Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1889-04-11

medical department of the army. There
was foreign bid and there was an Ameri-
can bid; the foreign bid was for -four
pound blanket for medical purposes to be
furnished for s2.26 For the same -four
pound blanket for the same purpose the
American bid was 50 Sc There was diff
ference of 80 cents between the bids l.
there any true American in this country
who would recommend giving such con.
tract to foreign manufacturer for The
sake of saving thirty cents on pair of
hlanketsthus taking away from the Ameri-
can manufacturer, the American farmer and
the American laborer that much business
However that may be the contract did .,
abroad, the Democratic Secretary of War
gave the contract to an English house Eng
lish labor and foreign wool made the two
thousand blankets for the use Of our army
and they came in without paving any duty
The Government took advantage of tn,
law that stands on our statute books and
admitted them free OF duty; there being 50
little cash in The treasury. three hundred
millions. 1t was necessary to save every
penny, 50 they took advantage OF the law
that permits the United States to bring in
goods duty free. The duty on such quail
~ of blankets is eighteen ceuts a pound
and 35 per centad valorcm Thus the duty
on 20o0 blankets. If it had been paid,
would have been e3.0l6.+0; the cost Of the
blankets duty free was Si5O4 the Ameri-
can price was s., l2N, 5000 more than the
English price. This transaction is ,imi-
lar one 10 the Post Master General. open
ng bids To foreign steamship companies
for carrying the American mail. How dii-
fcrcnt i, this method OF our Government
from that OF England,
| want to rcauinatc American and not
English industries. | want to ~rc TIE
American workman better paid. better
clothed, better housed, better fed and bet
ter educated than English slaves are or can
be; want to see him in his happy home a,
his picntcou~ table with smiling wife, his
children returning not from factories, but
from schools, awaiting his coming from
honorable aud paving toll | want to >cy
II" national free trade drgc sounded
throughout the land want 10 see no de
graded standard Of national morals Ike
that which cheap labor and free trade are
certain Up produce; | want to scc no streets
hlcd with idtr laborrr~ 10 homes ml>era-
bic, no starving children. IN short want
- see No free trade famine nor pcstilencc
in America, hut everywhere the eve can be
hold, the American workman pursuing his
c"ur>e with upright, erect ana elastic step
Ihi~ can ouy ~ done ~ protecting his
labor When Ne deprive him OF that pro-
lection. he soon ceases To be useful Ctl-
zen, the standard Of morals soon becomes
lowered and hc degenerate, from an cleya-
tinn Of usefulness to the lowest level
known among human beings ana soon be.
nifty. To elevate the standard Of morals
people must have knowledge. knowledge
ami poverty arr a. opposite a. vice and
virtue one cnlightcn~, iluminatc- aul
in>'ruct~. while thc other drgradr> and hu.
initiates
Deprive America Of protection and She
j. America no longer; keep her under the
protective ) >trin. ami we win surprise the
world with our prodigiou- advancement.
Absolute freedom ~ exchange within our
own borders ani among our own people j.
the law OF the republic. Reasonable tax
alton and restraint upon those without are
the dictates Of enlightened patriotism. and
the doctrine Of thr Republican party Can
there be found ID history another party who
has carried nation Of exhausted finance
and ruined credit. wherc onc->cvcuth of the
Whole population we're slaves, through the
storms of a four wears ciyil war, u r~pr-
1an;zcd ana reconstructed states establish
in2 the nations credit developing IL nAtur-
Al resources, and iuaugurating an age Of
prosperity equal to that enjoyed by the
nited States: the history of party or
government dos not furnish A parallel to
the success, Of America FOR the last quar-
ter Of a century. Truly yours.
JoHS W. KANE,
Zanzibar Island East Africa, Jan. 81,
1889