Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-09-19
HARRISON ACCEPTS IT.
A Model, Letter from the Repub-
Ecan Candidate.
THE VIEWS OF A STATESMAN.
Advocates of Free Trade Called Students
OF Maxims, Not of Markets-Oppo- :
sition to Alien Paupers, CHI $
nese, Trusts and PEN -
sion Vetoes.

RepuDucan nOmlnat1On Tor the preSl-
dency was made public to-day. Il is as
follows:
The Hon. M. II Estee and Others, Committee
GENTLEMEN: When your committee visited
me on the 4th of July last, and presented the Of
fetal announcement of my nomination for the
presidency of the United States by the Republic
an convention, promised as soon practica-
Die, TO communicate TO you a more formal &C
ceptance of the nonssasaftion. Since that time
the worG of receiving and addressing. almost
daily, large delegations OF my fellow citizens.
has not only occupied all of my time, but has in
some measure rendered ii necessary tor me to
use this letter as q medium of communicating to
the public my views upon the questions involved
IN the campaign. / appreciate very highly the
confidence and respect manifested ny the con-
yentIon and accept the nomination with feel
ing or gratitude and full sense of the RESPONSE
billtes which accompany it.
1t is matter of congi atulation that the declar-
atlons OF the Chicago convention upon the
questions that now attract the interest
OF our people. are so clear and en-
phatie. There Is further cause of con-
graduation in the fact that the convention utter
ances OF the Democratic party. Ii in any degree
uncertain or contradictory, can now be judged
ana interpreted by executive acts and messages.
and by definite propositions i'll legislation. This
is especially true of what is popularity known as
the tariff question. The issue cannot now be OBJ
scureG. 1t is not contest between schedules,
out between Wlde-apart principles The foreign
competitors of our MARKET have. with quick in
stinct, seen how Issue of this contest may
bring them advantage, and our own people
not so dull as to miss or neglect the grave inter-
ests that are involved for them. The
ASSAULT UPON OUR PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
Is open and defiant. Protection is assaulted as
unconstitutional in law, or as vicious in princi-
pie, and those who hold such views sincerely
cannot stop short OF an absolute elimination
from our tariff laws of the principle of protection.
The Mus biu is only u step but 1t is toudrd OBJ
1ect that the leaders Of Democratic thought and legs
Iatio7a hare clearly an mind.
The important question is not so much the
Length OF the step as the direction of it judged
oy the executive message of December last, by
the Mills bill, by the debate in Congress, and by
the 81 Louis platform. The Democratic party
WALL, IT supported by the country place the tariff
laws upon purely revenue basis. This is prac-
teal Tee trade free trade in the English
The legend upon the banner may not be Free
Trade; it may be the more obscure motto
lariIf 10 oEm'" but neither the banner nor the
inscription Is conclusive, or. indeed, very i'm
portant The assault itself Is the important
fact
Those who teach that the import duty mon
foreign goods sold IN our market is paid by the
consumer and that the price of the domestic
competing article is enhanced to the amount of
the duty upon imported articles-that every
million o. dollars collected for customs duties
represents many millions more which do not
reach the treasury. but are paid by citizens
rs the increased cost of domestic productions
resulting from the tariff laws--may not intend to
dIscredIt IN the minds of others our system of
levy1ng duties on competing foreign products,
but it is clearly already discredited in their own
We cannot doubt without impugning their in
fegrlty, that if free to act upon their convictions
den OF the customs revenue pom artic es that are
not produced IN this country, and to place upon
the Tree list al competing foreign products.
90 not stop 10 refute this theory as to the eff
feet or eur tariff duties Those who advance it
are students OF maxims and not OF the markets.
They may be safely allowed to call their prof.
ect tariff reiorm,'' If the people understand
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-
press1o9s ofsympathy for our protected indus
tries aud our working people, but it will certain.
y come If these early steps do not arouse the
people to effective resistance
Inc Republican party holds that protective
tariff IS constitutional, wholesome and neces-
-sary- Ae do not offer a fixed schedule, but a
principle We will revise the schedule, modify
rates, hut always with an intelligent provision
as 70 lae '',ect upon domestic production and the
WAGES 81 our working people. We believe it 70
be one Of the worthy objects OF tariff legislation
to preserve the American market for American
producers. and to maintain the American scale
OF WAGES, by adequately discriminating duties
upon for. Ign competing products The effect of
lower rates and larger importations on the pub
Tic revenue IS contingent aud doubtful. but not
so the eject upon American production and
American wages.
Les work AID lover wages must be accepted
as The inevitable result of the increased offering
OF foreign goods in our markets BY way of rec
ompens for this reduction in his wages and the
loss OF the American market 1t Is suggested
that the dilnini he'd wages of the workingman
will have an undiminished purchasing power,
and TINT he will be able to make up for the loss
or the home market by an enlarged foreign mar
ket. Cur workingmen have the settlement of
the question in their own hands. They now OBJ
fatn b'gher wages and
LIVE MORE COMFORTABLY
than those Oh any other country. They will
make cnoice between the substantial advantages
they nave in hand, and the deceptive promises
and forecasts of these theorizing reformers.
They viii decide for themselves and for the coun-
try whether The protective system shall be con-
f1nued CT destroyed.
The tsct OF a treasury surplus, the amount of
w1ie@ i yaronsly stated has directed public at
eentloa 10 consideration of the methods by
which the national income may best be reduced
TO the level of wise and necessary expenditure.
This condition has been seized upon by those
who are hostile to protective custom duties
advanta geous basis of attack upon our tariff
laws. They have magnifed and nursed the sur
plus which they affect to deprecate. seemingly
for the purpose of exaegerating the evil in order
60 r.econc1le the people TO the extreme remedy
they propose. A proper reduction of the revenue
does net necessitale and should not suggest the
Aband nnent or Impairment OF the protective
gysteRs. The methods suggested by our conven-
4ion Ii not need 10 be exhausted in order to
effect the necessary reduction. We not like
dy to he called upon, think, to make present
choice between the surrender OF our protective
system aud the entire repeal of the internal
taxes. Such contingency, in view of the pres
ent relation of expenditures to revenues, is re-
mote. The inspection and regulation of the
manu- secure and sale OF oleomargarine is i'm
portain and the revenue derived from it is not so
great that the repeG o. the law need enter into
any PIN OF revenue reduction.
The sur plus in the treasury should be
ICES this Of it, and Il it is not needed for cur
rent deficiency appropriations the people, and
not the banks in which it has been deposited,
should have the advantage of It's use by stop
ping interest upon the public debt. At least
those vino needlessly hoard it should not be al
lowed to use their fear OF monetary str1ngency.
thus produced. to coerce public sentiment upon
other questions.
Closely connected with the subject OF the
tariff is that of the importation of foreign labor
ers under contracts of service to be performed
here The law now in force prohibiting such
contracts received nay cordial support in the
Eenate, and such amendments as may be found
necessary effectively TO deliver our workingmen
and women from this most inequitable form Of
conn petition 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 il the system OF protective dutlesls brok-
en down If the products OF American shops
mus compete in the American market without
favoring duties with the products of cheap
foreign labor the effect will be different II at all.
only IN degree, whether the cheap laborer is
across the street or over the sea. Such compet1-
tion viii soon reduce wages here to the level Of
those abroad. and when that condition Is
reached We will not need any laws bTbldding
the imporat OF laborers under contract; they
will have DO lnducement to come, and the en-