St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-07
ONLY THREE ISSUES,
Ex-Secretary Blaine Gives
Out His Promised Letter
on the Situation.
He First Devotes Himself to
the Defense of MeKin-
leyism.
Reciprocity and the Currency
Occupy the Rest Of the
Epistle. y
He Would Confine Discussion
to Only These Three
Issues.


ter from Hon. James G. Blaine to Chair
man Manley, of the Republican state
committee, is made public tonight:
Bar Harbor, Me-, Sept. 8. 1S92.-To
Hon. Joseph II. Manley, Chairman,
Etc, Augusta, Me.-My Dear Sir: Not
being able, for reasons which | have ex-
planned to you, to deliver public
speeches in this present campaign, |
take the liberty of submitting my views
on the issues which l regard as being
strongest for the Republicans to urge
before the people.
Flrst-The issue of the greatest conse.
quence Is the tariff on imports, and II
will continue to be until settlement Is
effected by a majority so large that it
Will be tantamOunt to general acqui-
escence. The Republicans are aggressive
on this subject. Two years ago they
passed general enactment known as
the Mckinley tariff, which, for time,
1alied TO meet with popular approval
and was regarded with
Certain Degree OF Distrust
by those who had always upheld the
protective system, but powerful reae-
ton has come in consequence of the
vindication of the Mckinley tariff by
experience.
and within the last year has produced
greater volume of business, internal
and external, export and import, than
the United States ever transacted be-
fore. Notwithstanding the character
and extent of the opposition to it. agri-
culture is remunerative, manufactures
are prosperous and commerce is mere
1lourishing than at any previous time.
thus vindicating the Mckinley tariff by
an impressive and undeniable series or
facts.
Against this tariff the Democratic
party have taken a position almost with
out parallel Ill the history of the coun-
try. They reject entirely the doctrine
anathematiZe it generally. A resolu-
tion to this effect was adopted by the
Democratic convention against the re-
port of the committee on resolutions by
a two-thirdS vote, thus manifesting the
Intelligent participation
of every man IN tine convention. Some
times resolution may he adopted in
haste, or when the convention is ad-
Journing it may fail TO receive the at
tention of all, but this resolution was
debated pro and con, adopted after a
contest, and was perfectly understood
by the members of the convention. 1t
is contained in these words:
1--WE denounce the Republican pro-
lection as a fraud upon the labor of the
great majority of the American people
for the benefit of a few. We declare it
against the principles of the Democratic
party, and that the federal government
has no constitutional power to impose
purpose of revenue only. We demand
that the collection of such taxes be linz
tied to the necessities of the govern
ment, honestly and economically admin
istered."
If any one will take the trouble to
read the resolution by which Mr.. Cal
houn sought to defend his notification
scheme i'll 1888 he will find the tariff plat
form of the Democratic party in general
harmony Herewith, and If he
Examines the Subject
further he will discover that the duties
in the compromise tariff which recon-
ciled Mr.. Calhoun and appeased his
angry followers in North Carolina were
of more comprehensive character than
those contemplated in the Democratic
resolution of 1892.
The Democrats are in the habit of
naming Jefferson as the founder of
their party, and yet on the subject of
the principles laid down by Jefferson.
Toward the close of his administration
the revenue from the tariff on imports
produced a considerable surplus, and
the question was what should be done
Should the tariff be reduced, OF should
this surplus be maintained?
jefferson pointedly asked: "Shall we
suppress the imposts, and give that ad-
vantage to foreign over domestic manu-
factures?' For himself, he recon-
mended that 1.-The imports be main
tained," and that the surplus created
"should be appropriated to the improve
ment of roads, rivers. harbors and edu-
cation" If the constitution did not give
sufficient power to warrant these appro-
priations, Jefferson went so far as to
recommend that it be amended. This
presents the strongest condition of
affairs upon which
A Protective Tariff
can be justified and Jefferson did not
hesitate to recommend. The Democrats
of today, it is needless to say, are the
direct opponents of policy which JEFF
ferson thus outlined and adhered to.
Second-When the principle of recip-
rOcal trade was first proposed to be
introduced into the tariff system the
Democrats showed as much generous
appreciation of the question and gave it
their support SO long as Republicans re-
fused to accept it, but, when the Repub-
licans came to approve it, the Demo-
cratic support vanished, and, instead
of fayoring, we find the Democratic ma
tional convention passing a resolution
hostile to the system. But, in spite of
Democratic opposition, we have attained
through reciprocity new and valuable
trade, and the system has demonstrated
its many advantages.
We were about to declare sugar, mo-
lasses, coffee and hides free of all duties
in the Mckinley bill. but instead of that
we passed law by which we asked the
several nations interested what they
would give to have their articles made
free. We found that the privileges we
were about to give without cost would
Secure Large Trade
Brazil, Havana and Porto Rico In the
Windward and Leeward islands, in
British Guiana and Mocha. San Domin-
go and the five Central American states
and to a minor degree in Austria. France
and Germany, all in exchange for the
articles we had intended to gratuitously
admit.
The free list of the Mckinley tariff is
larger in the number of articles and the
aggregate amount of their import value
than the dutiable list. What would have
been the result to the Uuited States if
every article before it has been put on
the free list had been made the subject
Continued On Fourth Page.