The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-24
THE LONG EXPECTED.
Blaine's Letter OF Acceptance of the Re-
publican Nomination.


Mr.. Blaine's letter of acceptance,
dated Augusta July Is, was furnished for
publication on Saturday. After few
words of acceptance and compliment it
proceeds. The following is the gist of
it:
In enumeratiDg the issues upon which
the Republican party appeals for popular
support, the convention has been singu
lsrly explicit and felicitous. 1t has
properly given the leading position to
the industrial interests of she country as
affected by the tariff on imports. On
that question the two political parties are
radically in conflict. Almost the first
act of the Republicans, when they came
into power in 1861, was the establishment
of the principle of Protection to Ameri-
can labor and to American capital. This
principle the Republican party has ever
since steadily maintaiaed, while on the
other hard the Democratic party in
Congress has for fifty years persistently
warred upon it. Twice within that peri.
cd our opponents have destroyed tariffs
arranged for Protection, and since tho
close of the civil war, whenever they
have controlled the House of Represen.
tatives, hostile legislation has been at
tempted-never more conspicuously than
in their principal measure at the late
session of Congress.
Revenue laws are in their very nature
subject to frequent revision in order that
they may be adapted to changes and
notifications of trade. The Republican
party is not contending for the perma-
nency of any particular statute. The
issue between the two parties does not
have reference to specific law. 1t is
far broader and far deeper. It involves
principle of wide application and bene6.
cent influence against theory which
we believe to be unsouud in conception
and inevitably hurtful in practice. In
the many tariff revisions which have
been necessary for the past twenty.three
years, or which may hereafter 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, we'll defined
and unavoidable. The pending election
may determine the fate of Protection for
q generation.
In the census of 1850 an effort was
made, for the first time in our history, to
obtain valuation of all the lands in the
United States. The attempt was in a
lorno 6ooroa auccnssfIl1
In the census of 1860, however, the
work was done with great thoroug ghness
the distinction between assessed"
value and "true" value being carefully
observed. The grand result was that the
"true value" of all the property in the
States and Territories, Excluding slaves)
amounted to fourteen thousand millions
of dollars $l4,O00,0 0,000,000). This aggre.
gate was the net result as the labor and
savings of all the people within the area
of the United States from the time the
first British colonists landed in 1907
down to the year 1860. 1t represented
the fruit of the toll of two hundred end
fifty years.
After 1860 the business of the country
was encouraged and developed by pro.
tective tariff. At the end of twenty
years the total property OF the United
States, as returned by the census of 1880,
amounted to the enormous aggregate OF
forty. four thousand millions of dollars
IA, 900 100000. This great result was
attained Notwithstanding the fact that
countless millions had in the interval
been wasted in the progress Of bloody
war. It thus appears that while our
population between 1850 and 1880 in.
creased sixty per cent, the aggregate
property of the country increased two
hundred and fourteen per cent-showing
vastly enhanced per capita among the
people. :,
These results are regarded by the older
nations of the world as phenomenal.
That our country should sllrmount the
peril and the cost of o gigantic war and
| for an entire period of twenty years make
an average gain to its wealth Of one hun
dred and twenty-five million dollars per
month .surpasses the experience of all
other nations, ancient or modern.
The period between 1860 and to-day
has not been one of material prosperity
only. At no time in the history of the
United States has there been such pro-
gress in the moral and philanthropic
| field.
Our opponents find fault that our rev.
enue system produces surplus. But
they should not forget that the law has
given specific purpose to which all OF
the surplus is pro6tably applied-the
reduction of the public debt and the
consequent relief of the burden of taxa
ton. When reduction of taxation is to
be made, the Republican party can be
trusted to accomplish it in sach form as
will most effectively aid the industries Of
the nation.
A frequent accusation by our oppo-
nents is that the foreign commerce of
the country has steadily decayed under
the influence of the protective tariff. 1t
is a common and yet radical error to
confound the commerce of the country
with its carrying trade. Foreign COM
merce represents the exports and imports
of country regardless CT the nationality
of the vessel that may carry the commo-
dities of exchange. Our carrying trade
has lTOm OUSlUuS CoueCo ouAieiCN u'1"J
discouragements since 1860, but our for:
eign commerce has in the same period
steadily and prodigiously increased-in-
creased indeed at rate and to an amount
which absolutely dwarf all previous
developments of our trade beyond the
sea. From 1860 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, aaa tour
thousand millions of dollars s24, oo'Ooo,-
OOO.) The balance in this vast com:
merce inclined in our favor, but it would
have been much larger if our trade with
the countries of America, elsewhere re-
ferred to, had been more wisely adjusted.
| It is difficult even to appreciate the
magnitude of our export trade since
! 1860, and we cal gain correct concep.
ton of it only by comparison with pre-.