The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-09-02
BlaIae's opeaing Speech.

HE BEGINS THE MAINECAMpAIGN ATLAKI
| sEBAGo.
THE TARIFF AND LABOR QUESTIONS PRIN
CIPAL ToPICs-THE CANADIAN FISHER
les QuEsTIoN-oUR RELATIONS WITT
MEXICO.
LAKE sEBAGo, Me, August 24.-Mr
James e. Blaine arrived here from Bal
Harbor this morning The regular cam
paign was opened yesterday. and this il
Mr.. Biaine's opening speech. He is ex
pected to thoroughly stump the State, ant
will speak twice more this week There
was a large audience to greet the distin-
guished statesman
| IN RELATION TO THE TARIFF QUESTION
Mr.. Blaine said 1t is in the first place
especially worthy Of observation that in
the history of industrial questions no party
in time of peace has ever been more united
| in support of a policy than is the Republi-
can in support Of protective tariff 20 day.
At the late session Of Congress measure
known as the Morrison tariff bill, designed
to first weaken and ultimately destroy the
protective policy, was resisted by so COM
pact an organization of the Republican
members that single vote from New
| York and two or three votes from Mime
sofa were all that broke the absolute un;l-
nimity of the party And this was ren.
dered still more striking by the fact that
the organs of Republican opinion in New
Y ork and Minnesota declare that these
exceptional votes were adverse to the
wishes Of large majority of those who
elected the dissenting members.
! On the other hand, the vast majority of
the Democratic members supported the
| free trade side of the question, but q small
minority, uniting with the Republicans,
found themselves able to defeat the meas
ure. Thereupon the Democratic papers
quite generally, throughout the country,
denounced the recusants as unfaithful to
the creed of their party, and the journal in
New York which is said to reflect the
views of the National Administration gave
formal notice to all Democrats, North and
South, who lean towards the policy of pro-
lection, that they must revise their opin-
ions or leave the party. because with their
views they can find no sympathy in Demo-
cratic ranks and no standing room on
Democratic platforms.
THE LABOR QUESTION.
On the subject of labor, Mr.. Blaine said :;
II have no new nostrums to offer for the
cure of labor troubles. I have no quack
remedies to propose. l am a firm believer
in the efficacy of the protective tariff, and
| can look back with serene satisfaction to
my record in Congress as never .blotted by
a single vote that was not friendly to the
interests of American labor. | never
promised anything when I was a candid
ate for public office, and now as private
citizen have no temptation to fiatter any
man OF state anything else than the simple
truth as see the truth. 1t is in this
spirit that offer some suggestions, which
seem to me worthy of attention under the
existing situation of the labor question. .
He referred to the fact that in the creed
VI UIlO dbo VI lldUOl Ct1ClO w tlo Hull
tion of a protective tariff, and asked how,
under the rule of free trade, wages can be
kept above the general standard of Euro
pean wages. He referred to the million
ard a half of colored laborers 10 the South,
who, he said, are able to take no part in
making laws for their own protection, and
| they are consequently and inevitably I'M
able to maintain a fair standard of wages
or to receive a fair proportion of their
proper earnings.
The situation, he said, is therefor
plainly observable and aeEaonstrable, viz /;
First. If the Democratic party shall sue
coed, as they have been annually attempt
| ing far twelve years past, iii destroying e
protective tariff, the artisans of the United
/ States will be thrown in direct com pet ion
with the highly skilled and laisegs,hly paid
| labor of Europe. seeoBd~ Il the Dem O.
cratic party shall be ahle 4; I..il control of
! the National Government. The colored
| laborer in the Southern Sta5es will remain
where the Southern Democrats have placed
him, politically, subject to-the vii Of the
white man. and unable to fix the pr oil
command the value of bis tabor The
| colored man will. therefore. under these
stans quantity in the labor market, re-
oeiving inadequate compensation for his
own toll and~steadily crowding down the
compensation of white labor, if not to his
own leyel yet far below its just and ade
quate standard.
At every turn, therefore, whether it bt
in exposing the white American laborer t.
the danger of European competition by
destroying the protective tariff or wheth
er it be in reducing the wages of the white
man by unfairly making the colored labor.
er his competitor in all the fields of toll
the Democratic party, North ard South
appears as the enemy of every interes
of the American workman. With tina
lparty placed in full power and with all it
measures achieved, the wages of thu
American laporer will fall as certainly q
effect follows cause.
THE FISHERY QUESTION.
After long review OF the fisheries dis
pute Mr.. Blaine said THE humiliation
of Our situation has been gratuitously II
creased by vote of the majority of IT,
Democratic party I'M the House of Repro
sentives to throw open the markets of tn
United States to British and Canadia
fishermen without duty or charge an
without securing to American 1Sherlna
the right to fish in British and Canada
waters. This isan act of such unaccount
able, rancorous hostility to the fishing ir
terest of New England that it is Difficult
even to comprehend its motive. John Ra,
. dolph so hated the wool tariff that he fel
: like walking mile to kick sheep. Do th
Northern Democrats feel such deter
mined hostility to the fishermen of Me-
Encland that thew would sacrifice a praa