Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-12

Our Foreign Relations.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept 12-Gen. Harrison's
letter of acceptance was given to the press
last night. It is addressed to the Hon M. NJ. |
Estee and Others committee, etc, and Is
given in full below:
GENTLEMEN: When your committee visited me
the Fourth of July last and presented the Off
cial announcement of my nomination for the
presidency of the United States by the Repub-
lican convention promised as soon as practica-
bic to communicate to you more formal accept
ance of the nomination. Since that time the
work of receiving and addressing, almost daily,
large delegations of my fellow citizens has not
only occupied all of my time, but has In some
measure rendered it unnecessary for me TO use
this letter as a medium of communicating to the
public my views on the questions involved i'll this
campaign. 1 appreciate very highly the conf
dence and respect manifested by the convention,
and accept the nomination with feeling of graf
itude and a full sense of the responsibilities which
accompany it.
1t is a matter of congratularion that the detlar
atoms of the Chicago convention upon the cues
tons that now attract the interest of our people
are so clear and emphatic. There is further cause
of congratuatiou in the fact that the convention
utterances of the Democratic party, if in any de
gree uncertain or contradictory can nov be
Judged and interpreted by executive acts and
messages and by definite propositions in legisla-
ton.
This is especially true of what is popularity
known as the tariff question. The issue can not
now be obscured. 1t is not a contest between
schedules but between wide apart principles
The foreign competitors for our market have
with quick instinct seen how one issue of this con-
test may bring them advantages and our own
people are not so duh as to miss or neglect the
grave interests that are involved for them. The
assault upon our protective system is open and
defiant Protection is aSsailed a uncOnSttu-
tional in law or vicious in principle and those
who hold such views sincerely can not stop short
of an absolute elimination from tariff laws of
the principle of protection. The Mills bill is only
step hut it is toward object that the leaders
of Democratic though and legislation have clearly
in mind The important question is not so much
the length of the step as the direction of it.
Judged by the executive message of December
last by the Mills bill by the debates in congress
| and by the st, Louis platform, the Democratic
! party Will, if supported by the country,
| place the tariff laws upon purely reye-
nue. basis. This is practical f. ee trade-free trade
| in the English sense The legend upon the han
ner may not be Free Trade"-it may he the more
| obscure motto Tariff Reform but neither the
| banner nor the inscription is conclusive, or in
| deed very important. The assault itself is the
| important fact
| Those who teach that the import duty upon for
| eign goods sold in our market is paid by the con-
| sumner, and that the price of the domestic com
| peting article is enhanced to the amount Of the
duty on the imported article; that every million
| dollars collected for customs duties represents
many millions more which do not reach the treas
| ury but are paid by citizens the increased
| cost of domestic productions resulting from the
| tariff laws, may not intend to diScredt in the
| minds of others our system of levying duties on
| competing foreign products; but it is clearly al
| ready dscredted in their own We can not
doubt, without impugnng their integrity. that if
free to act upon their convictions they would so
revise our laws TO lay the burden of the cus-
! toms revenue upon articles that moi produced
in this country, and TO place upon the free list all
competing foreign products.
| do not stop to refute this theory as to the eff
| feet of our tariff duties, Those who advance it
| are students of maxims and not of the markets.
They may be safely allowed TO call their project
tariff reform" if the people understand that in
the end the argument compels free trade in all
competing products. This end may not be
reached abruptly, and its approach may be &C
| cnmpanied with some expressions of sympathy
for our protected industries and our working PEG
pie; but it will certainly come if these early steps
do not arouse the people TO effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that protective
tariff is constitutional wholesome and necessary
We do not offer a fixed schedule hut principle
We will revise the schedule. modify rates; but al
ways with intelligent provision TO the effec
upon domestic production and the wages of GU
working people. We believe il to he one of tn,
worthy objects of tariff legislation to preserve thu
American market for American producers and t,
maintain the American scale of wages bv ade
quate discriminating duties upon foreign compel
ing products The effect of lower rates and larg
er importations upon the public revenue is con
tjngent and doubtful but not so the effect upol
American production and American wages Les
work and lower wages must h.. accepted as tn
inevitable result of the increased Offering of for
sipp goods in cur market
Rv way of racomneuse for this raducrion in I'll
wages and the loss Of the American market il
suspest.,d that the diminished wages Of thu, worL
| tngmau will have an r,ndiminjshed n,rrhasin
| mower and that he will be- able to make. M 70
| the loss Of the home market nv an enlarged 70,
a;,r pariet Onr yvor,fnon,ap have the sAttI.
ment of the ouastiop in their own hands The
now Obtain HIGHER wages and live more coufor
ably than those of any other country. They wi
make choice between the substantial advantage
they have in hand and the Ceceptfve pronis.
and forecasts of these theoriEfng reformer
They will decide for themselves and for the coul
try whether the protective system shall be col
tinued or DESTROYED
, The fact of a treasury surplus the amount {
| which VaTlbISly stated. has directed DtlhlP n
teption to a consideration of the methods /
which the national income NAV best be reduce
tn the level nf a wise and necessary exnandit,lr
J This condition has been seized upnn bv those wi
srehostiIe to protective customs duties as an al
! vsntagaons base 4 attack nnon our tariff law
| They have rpaynfied and nursad the snrnl1,
which they affect tn danrecate seemingly for II
nnr,oos,s Of exaggeratng the, evil in order 10 re
onca the people to the extreme remedy tn,
propose A proper reduction of the revenues do
: rot necessitate and should not suggest the aha
donment or impairment of the protective systeI
The methods suggested by our convention will n
: need to be exhausted in order to effect the necf
sarv reduction We are not likely tn h. cali
: unon think To make a nresant choice bat1ye
: the surrender of the protective system and d
entire repaaI of the internal taxes Such a On
: tineency in view OF the present relation of g
a nar Iit1ires TO revenue is remote The insneati
! and regulation of the manufacture and sale
=. oleomarrarine is important and the revenue {
; rived from it is not so great that the repeal Of t
> law need enter into any plan of revenue red,
. ton The surplus now in the treasury should
u used in the purchase of bonds The law auth,
Ives this use of il and If II is not needed for q,
h rent or deficiency appropriations the people a
IS not the banks IN which it has been deposit.
o. should have the advantage Of its use by stoppi
II ,terest upon the public debt At least those W
4 naedlessly hoard it should not be allowed to l
The fear of a monetary strtngency, thus produce
to coerce public sentiment upon other question
Closely connected with the subject of the tai
is that OF the importation Of foreign laborers I
l. der contracts Of service to be performed he
IA The law now in force prohibiting such contra
Il received my cordial support in the senate, a
D. such amendments as may be found necessary
b fectively to deliver our workingmen and won
IT from this most inequitable form of competiti
ie will have my sincere advocacy. Legislation p
h limiting the importation OF laborers under C.
ia tracts to serve here WILL however, afford very