Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-14
The Ringing Letter OF the Republican
Candidate-No Scotch Verdict Pos
sible This Year,

sible This Year.
BENJAMIN HARRISON has spoken wisely
and we'll His words are directly to the
public questions In Issue, and his voice
gives no uncertain sound. He shows him
self amply equal to the demands of the
position where his party has placed him.
His letter of acceptance is an able and
lucid statement of the opinions and pur-
poses of the Republican party on the
Tariff, the needs and interests of Ameri-
can Labor, on the Treasury Surplus, the
Civil Service the Fisheries, and the pro-
lection of our Homes The candid reader,
majority of the American people, cannot
fail to observe the marked contrast in
terms aud import between the letter OF
the Republican candidate and that which
Grover Cleveland has Just sent forth to
the country. Benjamin Harrison afiirms
with absolute truth that
1.-The assault upon our protective system
10 open and defiant. Protection is assaulted
as unconstitutional in law, or vicious in prin-
ciple and those who hold such views sincerely
cannot stop short of an absolute elimination
from our tariff laws, of the principle of pro-
lection.
The Mills bill Is only step, but It is
toward an object that the leaders of Demo
cratic thought and legislation have clearly in
mind.
The Mills bill was drawn in exact accord
with the spirit and logic of Cleveland
December message. Whatever modiiica-
tions were made In it before
its passage by the Democratic
House we're solely for the purpose
of winning votes. The retention of the
enormous tax on sugar was for the pur-
pose of rendering revenue Free Trade
tariff the more necessary, coupling with
that motive the sectional gain of support,
which WAS likewise the reason of the re-
tention of the high duty on Southern
rice. Cleveland seeks to ignore and con-
ceal these motives, this concession to
sectionalism, and this indirect method of
pushing the Democratic Free Trade cru
SADIE, copied from the British Free Trad
ers, who make Tea, Coffee and Tobacco
their trump cards, enormously taxing the
working masses that they may thus be
able to collect revenue enough to have
Free Trade in other directions on a sweep
ing scale. That is one of the tricks of
which Free Traders seek to make various
and most deceptive uses. Years ago the
Republicans wisely made Tea and Coffee
free In the United States, and these cannot
be used by the American Free Traders to
aid their false and deceptive economic
policy, as their English compeers use
them. The Democratic claim that the
December message and the adopted meas
ure of the Democratic House do not mean
Free Trade, is admirably answered in
these clear, terse lines of the Republican
candidate: .-
The important question is not so much the
length of the step as the direction of it.
Judged by the executive message of De-
cember last, by the Mills Bill. by debates in
Congress and by the st. LOUIS platform the
Democratic party, will, if supported by the
country, place the tariff laws upon a purel,
revenue basis. This is practical Free Trade.
Free Trade in the English sense. The legend
upon their banner may not be Free Trade.
1t may be the more obscure motto tariff
reform" but neither banner nor inscription
10 conclusive or indeed very important. The
assault itself is the important fact Those
who teach that import duty upon foreign
goods sold in our market is psid by the con-
sumner and that the price of domestic COM
peting article is enhanced TO the amount of
duty on the imported article; that every
million of dollars collected for customs du-
ties represents many millions more which |
do not reach the treasury, but are paid by
our citizens az the increased cost of domes-
tic productions resulting from the tariff |