Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-09-06
BLAINES GREAT SPEECH.

Secretary Blaine's speech at
Waterville cannot be pleasant read.
ing to the freetraders. 1t is q per.
fectly clear statement of his position
with regard to the great economic
question of the day, and is about as
far removed from free trade as gold
from iron pyrites. He glories in
protection. 1t has made the country
great and strong and rich, and has
enabled the government to offer
reciprocity to the nations to the
south OF us which want our manu-
features and can give us their pro-
ducts in retarn. He would relieve
the American people of the burden
some duty on sugar, with which pro
lection has really nothing to do, pro
yided the nations which furnish the
sugar and have no manufactures to
compete with ours will admit the
latter free OF duty. Protection is
not name or shibboleth with him,
but an economical policy, thorough.
" practical in character, to protect
the United States against the pau
per made goods of the Old World,
and to keep the wages of the Amer
lean workingman at living figure
such Il figure as will allow him to
live like an American aud not like
brute, as many do in Europe.
OF course, such policy is inap-
plicable to countries which have no
manufactures, as any intelligent per.
son, except rabid free trader, can
see. For many years-in short, ever
since it has been practically demon
strated that high duties do not en-.
courage the production of sugar in
this country, the tax on the article
has been for revenue only, and it is
very burdensome tax, as has been
often pointed out before. There is
no reason IN the world why it should
not be removed, especially ifthereby
the countries which produce it will
enter into an agreement for a reel
procal exchange of products. The
figures quoted by Mr.. Blaine are con.
elusive. Our trade with other foreign
countries in 1889 brought us in gold
a surplus of S129, 100000, which was
swallowed up by the deficiency in
trade with the nations to the south
of us With countries where manu-
features exist and a protective tariff
is a genuine protection, we have sue.
cessfully competed, but with coun.
tries where there are no mdnufac.
lures heavy duties have thrown the
balance on the wrong side of the
ledger.
Mr.. Blaine is a statesman, and
knows that any practical govern
mental policy must be elastic and
subject to change. The United States
has followed a protective policy
steadily for thirty years with the
most gratifying results, as Mr.. Blaine
points out. During that time there
have been many changes of details,
some for the better and some for the
worse. Mistakes have been made
by both parties, and the part of
statesman is to reetify those mis-
takes, and not to be wasting words
on iron. bound theories which have
no place in practical government.
If we could manufacture goods
cheaper and better than any other
country, then would protection be
folly but so long as the conditions
Of European civilization remain as
now, free trade must continue to be
chimera.
If at any time reciprocal arrange.
ments can be made with regard to
particular products, 1t many be good
policy to make them, but they can
never be made BY party which,
like the Democrats, clings to empty
phrases, and ignores facts as plain
as the horns on Texas steers head.
American.