The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-08-09
The FaIIacies Of HBIaine's Letter.
Exposed.
And Some Pointed Remarks on the
Tariff.
Written for THR COMET.

Written for THR COMET.
Mr.. Blaine's letter of acceptance
has put in its appearance after q
long delay. 1t looks as if he could
not decide whether to accept, or
not, till after the Democratic CON
vention; and seeing the Democrats
did not adopt his platform, he con-
cluded to pitch in"
His letter is a very readable docu-
ment, (rather long) and full of inter
esting statistics, and will no doubt,
constitute the substance of most of
the campaign thunder of certain
stump orators this season.
But it reminds me of the man who
framed system of theology, and then,
hunted up the scripture to sustain it.
He starts out to sustain a protective
tariff, and the figures must do it, for
he shows that we have increased in
wealth more in twenty years Qrom
1860 to 1SS0,) than in all the $50 years
since the landing of the first British
colonists, in 1907, and as the tariff was
in force these twenty years he natu-
rally concludes the tariff did it.
He finds also that our foreign com
merce has grown enormously in the
last twenty years. This too is due to
the tariff. We thought the tariff
was aimed at our foreign commerce
and that its effect, so far as it went
was detrimental to it.
Our carrying trade for "obvious rea.
sons" has suffered. But it is not stat.
ed how the tariff affected it.
INTERNAL COMMERCE.
He states, that our wealth is largely
increased by our internal commerce
| In fact this is our great source of pros
perity; Qike the old mans boys who
got rich swapping knives with eacl
other on rainy days., and yet strange
to say, there is no tariff here. This i,
absolutely free trade.
Surely, if free trade acts so well a
home, how would tariff for revenue
only, act on foreign commerce?
Again, if all our material interests
are so enhanced, by the present tariff
and it would be ruin0us to diminish
it, why not increase it, and make III
all rich? lie tells us also that oul
} farmers are enriched by the tariff
that is, by having to pay n tax OF 4;
per cent on al imported articles
amounting to an annual sum of $3.50,
100000 on articles entering into thei
daily consumption. They have beer
} largely benefited. In other words, j
is not what man saves, but what HI
spends, without any return, that i'm
| pIONco Alb lluuilCidl COiluiilOl' i HCl
} why not increase the tariff for his spe
cial benefit
When Pat was told, that he couls
} save half of the wood by using a stove
| he said, Faith, and he would get two
and save it all" And why not?
: Now the idea OF the tariff being il
the interest of the farmer is the rank
est political quackery. 1t is the "pos
hoe ergo propter noe" principle adopted
+, by all quacks to get their WORTHLESS nos
trums on the market. They say
} thousands have taken it, and are tn
! spared monuments OF its curative pow
: ers a great mistake. These only tes
| tify to the recuperative powers of tn
: system the latent energies of nature
brought into activity, in a struggl
r for life. This "post hoe" principle i
one-sided, and is operative only 70
| good. The evil that follows is all du
Q to other causes. So while the higl
. tariff is the only efficient agent in tn
: development of our prosperity, it is no
. to be charged with any OF our misfol
j, tunes. Neither are We to attribut
J, any of our successes, to our progreE
r sive spirit, industry, genius or hard Ia
: Dor, or anything but protective tai
: iff.
: NORTH AND SOUTH.
\ But Mr.. Blaine regrets to speak {
: two sections, North and South) of ou