The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-21
POINTS FROM BLAINEs LETTER.
EOme Of the More Salient Sentences Of that
Able Political Document.

In the many tariff revisions which have been
necessary for the past twenty three years, or
which may hereafter become necessary, the Re
publican party has maintained and will maintain
the policy of protection to American industry,
while our opponents insist upon revision
which PARTIALLY destroys that policy
That our country should surmount the peril
Ind cost of a gigantic war, and for an entire
period of twenty years make an average gain to
It's wealth of $l2o, 600 600 per month"; surpasses
The experience of all other nations ancient or
modern.
The only extravaganza with which the party
stands charged is the generous pensioning of the
soldiers. sailors and their families-an extrava-
gance which embodies the highest form Of Justice
in the recognition and payment of sacred debt.
When reduction of tazNtion is to be made, the
Republican party can be trusted to accomplish
it in such form as will most effectively aid the
industries of the Nation.
Evidently protective tariff has not injured
Dur export trade when, under its influence, we
exported in twenty-four years 40 per cent more
than the total amount that had been exported
h the entire previous history of American com
merce,
Our chief emporium, the city of New York,
with its dependencies, has within that period
l860-lSS4, doubled her population and increased
u6r WSdlLn nVo-IOlQ. Turing Jl6 same pST1Ou lIl0
Imports and exports which have entered and left
her harbor are more than double in bulk and
value the whole amount imported and exported
~ her between the settlement of the first Dutch
.bolony on the island of Manhattan and the out
break Of the civil war in 1860.
The agricultural interest is by far the largest
IN the Nation and is entitled in every adjust
ment Of revenue laws to the first consideration.
Any policy hostile to the fullest development of
agriculture in the United States must be aban-
doned
The farmers see the helpful impulse Of
home market, and they see that the financial
and revenue system enacted since the Republic
an party came into power has established and
constantly expanded the home market
The farmers see that in the increasing compe-
tition from the grain-felds Of Russia and from
the distant plains of India the growth of the
home market becomes daily of greater concern
to them and that its impairment would depreci
ate the value of every acre Of tiable land in the
Union.
It is into this field the home markell that the
opponents of our present revenue system would
freely admit the countries of Europe--eountries
into whose internal trade we could not recpro-
cally enter; countries to which we should be
surrendering every advantage of trade from
which we should be gaining nothing in return.
Wages are uniustly reduced when an indus
trious man is not able by his earnings to live id
comfort, educate his children and lay by a suf
fcient amount for the necessities of age. The
reduction OF wages inevitably consequent upon
throwing our home market open to the world
would deprive them of the power to do this. 1t
would prove great calamity to our country. 1t
would produce conflict between the poor and
the rich, and 10 the sorrowful degradation of
labor would plant the seeds of public danger
The Republican party has steadily aimed to
maintain just relations between labor and capt.
tai, guarding with care the rights of each
conflict between the two has always led in the
past and will always lead in the future to the
injury of both. Labor is '',1a sable to the
creation and profitable use of capt. , and capital
increases the efficiency and labor.
The Republican party has protected the free
labor of America SO that its compensation is
larger than is realized in any other country. 1t
has guarded our people against the unfair com
petition Of contract labor from China and may
be called upon to prohibit the growth of SINH
lar evil from Europe It is obviously unfair to
permit capitalists to make contracts for cheap
labor in foreign countries to the hurt and dis
paragement of the labor of American citizens.
Itisnot the interest of the Republic that any
economic system should be adopted which in
wolves the reduction of wages to the hard stand
ard prevailing elsewhere The Republican
party aims to elevate and dignity labor-not to
degrade it.
Experiment in the industrial and financial sys-
tenn is the countrys greatest dread, as stability
is its greatest boon
Who can measure the harm to our shops and
our homes, to our farms and our commerce, if
the uncertainty of perpetual tariff agitation is to
be inflicted upon the country
The United States has no cause and no desire
10 engage in conflict with any power on earth
and we may rest in assured confidence that no
power desires to attack the United States.
Weseek the conquests of peace We desire to
extend our commerce, and in an especial degree
with our friends and neighbors on this continent
To those who may be disposed to underrate the
value of our trade with the countries of North
and South America it may be well to state that
their population is nearly or quite fifty millions
and that, in proportion to aggregate numbers
we import nearly double as much from them as
we do from Europe
We send large sums to Europe in coin, or it's
equivalent, to pay European manufacturers for
the goods which they send to Spanish America
We are but paymasters for this enormous
amount aRnually to European factors-an
amount which is a serious draft, in every fnan-
cial depression, upon our resources of specie.
While the great powers Of Europe are steadily
enlarging their colonial domination in Asia and
Africa it is the especial province of this country
70 improve ana expand us trade with the nations
Of America No field promises so much. No.
field has been cultivated so little Our foreign
policy should be an American policy in its broad
est and most comprehensive sense-a policy Of
peace, of friendship, of commercial enlargement
The name Of American, which belongs to us
p our national capacity, must always exalt the
Iust pride of patriotism
Citizenship of the Republic must pc the pan
oply and safeguard Of him who wears it
The American citizen, rich or poor, native or
naturalized, white or colored must everywhere
walk secure in his personal and civil rights.