, 1890-09-04
MR.. BLAINE EXPLAINS
An Able Presentation of the
Situation.
THE BENEFITS OF PROTECTION
F'roo Trade Not Essential to Rec
iprocity-Ar by
Facts and Figures.

President Small, OF Colby university, in
Y ,troduced "the leader of the republican
party and famous advocate of an inter-
ssting and progressive protective tariff,
Hon. james G. Blaine" In regard to
~ national questions, Mr.. Blaine said: III
wish TO declare tho opinion that the
United States has reached the point
where ono of It's highest duties is to
enlarge tho area of its foreign trade.
Under the benetlcent policy of protection
we have developed volume Of manu-
factures which, in many d apartments,
overrun the demands of the home
market. In the field of agriculture,
with the immense propulsion given 1t by
agricultural implements, we can do fur
more than prod uce brcadstutfs and pro-
visions for our own people, nor would 1t
be an ambitious destiny for so great u
country as ours to manufacture only
what we can consume and produce only
what we can eat. We are already In
many fabrices and in many proiucts fur
beyond that, and our great demand is
expansion. | mean an expansion of
trade with countries where we can find
profitable changes.
1--WE are not seeking auction territory.
Certainly we do not desire it, unless It
should come by tho volition of the peo-
4 pie who might ask the priceless boon Of
place under the flag of the Union. l
feel sure that for 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 to engage in what the younger
Pitt so well termed annexation trade.
For nearly thirty years now
the United States has had the great
advantage OF the protective tariff, and
its industrial policy has been enforced
since the federal government was or
ganized. Happily. the great majority
OF our people, without strict regard to
party lines, believe that the results to
the American people from the protec-
tive policy have been OF incalculable
II benefit. creating In quarter of u CEN
u tury national and individual wealth
y beyond anything ever dreamed of in
II history.
'In word, do not mention protec-
tion because l intend to speak with
reference thereto before this audience.
That would be a needless, il not an i'm
II pertinent effort. | merely wish to pro-
the United States would have been poor,
indeed. After the ravages of the war
from 1861 to 1865, with protection every
section has tiourshed and prospered,
grown and gained. Even where revenue
duties have been laid with no expecta-
ton OF developing industries, there have
in many instances been great financial
and industrial results. The heavy duty
OH silk was levied primarily not for
protection but simply " secure large
revenue from one of the luxuries of the
rich, but as n consequence the silk
industry increased SO rupidly that il
now constitutes one of the leading
fabrics of New Jersey, one of tho largest
manufacturing states in the union.
III could readily advance other illus
trations to the same effect, but, as
have already intimated, | am here to
speak of the expansion of our foreign
trade, not by any novel process. not by
any mode that will shock or disturb
home industries, not by any mode that
Will invite our people to rash expert
ments, or that will launch us in doubt
ful and dangerous investments. What
mean to speak of briefly is q system Of
\ reciprocity not in conflict with the pro-
teotive tariff but supplementary thereto,
Md presenting field of enterprise that
will richly repay the efforts and energy
IN OF the American people. We
shall find 1t instructive and
valuable to examine into the sources of
our imports, and the destination of our
exports and to strike the balance be-
tween the two. Take the last year,
1883. In that year our whole exports to
all the countries in the continents of
Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia,
Canada and Hawaii amounted in round
numbers to $05S, 600, 900, and our imports
from all those countries amounted in
round numbers to $529, 600, 900, showing
that from that vast trade we had a bal
nnce of $l2o, ,OOO, 900 in our favor, equiva-
lent TO that amount OF gold to our peo-
pie, but when the accounts were
closed, instead OF having sl29, 900, 600 In
our favor We had a balance of $I3, 600 =
Ooo against us from our foreign trade.
we must, there fore, have lost yl42, ,0OO,- =
wv in our commerce with the countries
outside Of those to which have referred.
Where could we have found such u large
adverse baiance2 Let me tell you. We
lost $4i .OOO.0 900 in Cuba, from which the
Imports were So, 900, 600 and to which
our exports were only $iI, 600 OOO.
Forty-ono millions is pretty large sum
TO lose in one island In a single year.
In the republic of Brazil We
left SOL, 100000. Our exports
n Brazil wero $0,OOO,OOO In
Mexioo we lost $40. .000, 600 The imports
rom Mexico were S2i 900, 600 and the ex-
ports to Mexico 81 ll,O00,OOO. To sum 1t
all up, our imports from the countries
south of us were $2l6, 900, 700 and our OK.
ports to them were S74, 900, 900. The bal
ahce against us In our trade with these
countries, therefore, was $I42, 600 900,
exceeding our gains from ali the rest Of
the world by $l3, coo, 900.
By no figure of speech can VIC Aatter
ourselves INTO the belief that our trade
with our American height bors Is In a
prosperous condition. How con this
state OF affairs be remedied? You
nave heard great deal said
WITHIN the past ten years by our
u.emocrntic friends about the iniquity OF
,ne republican party keeping up the war
.arin' AS matter of fact, the war
Mrin has not been kept but has been
hinended over and over again until the
Tvision OF 1888 left scarcely trace of
the actual tariff that was in operation at
y VIC close OF the war, and for few years
aterward. During the war we were
compelled to tax almost everything in
tne air, in the water, on the earth and
under the earth. The necessities of the
government were 30 great that we could
miow scarcely anything to be imported
mi.nout paying tribute, and think no