Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-09-02
BLAINE HEARD FROM.
The Maine Statesman Speaks at
Sebago Lake,
And Fires the First Gun of Campaign of
the Future-A lBriefI Review of the
Political Issues of the Day From
Republican Standpoint.

EbLi-o" NIIiZENS-a new aQfnlnlS.
tration of the National Government is
usually unvexed in it's first year, except
by the opportunities and disappoint-
ments of its own supporters. The peo-
pie at large give small heed for the time
to public affairs and the discussion of
political issues is left as somewhat
perfunctory task to the opposing
partisans in Congress. This season
of apparent Indifference is caused,
In part, by the natural
ebb of the tide which flowed so high in
the preceding National election, and n
part also by the American instinct of fair
play, which demands that the party fresh
ly installed may have a free opportunity
and full time 10 lay out its ground and
mature its measures.
This period of popular inaction is thus
not only advantageousfo for rest, butt pre-
pares those who are the ultimate arbiterS
on all matters of public concern to give a
patient hearing to fair argument when
the time arrives for popular discussion"
Mr.. Blaine then spoke of the ap-
preaching State election. He also took
up the leading political issues of the
Nation, treating at considerable length the
different tariff ideas of the two leading
parties and discussed the labor question,
the fisheries dispute. our relations with
Mexico as regards the Cutting affair, and
closed with brief reference to the Pro-
hibitionists. Speaking of the tariff pol
icy Mr.. Blaine said that at the late ses-
sion of Congress the measure
known as the Morrison Tariff
bill, designed to first weaken and ul-
timately destroy the protective policy,
was resisted by so compact an organiza-
ton Of the Republican members that
single vote from New York and two or
three votes from Minnesota were all that
broke the absolute unanimity of the
party, and this was rendered still more
striking by the tact that the organs of
Republican opinion in New York and
Minnesota declare that these exceptional
votes were adverse to the wishes of a
large majority of those who elected
the dissenting members. On
the other hand, the majority of
Democratic members supported the free
trade side of the question, but a small
minority uniting with the Republicans,
found themselves able to defeat the
measure, the Democratic party instantly
using comparative dizziness in business,
which their own course in Congress for
twelve years largely developed, as An ar
gument against the policy of protection.
But it is worth while to compare the con-
dition of the country in this year OF
grace with its condition the year before
the Republicans succeeded in enacting
their first protective tariff. In the nine
States which still do the larger
amount of manufacturing for the
country and which did nearly all
quarter of a century ago,
it is interesting and instructive to
compare their financial conditions at the
beginning of 1861 and the beginning of
1866. The States referred to are six OF
the New England with New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1861 the
South presented condition brought
about by nearly an entire generation Of
free trade, and the aggregate amount
which the people accumulated in savings
banks during that long period was less
than one hundred and sixty million dol
lars. In the same States on the first day
of January, 1856, the aggregate amount
in the savings banks was over one thou
sand and twenty millions of dollars.
Yet another compar.
iSon may be still more embarrassing to
free trade doctrinaires and more difficult
for them to answer. While American
workmen in nine States working un-
der protective tariff have over
a thousand millions dollars in
the savings banks, vastly greater
mass of workingmen in England, Ireland,
Scotland and WaleS-the whole United
Kingdom-all working under free trade,
have less than four hundred million dol
lars in the savings banks and postal
banks. These figures and these dollars
are more persuasive than arguments, and
the conclusion they teach is so plain that
a running man may read,
OF the labor question, Mr.. Blaine after
reciting the present condition OF the
workingmen saws: 81 have no new
nostrums to offer for the cure of labor
troubles, I have no quack remedies to
propose. l am a free believer in the
efficacy of the protective tariff and can
look back with serene satisfaction to my
record in Congress as never blotted by
single vote that was not friendly to the
interests of Americans to labor. l
never promised anything when
was candidate for public. office,
and now as q private citizen
/ have no temptation to flatter any man'
or state any thing else than the simple
truth, so say the truth"
MIR. Blaine then made a comparison of
the wages paid the laborers of the South
with those of the Northern workingmen.
t'Do you suppose" he continued, "that
you can permanently maintain in North
ern States one scale of prices when Just
beyond an imaginary line on the south of
the United States far different scale of
prices is paid for labor? The col
ored mechanic of the South is
not so skillful workman nor so intelli-
gent man as you are, but if he will lay
brick in a cotton factory in South Caro-
lima at half the price you are paid; if he
will paint and plaster it at the same low
rate, he is inevitably erecting an indus
try which. if the same rate of wages be
maintained throughout, will drive you
out of business or lead you to the gates
of his own poverty"
From this MIR. Blaine draws the follow
ing conclusions: If the Democratic party
shall be able to hold control of the Ma
tional Government, the colored laborer
in the Southern States will remain where
the Southern Democrats have placed
him politically, subject to the will of the
white man and unable to fix his price
or command his LABOR. The
colored man will therefore under these
conditions remain constant quantity in
the labor market, receiving inadequate
compensation for his own toll and steadi-
lv crowding down the compensation of
white labor if not to his own level, yet
far below it's just and adequate stand
ard"
of the fishery question Mr.. Blaine mad
much to say. He, contrasted at great
length the attitude of Mr.. Bavard with
that OF Secretary Webster In
1852. ''The humiliation of our sit
uation," the speaker declared: "Has
been gratutiouslv increased by
a vote of the majority of the Demo
cratic party in the House of Representa-
- 4frN<<x Il H.