The Portland daily press., 1874-07-07


something over three and quarter millions of
dollars in gold c0in-the single Congressional
District whose constituents L am addressing
would be called upon Tor seven hundred thou
sand dollars The peculiar hardship of ras-
ing taxes in this way is made manifest by the
simple fact that Maine would be compelled to
pay nearly one half as much as Massachusetts,
while in fact she has but one-seventh of the
wealth of that highly favored and prosperous
Commonwealth. To properly estimate the ex-
hausting and oppressive nature of this euOr-
nous tax, you have bnt to consider that it
would be three times as large the present
state tax, and would necessarily be levied
in addition thereto.
But if against Mr.. Titcomb's policy the direct
tax were avoided, 1t would be necessary to have
instead of it system of excuses as onerous
and ss odious as human ingenuity could devise
A heavy internal tax would inevitably be lev
led on all manufactures and indeed upon all
the products of the field and the forest, the
shipyard and the quarry; and every form of
industry would be burdened and borne down
by the exactions of the tax gatherer. And
these grevious hardshipS would be imposed on
our own people, in order that foreign countries
might have the benefit of our market for their
products without duty and without tax. Our
lumber interests, embarrassed and oppressed,
would have TO compete with the untaxed pro-
ducts OF the Canadian forest; our manufactures
would pay taxes for the benefit of European
fabrics; our ship-building would be destroyed
by the taxation which would render it incapa-
BILE of competing with Provincial bottoms a nd
our coasting and lake commerce, confined to
our own people since the foundation of the
government, would be thrown open to the
whole world Taxation in all forms is one of
the burde of civilization, but instead of amel-
loratlng its severity, and, IT possible, getting
from it such compromising advantages as wise
legislation can provide, our Maine Democrats
propose to make it to The last degree oppres-
sive to our own people, and beneficial only to
the alien and the stranger
To the people of Maine, at this very moment
these extravacantd declarations of the Demo
cratic party have painful significance, for it
is well known that the authorities OF Canada
are trying TO negotiate with our government a
reciprocity treaty, which, like its illustrious
predecessor and nameSake, maintains the re-
ciprocity all on one side. The treaty of that
name, which was terminated 10 1866, was cruel
ly oppressive TO the people of Maine, and in
hicted upon the people of our state, during the
eleven years OF its existence, loss of fifty
millions of dollars. IL presented the very sim
gular anomaly of giving TO the Canadians the
control of our own markets of certain leading
articles, on terms far more favorable than our
own people had ever enjoyed. The utmost
stretch of the Divine command is to love our
neghbOr as ourselves, and L can certainly see
nothing in personal dutyIor public policy which
should lead us to prefer our Canadian neigh
bOrs to our own people.
The treaty of reciprocity, now proposed, is
understood to embrace the admission of Cana
dian vessels to free American registry, and the
full enjoyment of our coastlng and lake trades
Thus the shipbuding and commercial interests
OF the United States, reviving SO prosperousy of
late, land just recovering from the terrible blows
dealt by Britlsh-buit cruisers during the war,
are again to be struck down by giving advan-
tages, hitherto undreamed of, to the ships of
the very power that inflicted the previous in
jury. And the Democratic party OF Maine
have pledged. themselves, in their state conven-
ton, to the policy that includes this disastrous
attack upon the interests of our state and their
candidate Tor Governor has fully committed
himself to the extreme doctrine announced by
the convention.
The form Of reciprocity proposed by the
government of the Dominion of Canada, lacks
every element of the seductive title, by which
sit? Why. simply this! That if the United
States will agree to admit certain Canadian
products, free of duty, Canada in turn will agree
to admit certain American fabrics free of duty
But, the class of men to be benefited and the
class to be injured 10 the United States are en-
tirely distinct and separate, having nothing in
common, either in locality, industry or invest
ment. To compensate the surrender of one in
terest in this way by the advancement of an
other, has no more element of reciprocal Justice
in it, than for A. to take pair of horses from
b., because G. took possession of a yoke of
oxen belonging to d. To illustrate: If the
United States will agree to admit Canadian
vessels to American registry and the coasting-
trade, Canada will admit straw hats mule har-
ness, and rat traps, free of duty. In this you
will observe that Canada gets the full advan.
tage both ways, while the United States, for
possible enlargement of petty trade, consents
to subordinate and sacrifice an interest that
represents our distinctive nationality, in all
chimes and upon all seas; an interest that has
given more and asked less of the government,
than any other of similar magnitude; an inter-
est, more essentially American, 10 the highest
and best sense, than any other which falls I'M
der the legislative power of the government,
and which asks only to-day, to be left where
the founders of the Republic placed it nearly
century ago.
Against the whole policy of adjusting reve-
nue. questiors by the Treaty making power, L
desire to enter on behalf of my constituents an
emphatic protest The Constitution gives to
the House OF Representatives the sole and ex-
elusive right to originate bills of revenue and
this great power should be kept where it can
be controlled by the direct vote of the people
every two years 1t may very well be that
sundry articles of Canadian product should be
admitted free, or with diminished duty; it may
well be, also, that Canada would find it advan-
tageous to admit certain articles from us free
OF duty. Let each country decide the question
for itself independently. and AVOID the clog
rolling feature OF treaty, in which it will
inevitably happen that certain interests will be
sacrificed in order that OF hers may be promot-
ed. Let us simply place Canada on the same
basis with other foreign countries, taxing her
products, or admitting them free, according to
our own judgment of the interest of our reve-
nue., and the pursuits and needs of people-al-
ways bearing in mind, that in governmental as
in family matters, charity begins at home,''
and that "he who provideth not for those of his
own house is worse than an infidel.'
Pardon the length of this letter. and let me
indulge in one additional observation. The Re-
publican party, always true to the interests of
the Nation, has peculiarly strong claim upon
the support of the people of this state Not
only for the steadfastness with which it has up
held the interests of Maine, but especially be-
cause now of the dangers that would ensue
from the triumph OF an opposing organization
holding such pernicous principles as are openly
declared by the Democratic party in their st lte
convention, and by their candidate for Cover
nor. Under all the trials an1 dscouragements
resulting from the financial panic of 1873, the
administration of Gen. Grant has carried on
revenues largely diminished by the repeal of
taxes, has by rigid economy paid all demands
upon the treasury and reduced the public debt
nearly five millions of dollars for the fiscal wear
just closed. The Republican Congress, co-ope-
rating with the President in the good work of
retrenchment, has cut down the appropriations
for the next year by the large sum Of twenty
seven millions of dollars, thus responding with
Jealous care to the popular dem and for econo-
my. Faithful in all its great trusts, with
achievements grander and nobler than were ever
wrought by any other political organization,
able and ready to reform abuses in its own
ranks aud to correct the wrongs of others, the
Republican party appeals again with confidence
to the people Of Maine.
Very respectfully yours,
j. G. BLAINE.