River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-09-20
HARRIsoN.s LETTER.

Free Trade and Protection-He Would
Enforce Anti-Cbinese Laws-The Sur
plus. Immigration and Other Topics,
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Sept. 12-Following
Is General Harrison's letter Of acceptance:
Hon b. ~ Estes and Others, Committee. etc.
| GENTLEMEN: When your committee visited
me on the Attn of July last and presented the
| onlcial announcement OF my nomination for
/ the Presidency Of the [ niteS States by the Re
publican convention promised as soon as
/ practicable 10 communicate 10 you more
formal acceptance OF the nomination. SiHce
/ that time the work Of receiving and address.
ing, almost daily. large delegations OF my feh
| low-citizens, has not only occupied all OF my
I time but has in some measure rendered IL IN
necessary for me 10 use this letter as a medium
of communicating 10 the public my views on
the questions involved in the campaign.
HE ACCEPTS.
az appreciate very highly tae conndence and
respect manifested t,y The convention and &C
cept the nom ma ton with feeling OF gratitude
al a fun sense Of the responsibilities which
accompany H.
1T is a matter OF con -ratulation that the
declarations Of the ChicAgo convention upon
the quest ons that now attract the interest Of
our people are so clear and emphatic. There
Is further cause OF congratulatiOn in the fact
( that the convention utterances OF the Demo
cratic party, II IN any degree uncertain or con-
Trajectory. can now be judged ana interpreted
/ by Executive acts and messages and definite
Z propositions in legislation.
TIE TARIFF.
This is especially true Of what is popularity
known as tue tariff question. The issue can
not now be obscnred. II Is not a contest oe-
tween schedules but between wide apart prin.
eples. The fore gn competitors for our mar
ket have, with quick instinct seen how one
issue OF this contest may bring them ad
vantage. and our own people are not so dun as
TO miss or neglect the grave interests THAT are
involved for them. The assault upon our pro
tective system is open and defiant Protection
is assailed as unconstitutional in law. or as
vicious IN principle. and those who hold such
views sincerely can not stop short Of an ALSO
lutte elimination from our tar.u laws q the
principle of protect on The Mills bill
IS only step, but IL is toward an OBJ
Iect that the leaders OF Democrats
thought and legislation have clearly IN
mind. The important question IS not so much
the length OF the step as the direction OF II
Judged by the Executive message Of December
gress and by the st Louis platform. the Dem
oCratic party viii, Il supported by the country,
place the tariff laws upon a purely revenue
basis. This Is practical free trade-free trade IN
the English sense The legend uuon the ban
ner may not he Free Trade. II may be the
more obscure motto, Tariff Reform but
neither the banner nor the inscr ption Is con
elusive. or. indeed, very important The as
sauit itself is the important fact.
Those who teach that the import duty upon
foreign goods sold IN our market is paid by the
consumer, and that the price OF the conpet-
ing domestic article is enhanced 10 the
amount Of the duty on g. = imported article
that every million Of dollars collected for Gus
toms duties represents many millions more
which do not reach the Treasury, but are paid
by our citizens as the increased cost Of dOmes-
tic productions resulting from the tariff laws
may not tend 10 discredit n the minds ci
others our system Of levying dut IS on compet-
ing foreign products, but II is clearly already
discredited in their own. We e3n not doubt,
without impunging their inter ~, that II free
TO act upon their conviction. they would so
revise our laws as 10 lay the burden of the
customs revenue upon art cles that are not
produced in this country and 10 place upon the
free list all competing foreign products.
i do not stop 10 reiute tnis theory as 10 the
effect Of our tariff duties. Those who advance
IL are students Of maXims and not OF the mar
kets. They may be safely allowed 10 call their
project Tariff Reform, II the people under
sta nd that in the end the argument compels free
trade in all competing products This end NAV
not be reached abruptly, and its approach may
be accompanied with some expression u sym.
patty for our protected industries and cur
working people, but IL will certainly some Il
these early steps do not arouse the people u
effective resistance.
PROTECTION NECESSITY.
The Republican party holds that protect
I've tariff is constitutional wholesome an6
necessary. We do not offer a schedule. but
principle. We will revise the schedule, mod
ify rates, but always with an intelligent pre-
VISION as to the eject upon d6meTtic pro
ductiou and the wages OF our working psCule
We believe IL 10 be one OF he worthy objects
=
market for American producers, and 10 main
tain the American scale OF wages by adequate.
discriminating duties upon fore On competing
products. The effect of lower rates and larger
lmportations upon the public revenue is con.
tngent ana doubtful. but not so the effect upon
American production and American wages
Less work and lower wages must be accepted as
the inevitable result OF the increased Offering
OF foreign goods N our market. By way Of rec
omT ense for tbs reduction in his wages. and
the loss OF the American market, it is suggest
ed that the diminished wages Of the working
man viii have an undim nished Turchas MS
power, and that he VIII be able TO make uD for
the loss Of the home market by an enlarged
foreign market. Our worSing-men have the
settlement Of the question 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 decept
i've promises and forecasts OF these theorizing
reformerS They will decide for themselves
and for the country whether the protective sys-
TEN shall be continued or destroyed.
