Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-18


citizens to the number of 10000 greeted
Mr.. Blaine at Adrian, Mich. with
rousing welcome. His friends thought
! he could not talk to one-half of them
but he was in splendid voice and made
what is considered one of his best cam
| paign speeches.
| Mr.. Blaine came to the front of the
platform holding in his hand q letter
| addressed to him by ". Stearns, the
| Democratic candidate for Congress in
the Adrian district. Holding it up to
| the audience he said:
NIB. BLAINEs SPEECH.
Mr. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW CITIZENS:
| If there is q gentleman in this audience
who signs his name w. Stearns, desire
| his attention. He addressed personal
letter to me which, whether he intended
ii to be courteous or not, shall endeavor
| to reply to courteously. He wants to
know why in the House of Representa-
| tives in 1868 | opposed a tax on lumber,
and why | am now in favor of continu-
| ing the tariff on lumber Well, | sup
pose he has the Congressional Globe, for
he gives the page and the date; but if
he will read it again he will find that I
opposed an internal tax on lumber, and
that it had nothing whatever to do with
| the tariff tax on lumber except to make
| the tariff more effective. 1t was at the
! time we were taxing everything on &C
| count of the great debt, and maintained
| then, as l maintain now, that it was
unwise TO tax breadstuffs or to tax lum-
Der by an internal tax in the United
States, which added just that much to
the price Of it to every consumer. Now,
if he does not know the difference be-
tween an internal tax and tariff tax, |
will tell him. TCheers, cries OF He
don't know" and laughter Well, l
| will not say anything about that myself,
| but the jury Of the vicinage seems to be
against him. Laughter and cheers.
| The internal tax is one that does not
protect any American industry, but
takes just that much out of the industry.
1t is a tax which is levied IN this country
only in war times except on few arti
/ Giles. 1t is the same tax as the excise
which has been for generations so odous
q tax in Great Britain. It is the same
tax against which the people of the
United States came near rebelling during
| Washington's Administration. We are
| in better order now and we pay every
tax that is levied, but the United States,
in the judgment of the Republican par
ty, ought to raise all the money it needs
for support of government from the
tariff, because the tariff gives to the
American labOrer and gives to every in
dustrial interest in the United States q
great advantage over the same in foreign
| countries and aids in building up what
the United States possesses to-day be-
! yond any nation on the globe-a great
home market. / said | was opposed to
every tax except the tariff tax. ! make
no exception. am in favor of con-
tinuing the tax on whisky. except that
part which is used in the arts and in
medicine. A voice, 'Why?"l [ will
tell you why am in favor OF it as re-
ported in the new tariff till before Con-
gress. am in favor of it because l
think the tax tends to make it little
higher, and fewer can get it to drink.
/ Applause and laughter.
WHAT THE ISSUE IS.
That is my own reason, and the only
reason; for the drinking of liquor is a
| great vice; but in this election | do not
consider that great or a leading ques-
ton. 1t does not have feather S
weight in deciding that which the
American people must decide now for a
whole generation or lose for q whole
=, generation. There is contest going on
|, or the other for generation, because If
the protective tariff is lost in this cleo
ton let none of you who are careless
as to your votes fiatter yourselves that
| it may be caught up next year or the
year after You will not have an OPP
portunity for year upon year, and the
men of the South will secure. probably
forever, the ascendency of liberal com
: mercial principles. In this respect
and on this point we take Conceal Pierce
to be fair representative and C UGluGble
practical ally to the commercial policy of
this country.
That was the way in which the Times
hailed the announcement OF Pierce S
nomination. When it learned of his
election 1t was still more enthusiastic.
In it's issue of Nov. 20, 1852, it informed
its readers that:
The triumph of General Pierce is eS-
/, sentiallv q triumph of free trade. 1t puts
an end fOreUer to the attempt to raise the
import duties Of the tariff of 1916, and it
leads us to hope that new and more
enlightening spirit will prevail in the new
Cabinet with reference TO its commercial
relations with ourselves and the colonies
of the British Empire.
These words were written on the eve
Of the birth of a party that was to make
stout resistance to the pro- British
policy that the Times fattered itself had
obtained so decisive victory that it was
only matter of time when free trade
would be adopted by the United States.
. The question of negro slavery which had
, forced itself to the front of American
politics when Pierce was elected had
but a secondary interest for the London
Times as compared with the question OF
free trade.
The candidate the South had placed
in the Presidential chair was known to
favor free trade, and that was sufficient
, to make him acceptable to England. Hi;
election meant that American industries
were not to be encouraged by protect
i've tariff. and it was for that reason
] England rejoiced over the victory of the
free trade candidate of thirty-six years
ago.
IF the London Times would be as franz
to-day in the expression of its real senti
2 ments as it was in 1852 we should FIND
it adopting the same language in speak
ing of Grover Cleveland that it made
: use of in referring to Franklin Pierce
The same party that nominated anC
e elected Pierce has nominated Cleveland
If England had good reason to rejoice a
the election of the former she will have
a still greater reason for rejoicing i
Cleveland is successful at the polls mex
November-IriShW World.
RlSH.AMERicAN ASSISTANCE
: England Always Sympathized with tho