New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-07
BLAINE STATES THE ISSUES.
4 LETTER TO MR.. MANLEY.
THE M,KINLEY TARIFF, RECIPROCITY AND
NATIONAL CURRENCY.

on THESE GREAT QUESTIONS
EVILS OF THE STATE
BANK SYSTEM.
Augusta, Me-, Sept. 6.--The following le'.er
from James G. Blaine to Chairman Maniey, OF ohe
Republican State Committee, was made puoiic w.
night:
Bar Harbor, September 3, ls92.
Hon. Joseph II. Manley. Chairman. etc. Augusta
Me- -
NV Dear Sir Not being able, for reasons which
have exnIained To YOU, to deliver public speeches
in this present campaign, I take the liberty OF
admitting nv views on the issues which re-
GARD q, being strongest for the Republicans TO
urge before the people.
~ The issue of the greatest consequence Is
the tariff on Imports and it will continue to be
until settlement is effected Dy q majoriy o'
large that it will be tantamount 10 general @c
ouiescence The Republicans are aggressive vi
this subject Two years ago they passed genera
onao,msnt tnovyn as the Mckinley tariff, which
,or a time failed TO meet with popular approval
and was REGARDED with certain degree OIL dis-
trust by those who had always upheld the pro-
,oct;v. svstem. But a powerful reaction has come
- oorsooucncc Of the vndication Of the Mckinney
+a,;n bv cxperieu6e 10 is found to have worKeo
admirably. and within the last year mas pro-
ducod a greatar volume Of business, Internal ana
external. and export and import thsn inc Ohl.eu
States ever transacted before NOTWITHSTANDING
the character and extent OF tne oppos"oh 70
IL. agriculture Is reUuneratlve, mahulacVureo "'o
prosperous. and commerce is more nourlsh'ns cna"
NJ anv previous time. thus vindicatng the Nichih-
lev tariff ny an impressive ana unoenlaoie "iie'
Of facts. n...orot,c marty has
,oLo, a nosttion almost without parallel IN the
history Of the country. They reject en'lreiy oie
doctrine Of Protection, pronounce IL rrauu anu
anathematizc it generally A resolution 10 'i''
effect was adopted by the Democratic Ooh'eh'
tion. against the report OF the Comf''i'''e vi
Resolutions, by q two-thrds vote, thus mahiie'V
inc the Intelligent participation OF every "''''
IN tho convention Sometimes resolution may
be odonted in has.r, or Just when the conventions
10 adiarning It may fail to receive tie a"cn-
ZION of tbe members: but this resolution was
,,ho,od nro and con- adopted after a contest, ana
u,a nerfectly under stood by the members oi 'ho
convention. l. is contained in these WORDS
"We denounce the Republican Protection as
fraud upon the labor Of the great majority OF .he
American people for the benefit OF few. we ue
clare il a fundamental principle OF the Dei'o-
cratic party that the Federal Goverhmeho has ~,
constitutional power to impose ana cohec. 'arr"
duties except for the purpose OF revenue os'.S' ""
orord that the collection Of such taxes he limited
n the necessities of the Government wheh hoh-
estlv and economically administered
~ anv onc viii TAX. the trouble to read the
rosoIu,ions bv which Mr.. Calhoun sought to de-
Ga b;s NuIliacation scheme in s33, he Will ma
tbo tarin platform Of the Democratic party IN gen
o,ol harmony Herewith, and if he examines tue
.nhioc, further he will discover that the duties III
,bo conpromise tariff which reconcllcd MI. Val
boun and appcased his angry followers IN oou'h
Carolina were of a more comprehensive CHARACTER
than those contemplated In the Democratic rcso-
luton Of s92, ,.;. =, ,nirc J.f
ferson AS the founder OF their party ana yec Oh
the subject of tariff, they are in radical oppoS'-
tion 10 the principles laid down ny JeHerSo"' io
ward the close of his administration the ir'enue
from the tarifY on imports produced considerable
surnlus and the question was, what shoun oe
done Should the tariff he reduced OF shouiu
this surplus be maintained
Jefferson pointedly asked Shall We sup
nrcss the imposts and give that advantage TO for
eign over domestic manufacturers
For himself he recommended that the imposts
10 maintained" and the surplus created shouio
he appropriated TO the Improvement OF roaus
canals. rivers and education
II the Constitution did not give sufficient power
70 warrant these appropriations, Jefferson wrn'
so far as to recommend that 1t be amended i"iS
nresentS the strongest condition OF anairs upon
which a protective tariff can be Justihed, am
Jcrcrson did not hesitate to recommend H. Inc
Democrats OF the present day, II is needless 10
say. are the direct opponents of the policy which
Jefferson thus outlined and adhered TO-
(2l When the principle of reciprocal 'ra"e
was first proposed 10 be introduced into the tarifl
1,
,nnreclotion Of the question and gave it their
support so long az the Republicans refused u ac-
cent. il: but when the Republicans came to ap-
crovc il the Democratic support VaniShed ana
instead of favorng We find the Democratic
National Convention passing a resolution hos'iie
, ,hc svstcm Rnt in spite of Democratic oppo-
sitior we have attained through Reciprocity
,o,, and valuable trade and the system mas dc-
,ponstratcd its many advantages we were ABOUT
90 decl,rc sugar, molasscS coffee ana hides ir''
If all duties in the Mckinley bill, but lnsteao u
,b,t ,vc nasscd a law by which we asked tue
several nations interested what they would give
IN have those articles made Tree we iou"" V'''
the privileges which We were about 10 give "i'n'
ont cost and without charge, wouio sec"'c
Inrge trade in Brazil, in Cuba and Porto hlco' l."
tho Windward and Lerward Islands in British
Guiana and Jamaica, San Domingo ana the hNc
Central American States. and to Il minor degree III
Austria. France and Germany-all in eAchahse
for the articles which we had intended to gri-
tuitously admit The free list Of the Mckinney
tariff is larger in the number Of articles am
IN the aggregate amount OF their import value
than the dutiable list. What would have been
the result to the United States II every artlcie'
before it put on the free list, had oeeh
made the subject of inquiry to see what we
in axohanyc n We omitted 70 DO
so for many years.
And that neglect has cost the Government ad
vantares in trade which would have amounted TO
tens of millions Of dollar.
This is the whole of the Reciprocity scheme. III
Ia ,.arr nlain and very simple. 1t secures valna