The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-07-23
L0GAN'S LETTER.
Text of Gen. John A. Logan's Letter
of Acceptance.
The National Republican Platform Con-
sdered and Endorsed.
Tariff Matters and the southern
Question Receive the Greater
Attention-Civil Service
Reform and Popular
Education.

WASHINGTON CITY, July 23.-The letter
| of Gen. Logan, accepting the nomination for
the vice presidency on the Republican ticket,
has been given out. 1t is addressed TO Sen
ator Henderson, chairman of the national
| Republican committee Below is the full
text:
Having received from you on the Path of
June an official notification of my nomlna-
ton of the national Republican convention
| as the Republican candidate for vice presi-
| dent of the United States, and considering it
to be the duty of every man deyotlng him
self to the public service to assume any posi-
ton 20 which he may be called by the voice
of his countrymen, accept the nomination
with grateful heart and deep sense of it's
responsibilities; and, if elected, shall endeavor
to discharge the duties of the office to the
best Of my ability.
This honor. as is well understood, was
wholly unsought by me. That it was ten
dered by the representatives of the party in
manner 70 fattering will serve TO tighten
whatever labors | may be called upon to per-
form
Although the variety of subjects covered
III the very excellent and vigorous declara-
ton of principles adopted by the late conven-
ton prohibits upon an occasion calling for
which they are susceptible, l avail myself of
party usage to signify my approval of the
various resolutions of the platform and to
discuss them briefly.
DISCUSSION OF THE TARIFF.
The resolutions of the platform declaring
for a levy of such duties las to afford security
to our diversified industries and protection to
| the rights and wages of the laborer, to the
| end that active and intelligent labor as well
as capital may have its just award and the
lsborfng man his full share in the national
prosperity" meets my hearty approval
If there is a nation on the face of the earth
| which might, if it were desirable thing
| build a wall upon It's very boundary line
| deny communion TO all the world and pro-
| coed to live upon its own resources and pro,
| auctions, that nation is the United States
| There is hardly legitimate necessity of civ
| ilized communities which cannot be produced
| from the extraordinary resources of our sew
| eral states and territories, with their manu-
| factories, mines FARMS Understands, and
water ways. This circumstance, taken in
connection with the fact that our form
OF government is entirety unique among the
nations of the world, makes it utterly absurd
| to institute comparisons 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 hest terms, and tsat both should en-
! joy the highest attainable prosperity. If
| there be a disturbance Of the just balance
| between them one or the other suffers and
| dissatisfaction follows, which is harmful to
both
| The lessons furnished by the comparatively
| short history of our own national life have
been too much overlooked by our people The
fundamental article in the old Democratic
| creed proclaimed almost absolute free-trade,
| and this, too, no more than quarter of a
century ago. The low condition Of our ma
| tional credit, the financial and business I'M
| certainties 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 Republican party sufficient
credit has not been publicly awarded to that
| of tariff reform, its benefits have, neveTthe-
less, been felt throughout the land The
! principle underlying this measure has been
in process of gradual development by the Re
| publican party during the comparatively
| brief period of its power, and to-day a por-
! ton OF its Anticipated Democratic opponents
| make unwilling concession to the correctness
of the doctrine of an equitahly adjusted pro-
toctive tariff, by following slowly in its foot
steps, though very long way in the rear.
The principle involved is one of no great
| obscurlty, and can be readily comprehended
| by any intelligent person calmly rejecting
| upon it. The political and social systems of
some of our trade competing nations have
created working classes miserable in the ex-
| trcme. They receive the msrest stipend for
| their daily toll, and in the great expense Of
| the necessities of life, are deprived Of those
comforts Of clothing, housing and health
| producing food with which wholesome men
| tai and social recreation can alone make ex-
istence happy and desirable.
| Now, if the products of those countries are
| to be placed in our markets, alongside of
| American products, either the American
capitalist must suffer in his legitimate profits,
or he must make the American labore1
suffer, In the attempt to compete with the
species Of labor above referred to In the
case of substantial reduction of pay, there
| can be no Compensasing advantages for the
American laborer, because the articles of
daily consumption which he uses
with the exception of articles
not produced in the United States, and
easily Of being specially provided for, as
| coffee and tea-are grown in our own coun-
| try, and would not be affected in price by a
| lowering in duties Therefore, while he
would receive less for his labor, his cost of
living would not be decreased. Being
practically placed upon the pay of the
European labersr, our own would he
! deprived of facilities fer educating and
sustaining his family respectfully; he
| would be shorn of the proper oppor-
tlnities of self Improvement, and his value
as citizen, charged with portion of the
| obligations Of government, would be les
sened; the moral tone of the labering class
would suffer, and in turn the interests OF
capital, and the well being of orderly citizens
in general, would be rlenaced, while one evil
would react upon another until there would
be a general disturbance Of the whole COM
munity. The true problem of good and
stable government is how to infuse prosperity
among all classes of peopie--the hanufae-
| tuEer the farmer, the mechanic, and the la
borer alike Such prosperity is preventa-
tive of crime, security of capital, and the
very best guaranty of general peace and hap
piness.
The obvious pelicy of our government is to
protect both capital and labor by proper
imposition of duties This protection should
extend to every article of American produc-
ton which goes to build up the general pros
perity of our people The national conven-
tion, in view of the special danger menac-
| 1pg the wool interests of the United States,
deemed it wise TO adept a separate resolution
on the subject of its proper protection. This
| industry Is a very large and important one.
The necessary legislation to sustain this in
dusTy upon prosperous basis should be ex-
| tended
No one realizes more July than myself the
great delicacy and difficulty of adjusting o
tariff SO nicely and eauissbly as to protect
every home industry, sustain every class of
| American labor, promote to the highest point
our great agricultural interests, and at the
same time 20 gave TO one and all the advan-
tases pertaining to foreign productions net
In competition with our own, thus not only
building up our foreign commerce, but
taking measures to carry it in oar own bot
| toms.
Difficult as this work appears and really is,
it is susceptible Of accomplishment by patient
and intelligent labor, and to no hands can II