Year: 1874

Without attempting to argue the question IN its
relation to The whole country let US see how this
new doctrine would affect Maine The process
would be simple, the resnlts readily deduced, the
effect bghting and disastrous to the last degree.
For some years past to deal in round numbers,
the Federal Government has been collecting a
revenue of three hundred millions Of dollars-one-
third from internal taxes, two-thirds from tariff
duties. 1t Is now proposed by the Maine democ-
racy to abolish all these duties, have absolute free
trade" with an "unfettered and unrestricted COM
merce." In other words the Maine democracy
propose to raise the tive hundred millions Of dol
lars in gold coin obtained from tariff duties by
"direct taxation" or by system of "excises" which
might prove even more oppressive than direct
taxation itself There is no other mode open under
the Constitution by which the money can be raised
than the two named, if the tariff be abandoned,
and Mr.. Titcomb declares for direct taxation.
Now if the money is to be secured by direct taxa
ton, as Mr. Titcomb proposes, it will be found to
be Names great misfortune that the Constitution
requires the tax to be levied in proportion to pop
ulatlon and not according to wealth. BY the ninth
census Maine has about -sixtieth of the total
population of the United States, and her share Of
two hundred millions of direct taxation would be
something over three and a quarter millions of
dollars in gold coin-the single Congressional
District whose constituents am addressing would
be called upon for seven hundred thousand dollars
The peculiar hardship of raising taxes in this way
is made manifest by the simple fact that Maine
would be compelled to pay nearly one half as much
as Massachusetts, while in fact she has but one
seventh of the wealth OF that highly favored and
prosperous Commonwealth. To properly estimate
the exhausting and oppressive nature of this enor-
nous tax, you have but to consider that it would
be three times as large as the present State tax,
and wond necessarily be levied in addition thereto


But if against Mr.. Titcombs policy the direct
tax were avoided, it would be necessary to have
instead Of it system of excises as onerous and as
odious as human ingenuity could devise. A heavy
internal tax would inevitably be levied on all
manufactures and indeed upon all the products of
the field and the forest the shpyard and the quar-
ry; and every form Of industry would be burdened
and borne down by the exactions of the tax-gath-
erer And these grievous hardships would be i'm
posed on our own people, in order that foreign
countries might have the benefit of our markets





Our lumber interests, embarrassed and oppressed
would have to compete with the untaxed products
of the Canadian forest; our manufactures would
pay taxes for the benefit of European fabrics our
building would be destroyed by the taxation,
which would render it incapable of competing
with Provincial bottoms, and under the magic
spell Of Democratic free trade our coastng and
lake commerce, confined to our own people since
the foundation Of the government, would be
thrown open to the whole world. Taxation in all
forms is one Of the burdens of civilization, but
instead of ameorating its severity and if possible
getting from it such compensating advantages as
wise legislation can provide, our Maine Democrats
propose to make it to the last degree oppressive to
our own people and beneficial only to the alien
and the stranger.


To the people of Maine, at this very moment
these extrayagant declarations of the Democratic
party have painful significance, for it is well
known that the authorities of Canada are trying
to negotiate with our government Reciprocity
treaty, which, like its iustrious predecessor and
namesake, maintains the reciprocity all on one
side. The treaty of that name, which was termi-
mated in 1866, cruelty oppressive to the people
of Maine, and inflicted upon our State, during the
eleven years of its existence, loss of fifty millions
of dollars 1t presented the very singular anomaly
Of giving to the Canadians the control in our own
markets of certain leading articles, on terms far
more favorable than our own people had ever en-
joyed. The utmost stretch Of the Divine command
is to love our neighbor ourselves, and can
certainly see nothing in personal duty or public
policy which should lead us to prefer our Cana
dian neghbors to our own people,


The treaty of Reciprocity, now proposed, is
understood to embrace the admission of Canadian
vessels to free American Registry, and the full
enjoyment of our coasting and Lake trade. Thus
the ship-building and commercial interests of the
United States, reviving so prosperously of late,
and just recovering from the terrible blows dealt
by British-but cruisers during the war, are again
to be struck down by giving advantages, hitherto
undreamed of, to the ships of the very power that
inflicted the the previous Injury. And the Demo-
cratic party of Maine have pledged themselves, in
their State Convention, to the policy that includes
this disastrous attack upon the interests of our
State, and their candidate for Governor has fully
committed himself to the extreme doctrine an
nounced by the Convention.


The form of Reciprocity proposed by the Gov
ernment of the Dominion of Canada lacks every
element of the seductive title, by which it is
sought to commend it to our people What is it !?
Why, simply this That if the Uuited States will
agree to admit certain Canadian products, free of
duty, Canada in turn will argree to admit certain
American fabrics free of duty. But, the class of
men to be benefited, and the class to be injured
in the United States are entirely distinct and
separate, having nothing in common, either in
locality, industry or investment. To compensate
the surrender of one interest in this way by the
advancement Of another, has no more element of
reciprocal justice in it, than for to take pair
Of horses from b, because c took possession of
yoke of oxen belonging to d. To illustrate; If
the United States will agree to admit Canadian
vessels to American Registry and the coasting-
trade, Canada will admit straw hats, mule har-
ness, and rattraps, free of duty. In this you will
observe that Canada gets the full advantage both
ways, while the United States, for a possible en-
largemcnt Of petty trade, consents to subordinate
and sacrifice an interest that represents oar dis
tinctive nationality, in all climes and upon all
seas an interest that has given more and asked
less of the Government, than any other of similar