The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-09-22
HARRIsoN's LETTER.
He Paraphrases Cleveland's Utterances
: on the Tariff.

on the Yaflus
: The whisky Plank of the Platform Not
as To BE Enforccd at Present-Com-
s.S pletc Flop ON the Subject Of Chinese
Immigrati0n-Issuc Taken With
Blaine ON the Subject of Trusts.
INDLAyAPoL1s, lad, Sept. 1.-THE
following is Gen. Harrison's letter &C.
cePting the Republican presidential
nomination:
Hon. MN. Estee, and others, committee:
Gentlemen-When your committee visi-
ted me on the fourth Of July last and pre-
the OF
United States by the Republican conven-
ton. promised as soon as practicable to
communicates to you a moro formal accep-
tance Of the nomination. Since that time
the work of receiving and addressing, al
most daily, large delegations of my fellow
citizens has NOT only occupied all of my
unnecessary for me to use this letter rs a
medium of communicating to the public
my views upon the questions involved in
the conii9enso and " respect ma nHa BY
the convention and accept the nomination
with feeling Of gratitude and full sense
of the Responsibilities which accompany it.
1t is q matter of congratulation that the
declarations of tho Chicago Convention
upon the questions that now attract the
interest Of our people are SO clear: There is
further cause for congratulation in the fact
that the convention ntterances of the
Democratic party, ifin any degree uncertain
or contradictory, can now be judged and
sages, and by definite propositions in legis-
iation. This is especially true of what is
popularity known as
-slp THE TARIFF QUESTION.
The issue cannot now be obscured. It is
D I~.~AI
between wide apart principles. The
foreign competitors for our market
have with quick instinct seen how one
issue .. Of this &c contest may bring a; them
not so dali as to miss or neglect the grave
interests that are involved for them.
The assault upon our protective system
as unconstitutional in law, or rs vicious in
principle, and those who hold such views
sincerely cannot stop short OF an absolute
cipie Of protection. Tho Mills bill is only
step, but it is toward an object that the
8 leaders OF Democratic thought and legisla-
ton have clearly in mind. The important
question Is not SO much the length of the
step as the direction ofit. Judged by the
Executive message OF December last, by
tho Mills bill. by the debate in Congress
cratic party will. If supported by the
coun try, place the tariff upon purely
revenue basis. This is practically free
Lc0O0--lf00 TRADE Ill INC EInSllSn sense.
The legend upon the banner may not be
.ttFree Trade't-it may be the more obscure
motto ''Tarif Reforms" but Mother the
banner nor the inscription is conclusive,
or, indeed, very important. The assault
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 domestic Compel
ing articles Is enhanced to the amount of
To- .A~<f f-f-
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 COS: OF
tariff tax-may not intend to discredit in
the minds of others our system of levying
duties on competing foreign productions,
but it is clearly already discredited in their
own. Wo cannot doubt, without impugn-
ing their integrity, that, if free TO act upon
their convictions they would SO revise our
revenue upon articles that are not produce
cd In this country, and to place upon the
freelist all competing foreign products.
90 not stop TO Telo 1hs 'heSry as TO
advance it are students Of maxims, and
not OF the market. They may be safely al
lowed to call their project "tariT reform"
If the people understand in tho end
THE ARGUMENT coMPELs FREE TRADE
in all competing products. This end may
not be reached abruptly, and its approach
may be accompanied with some express
ions ofsympathy for our protected indus
tries and our working people, but it will
certainly come if these early steps do not
arouse tho people to effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that protec-
tive tariff is constitutional, wholesome and
necessary. We do not offer u fixed sche-
dule, but q principle. We will revise the
schedule, modify rates, but always with an
intelligent provision as to the effoct upon
domestic production and the wages of our
working people. We believe IL to DO ono OF
the worthy objects of tariff legislation to
preserve tho American market for Ameri-
can producers, and to maintain the Amori-
can scale of wages by adequate, discrimi.
mating duties upon foreign competing pro-
importations upon the public revenue is
contingent and doubtful, but not SO the
effect upon American production and
American wages. Less work and lower
wages must be accepted as tho inevitable
result of the increased offering of foreign
goods in our markets. BY way of recon-
pense for this reduction in his wages and
the loss of the American market, 1t is sug-
gested that the diminished wages OF the
Nottingham will have an undiminished
TO make up for the loss of the home market
by an enlarged foreign market. Our work
ingmen have the settlement of
THE QUESTION IN THEIR OWN HANDS.
They now obtain higher wages and live
more com Portable than those of any other
country. They will make choice between
the substantial advantages they have in
casts of those theorizing reformers. They
will decide for themselves and for the
country whether the protective system
shall be continued or destroyed.
The fact of q treasury surplus, the amount
of which is variously stated, has directed
vNsS1Nt to tfln N a consideration nj n