The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-08-23
WHOLE NO. 1924.
A Letter From James G. Blaine.


] NATIONAL QUESTIONS WHICH ARE IN
voLvED IN THE STRUGGLE THIS YEAR
Mr.. Blaine, having been invited t,
speak In his native State, (where the
Democrats as in Pennsylvania have
started an Independent movement t
promote their chances has said h,
cannot stump owing to pressing bu
siness affairs. but writes his views il
an extended letter designed for gen
eral publication. 1t applies as vel
to Pennsylvania as to Maine
Among other things he SAYS The
election of 1882 involves many deeE
questions of National importance
questions which deeply affect tn,
prosperity of the people of Maine
Whoever neglects 10 make his infu
ence felt in the pending campaign
disregards the interests which per.
tain TO his own future end. his own
fireside. The choice OF four repre-
sentatives in Congress and OF a Leg
islature that shall appoint a Senator
of the United States brings directly
before the people every issue that is
involved in the administration OF
the National Government. On ev-
cry question on which parties di-
vide in this country, the interests OF
the people of Maine must lead
them, after sober second thought, to
support the Republicans. By the
spread of manufacturing industries,
by the growth of our agricultural
interests, the people of Maine become
every year more interested in
THE MAINTENANCE or A PROTECTIVE
TARIFF.
"No candid man believes that a
protective tariff would be upheld
for a single year if the opponents
of the Republican party should
come into power, and by Just so
much as any voter in Maine helps
to elevate the free traders to power
by so much he aids to impesil the
manufacturing and agricultural in
terests of the State. And not less
so in the matter Of shipbuildiDg.
Two out of every three candid free
traders outside of New England viii
probably declare that if their party
was in power they would at once
proceed to admit foreign-bt.ilt ships
to American registry, and would
break down what they term the obi
Gus monopoly Of the coasting trade
Causes which need not here be emu
merated have imposed a long list of
hardships upon the navigation inter
eSts of the country but the free
trader party Is the only one which
has proposed 10 alleviate those
hardships by the utter destruction
of the navigation interest itself.
''ln the transfer of so large a pro-
portion Of the ocean freighting to
steamships, the sailing vessel has
relatively lost its Importance but
it still represents very large inter
est, in which the people OF Maine
have great stake. During the year
1882 our principal ship-building
district win launch as large a num-
Der of wooden sailing ships as it
ever did in a single year even when
those vessels were the ocean freight
ers of the world. Whatever contests
may be before Us in regard 20 a re-
yival of American commerce. no
Maine man who is intelligent as TO
the future of his State can vote to
sacrifice an interest which, under
every d.scouragement, has thus far
been So energetically maintained.
III would be curious tocall over a
list Of the occupations of the people
OF Maine, and piter a careful inspec-
ton OF It's details to have the free
trader point out one that would be
helped by the destruction Of the
protective tariff, or, indeed, one that
would not be harmed by it. The
first one indicated by the free trader
would probably be the navigation
which he would boasttully
maintain is seriously injured by
protective tariff. But the shipown-
er would not desire the destruction
of the protection 10 manufactures If
at the same time il carried with it
the destruction 10 the protection of
the navigation interest, which comes,
from securing The coasting trade
to American bull; and American
owned vessels. Not to speak Of the
sailing vessels, engaged in
the coasting trade in the Atlantic, /
the Gulf and the Pacific, II raust be
remembered that the steam tonnage {
engaged IN tae same trade, all built I
and owned IN the United States, Is I
.arger than :he entire steam tonnage ,
1f Great Britain twenty-five years /
80. The coasting trade keeps alive /
Ihe navigation interests OF America, /
md out OF it will sometime grow 1
foreign trade that will restore US to
our former and worthy rivalry with /
he chief commercial nations of the 4
globe Therefore the Republicans
mite in holding on to the coasung
.rade for our own vessels, and will
Yield to no compromise on this
point.
"Our prospects are so promising,
he surroundings of the party in
Maine are so auspicious, that we all
nave heart and courage for the work
,f the campaign. Divisions that
distract Republicans elsewhere are
among Us, and il may be
,ur happy fortune by unity and
Tictory to set an example to the
party of the whole eOun-
ry, and thus to induce the harmo-
w and cooperation which are iLdis-
sensabie 10 success.
The Wheat Harvest in Dakota.
ST. LOUIS, August 10.-A special {
a the Globs De,oocr1f from EarOo