Evening journal., 1888-09-12

tinn That the Chicago Tarin neclarn.
tions Were 50 Clear ana Piain-How
the surplus Can BE Made a blessing
His Views ON chinese Exclusion, Free
dom of the ballot. Admission Of Terri
tories, Pensions. Trusts ami the Fisher.
les nimcuity-He Especially Commend.
the Temperance rlnni, and Heartily In-
dorses the Entire Chicago Platform.
INDIANAPOLIS, sept l2Following {, /
Gen Hairisous letter ot acceptance.
lNpIANAPOLIs Sept, n, lsss
Hon. NJ. NJ. Estoe and others, committee I
etc:
GEgTLEMEH--Whe ben your committee visited
me on the Fourth Of July last and presented
the official announcement of my nomination
for the presidency of the United States by
the Republican convention | promised al
soon as practicable 10 communicate to you a
more formal acceptance Of the nomination
Since that the work OF receiving and address
ing almost daily, large delegations OF my
fellow citizens has not only occupied all of
my time, but hns in some measure rendered
IL unnecessary for me 20 use this letter as o
medium Of communication TO the public my
views ON the question: involved in the cam
paign.
appreciate very highly the confidence and
respect manifested by tho convention, and nc
cept the nomination with feeling oi graft
tude and fun san,s Of tho Isssponsibilties
which accompany e.
IL is q matter Of cungratulation that thl
declarations of the Chicago convention upon
the questions that now attract the interest of
our paoplo are 80 clear and emphatic
There Is further cnusn OF congratuRtion in
the fact that the convention uttmnncc. of the
Democratic party, II In amy degree uncertain
or contradictory, can now bu judged and in
terpreted by executive acts and messages ana
by definite propositions ia legislation.
This is especially true OF what Is popularity
known as the tariff question The issue can
not now be obscured. IL u not a contest he
tween schedules, but between wide apart
principles The foreign competitors for ouI
market have. with quick instinct, seen how
one Issue Of this contest may bring them ad.
/ vantage and cur own people are not SO duh
as to miss Or neglect the grave interests that
nre involved for Them
The assault upon our protective system il
! open and defiant Protection Is nssailed ~
/ unconstitutional in law or as vicious in prin-
/ ciple and those who hold such views sincerely
cannot stop short 81 an absolute elimination
/ from our tariff laws of the principle Of pro
/ tecliou. The Mills bill is only a step, but il
I j. toward an object that the leaders of Demo
| cratic thought and legislation have clearly
1 in mind. The important question Is not ao
much the length of the step as the direction oi
/ it, Judged by the executive message Of De
/ cember last, by the Mills bin, by the debate,
4 in congress aud by the ST. Louis platform
1 the Democratic party will, if supported by
4 the country. place the tariff laws upon
purely revenue basis This is practical free
/ trade-free trade in the English sense The
4 legend upon the banner may not he "FVg
/ TInde;n IL may be the more obscure motto
Tariff Reforms" but neither the banner noi
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 do.
nestle competing article is enhanced 70 tho
amount Of the duty on the imported article
that every million Of dollars collected for
customs 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 intend to disCRedit in the minds of
others our system of levying duties on com
peting foreign products, but il is clearly al
ready discrodited in their own. We cannot
doubt, without impugning their integrity
that IL free 20 net upon their convictions they
would 30 revise our laws as 10 lay the burden
Of the customs revenue upon articles that are
not produced in this country, and u place
upon the free list all composing foreign
products. I do not stop to refute this theory
as to the effect Of our tariff duties Thoas
who advance it are students Of maxims and
not Of the markets.
They may be safely allowed 70 call their
project tariff REFORM if the people under
stand that in the 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 ex
pressions of sympathy for our protected in
dustries and our working people, but it vii
certainly come il these early steps do not
arouse the people 70 effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that protect
i've tariff is constitutional, wholesome and
necessary We do not offer a fixed schedule
but principle We viii revise the schedule
modify rates, but always with an intelligent
provision as to the effect upon domestic pro
duction and the wages Of our working people
We believe it 10 be one OF the worthy objects
OF tariff legislation to preserve the American
market for American producers and 20 main
tain the American scale of wages by adequate
discriminating duties upon foreign competing
products The effect Of lower rates and
larger nnportations upon the public revenue
is contingent and doubtful, but not so the
effect upon American production and Ameri
can wages. Less work and lower wages must
De accepted as the inevitable result of the in
creased Offering of foreign goods in our mar
ket. Bywayo of recompense for this reduction
i'm his wogos and the loss of the American
market it is suggested that tile diminished
wages Of the workingman win have an I'm
diminished purchasing power, and that he
win he able 60 make up for the loss Of the
home market by an enlarged foreign market.
Our workingnen viii have the settlement
Of the question in their own hands. They
now obtain higher wages and live more com
foIfahiy than those of any other country.
They win make choice between the substantial
advantages they have in hand and the decep-
} tive promises and forecasts Of these theorizing
reiJrmcrs They viii decide for themselves
and for the country whether the protective
system shall be continued or destroyed.
Iha fact Of treasury surplus, the amount
Of which is variously stated, has directed
public attention to consideration Of the