Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-08-01
GEN'L. LOGAN'S
ACCEPTANCE.
A STRONG. BOLD LETTER.
THE APPEAL OF A MAN OF THE
PEOPLE FOR A GOVERNMENT
OF THE PEOPLE BY THE
PEOPLE.
A FREE BALLOT, A FULL
VOTE, AND A FAIR COUNT.
PROTECTION FOR ALL AMERICANS
AND FOR ALL AMERICAN PRO
DUCTS AND RESOURCES.
WASHINGTON, d. O., !
July 10Th, 1884. {

YOU on the oath of June the official
notification of my nomination by
the National Republican Conven
ton as the Republican candidate
for Vice. President of the United
States, and considering it to be the
duty of every man devoting him
self to the public service to assume
any position to which he may be
called by the voice Of his country.
men, accept the nomination with
grateful heart and a deep sense Of
its responsibilities; and if elected
shall endeavor to discharge the du
ties of the office to the best of my
ability.
This honor, as is well understood
was wholly unsought by me. That
it was rendered by the representa-
tives of the party, in a manner SC
fattering, will serve to tighten
whatever labors Imay be called up
on to perform.
Although the variety of subjects
covered in the very excellent and
vigorous declarations of principles
adopted by the late convention
prohibits, upon an occasion calling
for brevlty Of expression, that full
elaboration Of which they are sus
ceptible, l avail myself of party
usage to signify my approval of the
various resolutions Of the platform
and to discuss them briefly.
PROTECTION TO AMERICAN LABOR
The resolutions of the platform
declaring for a levy Of such duties
Gas to afford security to our diver
sifed industries, and protection to
the rights and wages Of the labOrer,
to the end that active and intelli-
gent labor, as well as capital, may
have its just award, and the labor
ing man his full share in the Ma
tional prosperity" meets my hear
ty approval.
If there be a nation on the face
of the earth which might, if it were
desirable thing, build a wall up
on its every boundary line, deny
communion to all the world, and
proceed to live upon its own re-
sources and productions, that ma
tion is the United States. There is
hardly a legitimate necessity OF
civilized communities which can
not be produced from the eXtraOr-
dinary resources Of our several
States and Territories, with their
manufactures, mines, farms, tim
ber-landS, and water ways. This
circumstance, taken in connection
with the fact that our form of gov
eminent is entirely unique among
the nations of the world, makes it
utterly absurd to institute compari-
sons between our own economic
systems and those of other govern
mentS, and especially to attempt to
borrow systems from them. We
stand alone in our circumstances,
our forces, our possibilities, and
our aspirations.
In all successful government it is
a prime requisite that capital and
labor should be upon the best
terms, and that both should enjoy
the highest attainable prosperity.
If there be a disturbance of the
lust balance between them, one or
the other suffers, and dissatisfac-
tiOn follows, which is harmful to
both.
The lesson furnished by the com
paratively short history of our own
national life have been too much
overlooked by our people. The
fundamental article in the old
Democratic creed proclaimed al
most absolute Free Trade, and
this, too, no more than a quarter of
a century ago. The low condition
of our national credit, the financial
and business uncertainties and
general lack of prosperity under
that system, can be remembered
by every man now in middle life.
Although in the great number OF
reforms instituted by the Republi-
can party sufficient credit has not
been publicly awarded to that Of
tariff reform, its benefits have,
nevertheless, been felt throughout
the land. The principle underly-
ing this measure has been in pro
cess of gradual development by the
Republican party during the com
paratively brief period of its power,
and to-day a portion of its antigua
ted Democratic opponents make
unwilling concession to the correct
ness of the doctrine of an equitably
adjusted protective tariff, by fol-
lowing slowly in its footsteps
though a very long way in the
rear.
The principle involved is one ol
no great obscurity, and can be
readily comprehended by any in
telhgent person calmly rejecting
upon it. The political and social
systems of some of our trade.com-
peting nations have created work
ing classes miserable in the ex'
treme. They receive the merest
stipend for their daily toll, and in
the great expense Of the necessi
ties of life, are deprived Of those
comforts of clothing, housing, and
health-producing food with which
wholesome mental and social rec
reation can alone make existence
happy and desirable.
Now, if the products of those
countries are to be placed in oul
markets, alongside of American
products, either the American capi