The San Francisco call., 1896-06-19
RE EPUBLICANS HAVE
GUARDED INDUSTRY
Words of Eminent Advo-
Gates of the Protective
Tariff.
The Burning Eloquence of James
G. Blaine and John A.
Logan.
National Wealth and Commercial Pros
perity Have Followed the Policy
of Protection.

It is generally conceded that in the let
ter addressed to the National Republican
Committee by James G. Blaine accepting
the nomination for the Presidency in 1884,
the arguments in favor of the American
policy of protection were thoroughly pre-
sented. The issue of such vital Importance
is once more before voters. What Mr..
Blaine said in 1884 remains true. The
progress of the country under the Repub-
ican policy was ably traced by the great
leader. Some parts of his letter make
lively reading.
Almost the first act of the Republicans
when they came into power in 1861 was
the establishment of the principle of pro-
lection to American labor and American
capital. This principle the Republican
party has ever since maintained. while the
Democratic party has steadily warred
against it, and has succeeded in over
throwing protective tariffs more than
once.
AFTER 1860 the business of the country
was encouraged by a'protective tariff. At
the end of twenty years the total property
of the United States, as returned by the
census of 1880. amounted to the enormous
aggregate of $4,000, 100000 This great
result was attained notwithstanding the
fact that countless millions had in the in
terval been wasted in the progress OF
bloody war. 1t thus appears that, while
our population between 1860 and 1880 in
creased so per cent, the aggregate prop
erty of the country increased 214 per cent,
showing vastly enhanced wealth per cap
ita among the people. Thirty thousand
&c J0ll hod hoor oT6ad HT1riT1V
these twenty years to the permanent
wealth of the Nation.
"These results are regarded by the older
nations of the world as phenomenal. That
our country should surmount the peril
and the cost of gigantic war, and for an
entire period OF twenty years make an
average gain to its wealth OF $125, 100000
per month, surpasses the experience OF all
other nations, ancient or modern. Even
the opponents of the system do not pre-
tend that in the whole history of civiliza-
ton any parallel can be found to the ma
terial progress of the United States since
the accession of the Republican party to
power.
''The farmers see that in 1860 Massachu-
sets and Illinois had about the same
wealth-between $500, ,0O0, 900 and 5000, ,000.-
000-and that in 1880 Massachusetts had
advanced to 600,0O0,000. while Illinois
had advanced to $500 100000. They see
that nine agricultural States Of the West
have grown so rapidly that the aggregate
addition to their wealth since 1860 is al
most as great as the wealth of the entire
country in that year. They see that the
South, which is almost exclusively agri-
cultural, has shared in the general pros
perity, and having recovered from the loss
and devastation of war has gained so rap
idly that its total wealth is at least
the double of that which it possessed in
1860 exclusive of slaves"
This was part of the picture painted
by Mr.. Blaine of the prosperity of the
country in 1884, resulting from tine pro-
tective policy of the Republican party,
these words being written only few
months before the Democratic party took
control of the country. Mr.. Blame went
on to point out more particularly the
agency of the Republican party in that
prosperity:
''In these extraordinary developments
the farmers see the helpful influence of
home market. and they see that the fnan-
Cld2 anu 1CfOAuc SySbcm cAdCICo cAhCO
the Republican party came into power
has establ shed and constantly expanded
the home market. They see that even in
the case of wheat, which is our chief
cereal export, they have sold in the
average of the years since the close of the
war three bushels at home to one they
have sold abroad; and that in the case of
corn, the only other cereal which we ex-
port to any extent, 100 bushels have been
used at home to 81 bushels exported. In
some years the disparity has been so great
that for every peck of corn exported 100
bushels have been consumed in the home
market. The farmers see that in the in
creasing competition from the grain-tields
of Russia and from the distant plains of
India, the growth of the home market be-
comes daily of greater concern to them,
and that its impairment would depreciate
the value of every acre of tillable land in
the Union"
Mr.. Blaine had no fear that foreign COM
merce could suffer under the protective
tariff, and drew the following picture.
which is as illustrative now as it was then:
ga frequent accusation by our oppo-
nents is that the foreign commerce of the
country has steadily decayed under the
influence of the protective tariff. In this
way they seek to array this importing in
fiuence against the Republican party. 1t
is common and yet radical error to con-
found the commerce of a country with its
carrying trade-an error often committed
innocently and sometimes designedly-
but an error so gross that it does not dis
tinguish between the ship and its cargo.
Foreign commerce represents the ex-
ports and imports of country regardless
of the vessel that may carry the commod-
tiles of exchange. Our carrying trade has,
from obvious causes, suffered many dis
couragements since 1860, but our foreign
commerce has in the same period steadily
and prodigiously ncreased-increased. in
deed, at q rate and to an amount
which absolutely dwarfs all previous
developments of our trade beyond
the sea. From 1860 to 1884 the foreign
commerce of the United States divided
with approximate accuracy between ex-
ports and imports) reached the astounding
aggregate of $4,000, 100000 The balance
in this vast trade inclined in our favor,
hnt IL yu0T1ld box hoar Ior0 If 0T1r