Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-07
BLAINE BLOWS HIS BAz00,
The Maine Oracle on the Is
sues Of the Campaign.
He Writes a Letter in Lieu OF
Taking the Stump.
Great Credit Due to Himself for the
Reciprocity Policy.
He Seems to Agree With Harrison on
That Point-TarifY and Currency
the Lines the Republicans
MI

By the Associated Press.1
AUGUSTA, Me-, Sept. 6.-The follow
ing letter from Hon. James g. Blaine te
Chairman Manley, of the Republican
state committee, was made public to-
day:
BAR HARBoR, Me-, Sept. 8, 1892.
Hon. JOS. H. Manley, Chairman, etc., Angus
ia, Me-
My DEAR SrR-Not being able, fol-
reasons which explained to you, to de.
liver public speeches in the present
campaign, take the liberty of submit
ting my views on the issues which re.
gard as being the strongest for the Re-
publicans to urge before the people.
First-The issue OF the greatest conse'
quence is the tariff on imports. and il
will continue to be until settlement Is
effected by majority go large that it
will be tantamount to general acqui.
escence. The Republicans are aggress.
i've on this subject. Two years ago they
passed general enactment known as
the Mckinley tariff, which for time
failed to meet with popular approval,
and was regarded with certain degree
held the protective system. But pow
ClAul lCdCbiOn Edb COl4O III consequence
of the vindication of the Mckinley
have worked admirably, and within the
past year produced greater volume of
business, internal and external, export
and import, than the United States
ever transacted before. Notwithstand-
ing the character and extent of the op-
position to it, agriculture is remunera-
fsro fo "a, I'D
commerce is more fourishing than at
Mckinley tariff by an impressive and
undeniable series Of facts.
Against this tariff the Democratic
out parallel in the history of the
country. They reject entirely the doc.
trine of protection; pronounce it a
fraud. and anathematize it generally. A
resolution to this effect was adopted by
the Democratic convention against the
report of the committee on resolutions
| by two.thirds vote, thus maniiestine
| the intelligent participation of every
man IN the convention. Some times Q
resolution may be adopted in haste OF
| just as convention is adiourning, and
may thus fail to receive the attention ol
| the members. But this resolution was
debated pro and con, adopted after a
contest, and perfectly understood by the
| members of the convention. 1t con.
| tanned these words:
"We denounce the Republican pro.
| lection as fraud upon the labor of the
great majority of the American people
for the benefit of few. We declare it
a fundamental principle of the Demo
cratic party that the federal government
has no constitutional power to impose
and collect tariff duties except tor reve.
nue. only. We demand that the collec.
tion of such taxes be limited to the ne
cessit;es Of the government when hon.
estly and economically administered"
| Ifanyone will take the trouble to read
the resolutions by which Mr.. Calhoun
sought to defend his notification
scheme, in 1888, he will find the tariff
| platform of the Democratic party in
general harmony Herewith; and if he
examines the subject further, he will
discover that the duties in the compro-
mise tariff which reconciled Mr.. Cal.
houn, and appeased his angry followers
| in South Carolina, were'of more COM
| prehensive character than those con-
| templated in the Democratic platform
of 1892.
The Democrats are in the habit oi
naming Jefferson as the founder OF theil
party; and yet, on the subject of the
tariff, they are in radical opposition tc
the principles laid down by Jefferson
| Toward the close of his administration
revenue from tariff on imports produced
a considerable surplus, and the quea
tion was as to what should be done.
Should the tariff be reduced, or should
this surplus be maintained? Jefferson
pointedly asked: "Shall we suppress
imposts and give that advantage to for
| eign over domestic manufactures ?" Fol
himself he recommended that "imposts
be maintained, and the surplus created
should be appropriated to the improve
ment of roads, canals, rivere, and edu
cation"
/ II the constitution did not give suf
ficient power to warrant these appro
priations, Jefferson went 30 far as tx
recommend that it be amended.
This presents the strongest condition
OF affairs upon which protective tarif
can be justified, and Jefferson did no
hesitate to recommend it. The Demo
Gratis of the present day, it ia needless tt
say, are in direct opposition to th
policy which Jefferson thus outlined ant
adhered to.
| Second, when the principle OF recipro
cal trade was first proposed being intro
duced into the tariff system, the Demo
Gratis showed most generous apprecia
tion of the question. and gave it thei
support, SO long as the Republicans re
fused to accept it, but when the Repub
licans came to approve of it, Demo
cratic support vanished, and instead 9
favoring, we find the Democratic ma
tional convention passing resolution
hoctile to the system.
But in spite of Democratic opposition
we attained, through reciprocity, me-
and valuable trade, and the system ha
demonstrated its many advantages. W
were about to declare sugar, molassel
coffee and hides free of all duties in th
Mckinley bill, but instead of that W
passed law by which we asked the se'
eral nations interested what they woul
give to have those articles made fre'
We found that the privileges which "
were about to give, without cost an
without charge, would secure large trat
in Brazil, in Cuba and Porto Rico,
the Windward and Leeward islands,