Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-09-07
President HarrisoRs letter Of Accept
anfn


The long-delayed letter of accept
ance of President Harrison has appear
ed and was published in the papers of
yesterday 1t is quite long and would
occupy about Z columns of this paper
We give the editorial summary of the
Bait. Sun as follows
| Mr. Harrison insists upon the merit
of the policy af developing shipping
industry by means of bounties to ship
owners from the federal treasury.
Though protectionist, he accepts,
with warm approval, the measure of
free trade embodied in Mr., Blaine's
policy of reciprocity. He finds that
the partial removal of trade restrictions
secured by reciprocity treaties with
certain countries has been followed by
decided increase of our trade with
those countries, and he congratulates
the country upon it as a good thing.
The larger abatement of trade res
trictions proposed in the democratic
platform is not, however, in his view,
a good thing. On the contrary, he is
heartily in favor of the almost probib-
tive restrictions of the Mckinley act.
He dwells upon the alleged effect of
protection in increasing wages, and de-
clares the democratic doctrine that
tariffs should be for revenue only to
be un-American. He considers tariff
reform "a challenge to the protected
industries to fight of determination,
and suggests that democrats content
with incidental protection" should
become republicans. The report of
the Senate committee engaged in i'll
vestigating the effect of the. Mckinley
act is quoted to show that wages have
advanced three-fourths of cent on
the dollar, that the price of cereals has
advanced 80 cents on the dollar, and
that the prices of other articles of COM
mon necessity have been greatly reduc-
ed. The fact that the short crop
abroad increased the price of cereals is
not referred to, nor the fact that the
Senate committees report has been
understood very differently by some
readers as respects both wages and
prices. The tin-plate industry, the
President insists, is now thoroughly
established, thanks to the great in
crease of the duty on imported tin
plate. Pearl buttons, on which the |
Mckinley act put a duty of some 400
per cent, are cited as an example of |
what protection can do in the way of |
creating an industry. As for the strikes |
of recent date and their bearing upon
the question of high wages, the Presi-
dent says no intelligent protectionist |
has ever claimed that protective tar
if is able of itself to maintain uni
upon the fluctuations, he says, in the |
supply of and demand for the prod
ucts of labor. But it is protection, he
thinks, that keeps wages higher here
than in Europe in the unprotected as
well as in the protected industries.
Upon the silver question the President
follows the doctrine of the democratic
rather than of the republican platform
He is for a silver dollar of equal intrin-
sic and eXchangeable value with the
gold dollar. and against the free coin
age of the silver dollar of 4129 grains.
The coming international conference
ON silver he looks upon as important
and takes credit for having called it
together. The force bill issue is not
dropped. Mr.. Harrison says he will
again urge upon Congress the passage
of an elections laws. The record of the
administration in the management of
our foreign rslatiOns is cited with some
though the outcome of
the Samoan, Boring sea, and Chillian
affairs was not wholly satisfactory.
In concluding Mr.. Harrison suggests
that the republican party should be
continued in power in order that its
policy for the past twenty years-so
warmly approved by the country-may
continue to bless the people. The
democrats should not be favored, he
thinks, because their programme as
sumes that a great many matters have
been badly managed and are suscepti
BILE of improvement under a different |
policy. Upon the whole, the letter OF
is as skillful a presentation
of the republican case as the President |
could make for himself and his party. |
We must now wait and see what Mr..
Cleveland will have to say.