The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-07-24
BLAINE'S ACCEPTANCE.
An ~ issues Of the Campaign Treated Elk.
Aaustlvely and with Strength and
DiFectaesA
Cavn Service Reform Commended and The Re.
Dabliean Position on tho TaEi1
Clearly Interpreted
Nh Blains's AcoeptSAae.

~400AAy AuVoAYAOVoS0
Nh. Blaine'a Aoce ptaA1e.
The following Is Mr., Biaine's letter accept
ing the nomination for president:
AUGUSTA, Me-, July Is. 1884-The Hon.
John B. Henderson and Others of the Com
mittee, etc. ,etc-Gentlemen: In accepting
the nomination for the presidency rendered
me BY the Republican national convention
beg e, e8ptess q deep sense of the honor
wAfoh ia imposed 1 venture to accompany
the acceptance with some observations upon
the questions involved in the contest-ques>
lions whose settlement may affect the future
OF the nation favorably or unfavorably for .
In enumefattng the issues upon which the
RepublicaA party appeals for popular sup
p0<t, the convention has been singularly ex-
plicit and felicitoua It has properly given
the leading position to the industrial inter.
ON importa On that question the two polit.
ical parties are radically In conflict Almost
the first act of the Republicans, when they
came into power in 1851, was the establish
ment of the principle of protection to Amer
lean labor and to American capital. This
principle the Republican party has ever since
steadily maintained, while on the other hand
the Democratic party. in congress has for
fifty years persistently warred upon it.
Twice within that period our opponents have
destroyed tariffs arranged for protection, and
since the close of the civil war. whenever
they have controlled the house Of represent
tatives. hostile legislation has been at
tempted-never more cOnspicu0usly than in
their principal measure at the late session Of
congress-
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
Revenue laws are i'll their very nature SUBJ
5ect to frequent revision in order that they
may be adapted to changes and notifications
OF trade. The Republican party is not con-
tending for the perlnanency of any particular
statute The issue between the two parties
does not have reference to q specific law. It
Is far broader and far deeper. It involves a
principle of wide application and beneticent
inf1uence, against theory which we believe
to be unsOund in conception and inevitably
hurtful in practice. In the many tariff re-
visions which have been necessary for the
past twenty-three years, or which may here
after become necessary, the Republican
party has maintained and will maintain the
policy OF protection to American industry
while our opponents insist upon revision,
which practically destroys that policy. The
issue is thus distinct, well defined and una
voidable. The pending election may deter
mine the fate of protection for generation
The overthrow Of the policy means q large
and appointment reduction In the wages of the
American laborer, besides involving the loss
OF vast amounts of American capital in
vested in manufacturing enterprises The
value OF the present revenue system to the
people of the United States is not matter of
theory, and shall submit no argument to
sustain it I only invite attention to Ger
tain facts of official record which seem to
constitute demonstration.
In the census of 1850 an effort was made,
for the first time in our history, to obtain q
valuation OF all the property In the United
States. The attempt was in large degree
unsuccessful. Partly from lack of time,
thought :the inquiries foreshadowed a new
scheme of taxation, the returns were incom-
plete and unsatisfactory. Little more was
done than to consolidate the local valuation
used In the states for purposes of assess
widely from the complete exhibit of all the
prop y.
In che census of 1860, however, the work
was done with great thOrOughness-the dis
tinction between assessed" value and true"
value being carefully observed The grand
result was that the @true value" of all the prop
erty In the States and Territories Excluding
slaves amounted to fourteen thousand mil
lions Of dollars ($14, 600, OOO, OOO) This ag-
gregate was the net result of the labor and
the savings OF oil the people within the area
OF the United States from the time the first
British colonist landed in 1907 down to the
year 1860 It represented the fruit of the
toll Of $50 years.
After 1860 the business of the country was
encouraged and developed by a protective
property of the United States, as returned by
the census of 1880, amounted to the
enormous o6Sroeoto Of fOrty-fOur thOn-
sand millions OF dollars. $44, Co.,
notwithstanding the fact that countless mil,
lions had in the interval been wasted in the
progress of q bloody war. 1t thus appears
that while our population between 1860 and
1880 increased 60 per cent, the aggregate
property of the country increased PA per
n Uns ar Vy yh0r md y,
capita among the people. Thirty thousand
millions of dollars $3.50, 600, OOO, OOO) had
been added during these twenty years to the
permanent wealth of the nation
These results are regarded by the older
nations of the world as phenomenal. That
our country should surmount the peril and
the cost of gigantic war and for an entire
period OF twenty years make an average gain
to it's wealth Of 1925, OOO, 900 per month
surpasses the experience of all other nations.
the present revenue system do not pretend
that In the whole histoty of civilization any
parallel can be found to the material progress
Of the United States since the accession of
the Republican party to power.
The period between 1860 and today has
not been one of material prosperity only. At
no time in the history of the United States
has there been such progress in the moral
and philanthropic field Religious and char
table institutions, schools, selninaries and
NOAACSCS, uuVc UCcu 1OuuUcu anu endowed
Tar more generously than at any previous
time In our history. Greater and more varied
relief has been extended to human suffering
and the entire progress of the country in
wealth has been accompanied and dignified
BY broadening and elevation of our ma
tdonal character as people
Our opponents find fault that our revenue
system produces o surplus But they should
not forget that the law has given specific
purpose to which all of the surplus is profit,
ably and honorably applied-the reduction
Of the burden OF taxation No dollar has
been wasted, and the only extravaganza
with which the party stands charged is the
generous pensioning of soldiers, sailors and
their famll1es-an extravaganza which en-
bodies the highest form of Justice in the rec
When reduction of taxation is to be made,
the Republican party can be trusted to acE
complish it In such form as will most effect
lively aid the Industries of the nation
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE
=, A frequent accusation by our opponents is
that the foreign commerce of che country
has steadily decayed under the influence Of
the protective tariff. In this way they seek
to array the importing interest against the
Republican party. 1t ia common and yet
radical error to cOnfound the commerce Of
often committed fnnocently and sometimes
designedly-but an error SO gross that it does
not distinguish between the ship and the
cargo Foreign commerce represents the ex-
ports and imports of q country regardless of
the nationality of the vessel that may carry
the commodities of exchange. Our carrying
trade has from obvious causes suffered many
discouragements since 1860, but our foreign
commerce has in the same period steadily
and prodigiously increased-increased in
deed at a rate and to an amount which abso-
lutely dwarf all previous developments OF
our trade beyond the sea. From 1850 to the
present time the foreign commerce of the
United States, divided with approximate
equality between exports and imports)
reached the astounding aggregate OF twenty
four thousand millions of dollars 1924, OOG.-
OOO..OO. The balance of this vast com
me<ce inclined in our favor, but it would
have been much larger If our trade with the
countries of America, elsewhere referred to,
had been more wisely adjusted
!c Is d1fiicult even to appreciate the magni-
tude of our export trade since 1860 and we
can gain correct conception of it only by
conparison wit. preceding results in thu
R0TnA A01A TThA tnA~