President and Sen
ate the right to make treaties. The reso-
luton Of the Maine democrats pronounces
expressly and strongly, not against Q
tariff, but against "a pr0tectirc tariff as
unequal, oppressive. wasteful and corrupt
lug and IN the same breath and sentence
declares for free trade, and in favor of
an untettered and UNI estricted commerce,
here IS, doubtless in these words some
thing OF that tautologv which is universal
IL political platforms of which Mr. Blaine
has helped to make SO many; but there is
No man living who knows better than Mr
blalne does that "a protective tariff" and
' tree trade" are the opposites OF each
other that the debates OF fifty wears have
completely settled the meaning Of free
TadeN as opposed not to customs duties,
out 10 protective duties and that what
the Maine democrats resolved against was
NOT tariff, but a 1r0tectire tariff
lie seizeS, nevertheless, upon an ex-
preston IN MI IitcOmbs letter accepting
The democratic nomination for Governor,
III which that gentleman expresses the
7ope that the people will some day be
educated up to "an equal, direct and there !
tore moderate taxation for the support of
government" in order to confound two |
Very distinct things; in order to excite |
prejudice against the Maine democrats as !
il they had resolved something quite dit !
ierent from what they actually resolved
and in order to give himself an opportu-
rity to portray grimly what he deems |
to be the evils OF direct taxation We |
submit that this is more ingenious than |
ingenious We submit that Mr. Blaine |
cannot afford TO palter thus with words !
used in a dOuble sense He assumes that |
the United States will still have TO raise a
sum Of money by direct taxation, which
Ny TitcOmb assumes to be excessive, and
which the resolution declares to be cor
lu ting and then he assumes that there
cannot be any ''direct" taxation except in
proportion to the population Of the States.
Is MI Blaine ready to affirm that the Su-
preme Court have anally determined the
meaning OF the words "drect taxes" in
the Constitution The truth is that all .
this part OF the letter is unworthy of the
Speakers ability. and Of his reputation
for tair dealings
2, Ii is not entirely self consistent
The Constitution is a very sacred thing in
the Speakers eye, when it prescrihes that
representatives and direct taxes shall be
apportioned among the states in accord
ance with the census, Notwithstanding the
well-know1 ambiguity in the meaning of
the term Direct taxes" but the same
constitution seems to him 10 be much less
respectable when ii prescribes that the
President and TWO thirds of the Senate
shall have tull power 10 make treaties.
The exercise OF this power in the consti-
tut.onal way is denounced by the Speaker
ms log rolling" operation. Does he
suppose that his constituents are so ''iolly
green" as not to know that every tariff bill
that passes the House of Representatives
and especially each protective" feature
Of every tariff bill, is the result OF moth
ing less than log rolling? We are not
sure whether Mr. Blaine was on the Wavs
and Means Committee in his earlier Con-
gressiOnal career, or not; al any Tate. he
has been III The chair for several years, and
knows lust as we'll as the next man what
log rolling" chicaperv and devitry con-
splre gether IN passing such protective |
tariff as he ventures to champion; and il |
is pt!1u. and pcttitogging 10 hear him at
tempt TO eNalt the way IN which tariffs are
actually constructed, IN comparison with
the digniied proposals and negotiations
hetweeu TWO Independent natiors, We !
are willing, Of course, to pardon the |
speaker tor some bunconbe in such a
document, but he evidently has an appre-
citation 0t the dignity anu wisdom OF the |
House Of Representatives, as against the |
other branch and the President, which is
not shared in by The people. AT any rate, |
he mad better have omitted that word 'log- |
rolling in that connection.
8 1t IS shallow. The whole argument
against the proposed Reciprocity Treaty
ID, no, Ca. ,e,,,9b Gtrn,raI ouaiD.+ 80,
cine portions Ci It. which of course may
ue wise or unw.se in their adjustments,
az against lie principles OF reciprocity
he Principle ol trade Itself; and makes
il painfully evident that the Speaker has
never reflected sufficiently on the nature
II exchange that ne has never followed
out 10 lis legitimate Inference the fact
that 10 man in Maine on Massachusetts.
or anywhere else, ever parts with any
thing in trade except for the sake Of re-
ceiving something that he values higher; |
that he Ignores the important fact that a
man cannot buy except by selling, and
THAT the removal Of an obstacle to buving
ls opening up a market tor sellers; that
he is under narrow and short-si GIFTED
preiudices as citizen Of Maine, as if the
interests Of Maine could be in the long
run diverse from the interests of her sis
ter States and he pay, his constituents OF
Maine the poor compliment Of not being
able TO know what and when to buy and
sell, except Congress prescribes it to
them If there should be a Reciprocity
Treaty. and there will be, no man is
obliged thereby to buy of the Canadians,
or to sell to them He is simply left 10
buy and sell as his interests dictate, Free
trade does not compel anybody to trade
does not recommend anybody to trade
but leaves everybody at liberty to trade
provided it is profitable and not other
wise II MIR, Blaine means to say that
his people cannot get a living unless an
artificial and compulsory market be pro-
vided by law, we leave him and them to
settle that proposition between them |
Many of them think, and have said so in |
petitions to Congress that it is protection |
,b,t hoe oauco1 bai chit,,,ipr 70 Jaol;,,o