The daily gazette., 1878-10-28
Ex-GOv. sEYMOUR's LETTER

UTICA, October 10, 1878.
To Hon. Erastus Brooks, of the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee
MY DEAR SIR-I regret | am not able
to take an active part in the pending can
vas, for IL Is one which concerns in an
unusual degree the public welfare. The
questions which now agitate the public
mind touch the interests of labor and
commerce and bear upon the comfort
and happiness of American homes. In
this State the issues are unlike those
which have been discussed at the late
elections elsewhere. Both of the great
parties agree in their resolutions about
the currency of the country. As all of
our citizens are not in accord with them
with regard TO this. and 1t Is a subject
proper to discuss at our public meetings,
yet there are other grave questions which
call for our earnest consideration. As
my reasons for a return to specie pay
ments have been given to the public in
official form, as well as inpublc speeches,
j will not repeat them. do not believe
we can have good currency that is not
redeemable in coin.
EVIL OF TAXING COMMERCE.
When we look over the fields of COM
meree We find that other people want
what we have. Some need our food, some
what is made by our factories, others our
farm tools, and that long list of articles
which have just taken SO many prelni-
ums at the Worlds Fair at Paris, because
! they were better than those made else
where. If we could meet these wants
our whole country would rejoice in its
prosperity. When we are asked. Why
is not this done? We are forced to say
because our government will not let it be
done. Its laws stand in the way. The
party which has been in power, so many
years will not change these laws when
appe aled to- 1t has swept our carrying
trade from the ocean so that we cannot
send, as we once did, what we make in
to every harbor of the earth. BY our
laws those who build American vessels
have the right as against all the world to
make those used upon more than twenty
thousand miles of our ocean coast and
upon our internal lakes and rivers. All
are content that they should have this
great field of industry to themselves.
| But our laws 90 farther and say that no
American merchant shall buy ship to
be used upon the great free oceans of the
world if it is built outside of our terri
tories. He Is told that such ship, although
owned by one of our own citizens, shall
not have the protection Of the American
flag. As we are not able to build the
iron steamships now used as cheaply as
they are made elsewhere, our merchants
cannoC compete with those of other
countries. Our flag, once found in the
most remote harbors and seen more than
that of all other peoples, is disappearing
from the great ocean highways. Who
ever will trace the effects of this upon the
labor and trade of the United States will
find that more than any other cause 1t
checks the return Of prosperity. 1t stops
the sale of what we can make to meet
the wants of other people. We have
proof of how much harm any tax upon
trade can do.
HOW THE CANAL TRADE WAS INJURED.
In 1870 New York had tolls upon the
lines of its canals which made all pay six
cents upon every bushel Of wheat which
the men from the West sought to sell In
our markets, so that they could buy what
they wanted of our merchants, mechanics
and manufacturers. This tax turned
away trade to Boston, Philadelphia and
Baltimore. 1t crushed out business up
OH our canals. This not only brought
ruin upon $4,000 of our people who were
engaged IN it, but stopped the building OF
boats, and hurt our mechanics, and took
away from our farmers a market for pro-
visions, &c. In this way the loss was
great, but it was a small part of the evil.
| These charges kept large stores OF grain
from going TO the markets. As they
were not sold the money was not receiv-
ed by the farmers, nor by them spent
with the merchants, mechanics and manu-
facurers of this Sta:e. This tax made a
blight upon hundred forms OF industry,
which at first view did not seem in any
way related to it. In spite OF strong
opposition, and in the inflammation oil
low tolls by the Republican State Con-
vention in 1870, this tax on trade was cut
down one-haf 1t is due to many repub-
licans to say that they upheld the action
1 of the Democratic Canal Board in this
matter. These tolls have been put down
from time to time until they are less than
lone cent per bushel, and all parties now
see the wisdom of this action. To make
it clear how il helped not only the State
lint the whole country, we see that wheat
|has been carried from Chicago to New
York this year in some cases for less than
seven cents per bushe, or a little more
than the tax we pat upon 1t before 1871
YET this season there was more grain
sent from the West than at any Other
time in the history of the country. We
} should expect, therefore. that the prices
. for carrying in would be high, and and
there had been no canals and boatmen
the charges would have been such that
great quantities of grain would have been
kept out of the market. The railroads
would have made more money by carry
linz less at higher prices. There are more
: than five thousand boats upon our canals
too many to be brought into compae.
to keep up prices, Hence our people Tle
, had The benefit of free competition. The
result is shown bo the following staIe'
ment In the year ending July 81, ls17j
The exports from our country announces
| in value to 1901 100000. They wlll ex.
coed this in the year ending
in July, 1878. Ofthis vast sun
exceeding S1,2O0,OO0,OOO, nearly the m
whole was made up OF farm proaucts
. The great profit of carrying these exports 1 Us
? o .,,ara Uivan nv Ollr DOilcA