THE SURPLUS.
The fact of Treasury surplus, the amount
of which is variously stated. has directed pub
lie attention to a consideration Of the methods
by which the National income may best be re
duced to the level of a wise ana necessary eK
penditure. This condition has been seized
upon by those who are hostile 10 protective
custom duties as an advantageous base of at
tack upon our tariff laws. They have magni
fed and nursed the surplus. which they aIec
10 deprecate, seemingly for the purpose OF eX
aggeratlng the evil in order to reconcile tht
people 10 the extreme remedy they propose
proper reduction Of the revenues does no
necessitate. and should not suggest. the
abandonment or impairment Of the protective
system The methods suggested by our con.
ventiou Will not need to be exhausted in order "a
effect the necessary reduction. We are not
likely 70 be called upon, l think, 10 make q
present choice between the protective system
and entire repeal OF the internal taxes. Such
a contingency, in view Of the present relat on
of expenditures to revenues, IS remote. The
inspection and regulation of the sale of cleo
margarine IS important and the revenue de
rived nom II is not so great that the repeal Of
the law need enter into any plan OF revenue re
ductlOu. The surplus now in the Treasury
should be used in the purchase OF bonds. The
law authorizes this OF it and II u is not need
ed for current OF deficiency apprOpriat sons
the people. and not the banks in which II has
been deposited, should have the advantage Of It's
use By stopping interest upon the public debt
At least, those who needlessly hoard IL should
not be allowed to use the fear OF a monetary
stringeney, thus produced, 10 coeree public
sentiment upon other questions
CONTRACT LABOR.
CLOSELY connected with the subject OF the
tariI 10 that OF the Importation OF foreign
laboreIs under contracts OF service to be per
formed here. The law now In force prohibit
ing such contracts received my cordial sup
port in the Senate. and such amendments as
may be found necessary effectively TO deliver
our working-men and women from this most in
equitable form of competition will have my sin
cere advocacy. Legislation prohibiting the
impOrtat on Of laboreFs under contracts 10 serve
here viii, however. afford very inadequate re-
lief TO our working people il the system OF pro
tective duties Is broken down II the products
OF American shops must compete in the Ameri-
cIh market, without favoring cuties. with the
products Of cheap foreign labor, the effect VIII
be different, If 81 all, only in degree, whether
the cheap labOTer is across the street or over
the sea. Such competition viii soon reduce
wages here 10 the level Of those abroad. and
when that condition is reached we " II not need
any laws forbid6ing the importation OF laborers
under contract-theY will have no inducement
to come and Tire employer no inducement 70
send for them
THE INguGRATIoN PROBLEM
"In the earlier years of our history public
agencies TO promote immigration were com
mon. The POINTER wanted neighbor with
more friendly INSTINCTS than the Indian Labor
was scarce and fully employed. But the day
OF the immigration bureau has gone by w hlle
our doors will continus Opea 10 proper immi-
grafton, we do net need 10 issue special invita-
tons 70 the inhabitants Of other countries 70
come TO our shores or share our cit zenship.
Indeed. the necessity Of some inspection and
limitation is obvious. We should res
olutely refuse 20 permit foreign Govern
finals to ouf ports We are also
clearly under a daty 70 defend our Civilizaf on
~ sxelvd uE alice races whose ultimate assfrn-
uatioH win our TeopIe - neither possible nor
desirable The FAMILY has been The nucleus Of
our best immi grafton and the home the most
potent milatag force IN ouF civilization.
THE CHINESE QUESTTos.
The object ors to Chinese immigration are
distinctive and conclusive, and are now 50
generally accepted as such that the quest
has passed entirely beyond the stage OF arEu-
ment TIE "a reiat ng 70 this subject would
II should be chErEed with their enforcement
be faithfully executed. Such amendments or
further legislation as may be necessary and
proper 20 pfsvers eVasions Of the laws aud 70
STOP further Ch nese immlgrat on would also
meet my approval. The expression Of the con
vention on th.s subject is II entire harmony
with my views.
ELECTION FRAUDS.
IS Our civil compact IS Government By ma
ior.t IS, and the law loses its sanction and the