Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1890-10-30
BLAINE IN OHIO.

Buckeyes at Canton, Friday night, In
his usual vigorous style. Below we give
q portion Of his speech which will be
read with interest:
ssMr. Chairman and fellow citizens of
Ohio: The contest that is now waging
for membership in the next congress is
not properly contest between the re-
publican and democratic parties. It is
q contest between protectionists and free
traders. There are few free traders
among the republicans and many pro-
tectionists among the democrats. 1t is
contest that goes to the root OF the
matter as to national prosperity, and on
that issue we would settle the question
in favor of home interests, good wages
and sound prosperity. AS I was coming
out to this place found in newspaper
a speech of Carl Schurz, made a week
ago in Boston and, I may say in all can
dor, an able speech on the free trade
side, but like all free traders, Mr.. Schurz
goes back to the golden era of Ameri-
can prosperity-to the tariff Of 1916
rather distant view backward. I have
so often heard of the great and general
prosperity under the tariff Of 1S46 that
if you will bear with me 7 shall say
something of that period. Mr.. Schurz
quotes me as saying-and that is why I
make a personal reply-that the ten
years between 1846 and 1866 under that
tariff were years of very great prosperity
in this country. I frankly repeat that
those years were years of great prosper
ity. Now let me say why those years
were prosperous. That tariff of 1s46
was approved just about the time the
Mexican war broke out, and within less
than year more than $100,00O,000
were disbursed by the government in all
branches of mechanism. We had just
made that expenditure when the famine
in Ireland called for every surplus barrel
of -four and bushel of grain in the coun-
try. We had hardly transported that
grain to the other side and sold it at a
high price when gold was discovered in
California and the world was enriched
by the vast output of the mines. We
had hardly put the gold in circulation
when the great revolution that began in
1s48 paralized the industries of all
Europe and gave the United States a
market that was unparalleled. Europe
had hardly quoted the revolutionary
disturbance when France and England
and Russia went into the Crimean war
and for two years and half those great
nations were parslized in their industries.
Now, there are four or five of what you
might call accidents or incidents of his
tory that would have insured great pros
perity to this country il there had not
been tariff of any kind whatever. If
the duties, instead of being what the
tariff of 1846 made them had been only
l per cent ad valorem, or if there had
been no duties, the country would have
been prosperous. Now, if you can pro-
duce such convulsion in the world to-
day, if you can start great famine, if
you can discover new gold fields with
uncounted millions thrown into your
laps, if you can have every nation in
Europe disturbed by a revolution, if you
can have the three greatest nations in
Europe go to war for two years and a
half, then we will all quit talking tariff
and go to supplying the vacuum which
that condition of things would create.
In the fall of 1856, when this tariff had
been under way for ten years, this great
war in Europe came to an end, and SO
did all prosperity and SO did the tariff Of
1846. You all remember what happened
in 1857-one of the severest panics and
depressions this country has ever en-.
countered-and as long as these acct
dental props, these fortuitous happen.
ings, these accidental revolutions, dis.
coveries of gold, famine-as soon as they
ceased the prosperity under the tariff OF
1846 ceased also. Now I insist that VIC
do not want famines; we do not want
revolutions; we do not want thousands
OF men slaughtered by war in order to
keep up free trade tariff and make il
look prosperous when it isn't. Give us
protective tariff and we can get along
without the slaughter or starvation Of
men. We can make ourselves sustain.
ing with something beyond for people
that need help from our abundance, and
in connection with the tariff of 1S46
call your attention historically to two
other tariffs in addition to that. The
only three tariffs the United States ever
had which suddenly lowered duties was
the one after the war of 1912, the com.
promise tariff of 1888 and the one Of
1846, and every one of them led to bust,
ness prostration in this country which
lasted in greater or less degree until
there was protective tariff inaugurated
You never heard of free trade tariff
coming to the relief of the people. The
only three times that the United States