Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-09-15
HARRISON ACCEPTS.
His Formal Letter to the Motif
fication Committee.
The Republican Nominee for the
Presidency Gives His Views.

TIGSlQ6llCy UlV0S Ills views,
The letter of General Benjamin Harrison,
accepting the Republican nomination for
President has been made public He begins
by saying:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Sept H. 1883.
"Hon. II. ". EStee and Others, Comnlittee:
"GENTLEMEN: When your committee
visited me on the Fourth OF July last anal
presented the Official announcement of my
nomination for tho Presidency of the
United States by the Republican Convention,
1promised MS soon rs practicable to commu-
nicalo to You formal acceptance OF the
nomination Since that time tho work of re-
ceiving and addressing almost daily largo
delegations OF my fellow citizens has not only
occupied all of my time, but has i'll
some measure rendered it unnecessary Tor
mo to use this letter as u medium OF COM
municating 10 the public my views upon the
questions involved in the campaign. APP
preciate very highly the confidence and re-
spect manifested by the Convention and nc
cept the nomination with n feeling of graft
tude and full sense OF tho responsibilities
which accompany it."
In regard To tue tariff question he says
"1ho issue cannot now be o6scuretl. 1t IS
not contest between schedules. but between
wide apart principles. The foreign COM
petitors of our market have, with quick
instinct, seen low one issue of this
contest may bring them advantage,
miss or neglect the grave interests that are
involved for them. The assault upon our
protective system is open and defiant. Pro-
lection is assaled rs unconstitutional in law,
or as vicious in principle, and those who
hold such views sincerely cannot stop short
of an absolute elimination from our tariif
laws of the principle of protection.
The Mills bill is only a step, but it's toward
an object that the leaders Of Democratic
thought and legislation have clearly in mind.
"lhe importantquestion is not so much the
length OF the step rs the direction of it.
Judged by tho Executive message Of
December last, by the Mills BILL by
the debates in Congress and by the st.
Louis platform, tho Democratic party will
if supported by the country, place the tariff
laws upon purely revenue basis. This is
lisll sense. The legend upon the banner
may rot DO ''free traden-t may
be the moro obscure motto, tariff
reform;-but neither the banner nor
the inscription is conclusive, or. indeed, very
important. The assault itself, it is tho i'm
poriant fact
Those who teach that tho import duty upon
foreign goods sold in our markets is paid by
the consumer, and that the price of the
domestic competing article is enhanced to
the amount of tho duty on the imported
artce-that every million of dollars collected
for customs represents many millions more
which do not reach tho Treasury, but are
paid by our citizens as tho increased cost of
domestic productions reSu.tng from the
tariff laws-lnay not intend to discredit in
the minds of others our system of lcvying
duties on competing foreign products, bat it
is clearly already discredited in their own.
Continuing he observes: Tile Republican
PARTY holds that Il protective tariff is conss-
tutional, wholesome and necessary. We do
not offer fixed schedule but principe.
We will revise the schedule, modify rutcs,
Tut always with an intelligent provision as
to thecllcct upon domestic production and
tile wages of our working people. We
believe it to be one of tho worthy Oh
iects of tariff legislation to preserve the
American market for American producers,
and 10 maintain the American scale
of wages by adequate discriminating
duties upon foreign competing products Tho
elf ct of lower rates and larger importations
upon the public revenue is contingent and
doubtful, but not so the effect upon Aneri-
can production and American wages.
LESS woil and lower wages must be ac-
copied rs tho inevitable result of the in.
creased Offering of foreign goods in our mar
ket. BY tie way OF recompense for this reduc-
ton in his wages and the los; Of the American
market IL is suggested that the diminished
wages Of the workingman will have IN I'M
diminished purchasing power. and that be will
he able to make up Cor the loss of the home
mar. ct by an enlarged foreign market. Our
workingmen have the settlement OF the ques
ton in their own hands. They now obtain
higher wages and live more comfortably than
those OF any other country. They will make
choice between the substantial advantages
they have in hand and the deceptive PROM
Uses and forecasts OF those tlieorizing REFORM
erS. They will decide for themselves and for
the country whether tie protective system
shall be continued or destroyed.
THE fact of u Treasury surplus, the
amount of which is variousy stated, has di-
rccted public attention to consideration of
tie methods by which Tire national in
come may best be reduced TO the level Of
II wise and necessary expenditure. This
condition has Icen seized upon by those who
arc hostile to protective custom duties rs nm
advantageous base of attack upon orr tariff
laws They ;,uvc magnified and nursed the
snrplus which they affect to deprecate
seemingly for the purpose OF exaggcrating
the extreme remedy they propose.
His sentiments on the use of the surplus
arc rs follows: I'VE iro not likely to be
Gales! upon, l think. to make present
Choice between the surrender of our pro-
tcct;ye system aud the entire repeal Of
the internal taxes. Such q contingen Y,
III view Of the present relation
of expenditures to revenues Is re-
mote. The inspection and regulation OF the
manufacture and sale of olcomargarine is
important and the revenue derived from 1t
is not so great that the repeal of the law
need enter into any plan Of revenue reduc-
should be used in the purchase of
bonds. The law authorizes this use OF it, and
if it is not needed for current or deficiency
appropriations the people AMI not the banks
in which it has been deposited should havo
the advantage OF its Use by stopping interest
upon the public debt"
.C.osely connected with the subject of the
tariff declares Mr.. Harrison, sis that of the
importation of foreign laborcrs under;con-
tracts of service TO he performed here.
The law now in force prohibiting such
contracts received my cordial support in the
Senate, and such amendments rs may be
found necessary effectively to deliver our
working men and women from this most
ineuuitable form OF competition will have my
sincere advocacy. Legislation prohibiting
the importation Of laborers under contracts
to serve here will, however. afford very
Inadequate relief TO our working people
if the system of protective duties is
broken down. Ii the product of
American shops must compete in the Amor
ican market without favorng duties with
the products of cheap foreign labor, the eff
feet will be different, if at al, only in degree,
whether the cheap laborer is across the
street or over the sea. Such competition
will soon re luce wages hero to the level
of those abroad, and when that condition is
reached wo will not neal any laws forbid
ding the importation Of laborers under con-
tract They will have no inducement to
come. and the employer 10 inducement to
send for then.n
Continuing he says: 'But the day Of the
immigration bureau has gone by. While
our doors will continue open 10 proper imni-
grafton, we do not need tp issue special inri-
tations to the inhabitants OF other coun-
tries Co come to orr shores or
to share our citizenship. Indeed, the
necessity OF some inspection and limla-
ton is obvious. We should resolutely refuse
l. 4<e-