Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-30
BLAINE UP IN MAINE.
He Makes a Rousing Speech
at Waterville.
A Dissertation on Reciprocity
in Trade.
He Says the War Tariff Was and Is
Good Thing.
Congressman Mason, Henry Cabot Lodge
and Others Follow the Illustrious
Plumed Knight.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches
WATERvILLE, Maine, August pa
public mass meeting was held to night,
and after Governor Burleigh had spoken,
President Small, of Colby university in
troduced the leader of the Republican
party and the famous advocate of the
interesting and progressive protective
tariff Hon. James G. Blaine. In re-
gard to national questions, Blaine said:
81 wish to declare the opinion that the
United States has reached the point
where one of it's highest duties is to en-
large the area of its foreign trade. Under
the benefcent policy of protection
we have developed volume
of manufactures which in many
departments overruns the demands
of the home market. In the fields of
agriculture, with the immense propul-
sion given it by the improved agricul-
tural implements, we can do far more
than produce breadstuffs and provisions
for our own people, nor would it be am
bilious for so great country as ours to
manufacture only what we can consume,
or produce only what we can eat. We
are already, in many fabrics and in many
products, far beyond that, and our great
demand is expansion. | mean ex-
pansion of trade with countries
changes. We are not seeking the annex
alton Of territory. Certainly, we do not
desire it unless it should come by the
violation of the people, who might ask
the priceless boon of place under the
flag of the union. l feel sure that for a
long time to come the people of the
United States will be wisely content
with our present area, and will not
launch upon any scheme of annexation.
At the same time, think we should be
unwisely content if we did not seek toen-
gage in what younger Pitt so we'll termed
annexation OF trade. For nearly thirty
years now the United States has had
the great advantage of a protective
tariff-a by far longer unbroken period
than it's industrial policy had been in
force since the federal government was
organized. Happily the great majority
of our people, without strict regard to
party lines, believe the results to the
American people from the protective
policy have been ofincalculable benefits
aggregating in a quarter of century,
a national and individual wealth, be-
yond anything ever dreamed of before
in the history OF the world.
81 do not mention protection because l
intend to speak in reference thereto be-
fore this audience. That would be
needless, if not an impertinent effort.
merely wish to proclaim its victories.
Without protection the United States
would have been poor indeed after the
ravages Of the war from 1861 to 1865;
with protection every section has
flourished and prospered,' grown
and gained. Even where rev.
enue duties have been laid
with no expectation of developing
Industries, there have in many instances
been great financial and industrial re-
suits. The heavy duty on silk was lev
led primarily, not for protection, but
simply to secure larger revenue from
one of the luxuries OF the rich, but as
consequence the silk industry has in
of the leading fabrics of New Jersey, one
of the largest manufacturing states in
the union,
''I could readily advance other illus
trations to the same effect, but as 1 have
already intimated 1 am here to speak of
the expansion of foreign trade, not by
any novel process, not bv
any mode that will shock our
disturbed home industries, not by any
mode that will invite our people to rash
experiments, or that will launch in
doubtful or dangerous investments.
What l mean to speak of, briefly, is a
system of reciprocity, not in conflict
with the protective tariff, but supple
mentary thereto and presenting a field
of enterprise, that will richly repay the
effort and energy OF the American
people.
"We shall find it instructive and valu-
able to examine into the sources of our
imports and distribution of our exports,
and to strike balance between the two.
Take last year, 1889. In that year our
whole exports to all countries in the
three continents, Europe, Asia and
Africa, and Australia, Canada and Ha-
waii, amounted in round numbers to
$65S, 100000, and our imports from all
those countries amounted in round
numbers to $4,000, 900, showing
that from that vast trade we
had balance of $780, 100000 in our
favor, equivalent to that amount of
gold among our people. But when all
the accounts are closed, instead of hav-
ing $129 9,OOO 900 in our favor, we had a
balance of $13,000,O00 against our for
eign trade. We must, therefore, have
lost $142, ,000, 900 in our commerce with
countries outside of these to which 1
have referred Where could have been
found such large adverse balance =?
Let me tell you. We lost $41 ,000,O 900 in
Cuba, from which our imports were
$4,000, 900, and to which our exports
were only $11 100000. Forty one
million dollars is a pretty large sum to
lose in one island, in a single year. In
the republic OF Brazil we left $5l 900, 600.
Our exports to Brazil were $4,000, 900.
In Mexico we lost $l0,000.000. Our i'm
ports from Mexico were $2l 900, 900 /;
our exports to Mexico, $l1 100000.
"To sum it all up, our imports from
the countries south of us were $2l6, 6,O0O,-
600; our exports to them were $74 ,OO0,-
600. The balance against us in our trade
with these countries, therefore, is $l42,-
100000, exceeding our gains from adj the
rest Of the world by $13,0O0,000. BY no
figure of speech can we tlatter ourselves