The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-14


The bill authorizing the city of Augusta to
expend $4,000 upon the improvement of the
water power of the Kennebec river within the
city limits, was reported to the House last Friday
by Gen. Shepley. Our special dispatch an
nounced Saturday morning, that in reply to
speech from Mr.. Stevens of Augusta, advocat-
the bill on the ground that the present tariff
is peculiarly favorable to the manufacturing
interest, Gen. Shepley explained that while
fav0ring this particular measure he did not
wish to be understood as committing himself
in any way to the general doctrine of protee-
ton. The following sketch of his remarks
on the subject we find in Saturdays Kenne-
bee journal: t-.,..-... -.
Mr.. Shepley, said he would not have made
any remarks upon the passage of the bill, if he
did not think it duty, he having been on the
committee to report to the House. He hoped
the honorable gentleman from Augusta would
excuse him for saying that he felt it duty
while urging the passage of the bill to say that
he should not vote for it, upon the reasons that
he MI, Stevens) had given. He did not be-
leve that the people were for protection for
projections sake. He did not wish to see man
features grow up in the State Of Maine if they
were to grow up by taxing the agricultural
community of Maine. He was in favor of de-
veloping the resources of Maine and the pros
perity Of the State, but was not in favor Of ex-
tending encouragement to one interest at the
expense of another. While we are bearing the
burden of war, which we SO cheerfully bear,
becauseit is necessarily incurred as an expense
in putting down the rebellion, he looked upon
this redundant currency as a vast evil and one
that attracts considerable attention, and looked
forward to the days when we shall return to
specie payment He wished to see manufac-
turers flourish in the State of Maine, and well
coined the fruits of productive industry, labor
e. l. 4.
not wish to see labor introduced by which
certain portion of the people shall flourish and
others lose; by which a certain portion of the
people trample upon the industrial communi-
ty, and the laborer is taxed. He said it was
the consumer that is taxed, and he looked for
ward to an end Of the necessity of such kind
of taxation of the laborer. lie could not give
his support to these views, that Maine has
come to recognize policy ofprotection for pro
tecti0nS sake.
Why to-day are there SO many ship yards
idle all along the coasts of Maine? Why does
the hand OF the shipwrght lie idle at his side?
Why are our ships not launched and pursu-
ing paths over the ocean ,bringingthe commerce
OF foreign lands? Simply because the manu-
factories of New England have strengthened
the iron hand of Pennsylvania, where they OBJ
tain material at forty dollars which can not
be made in Maine for one hundred dollars
because of the taxation upon the iron and the
coal and other products of Pennsylvania
1t is because the cordage with which it is
rugged and the sails which watt the vessel on
ward in its voyage and the iron that constitutes
it's anchor, are all burdened with taxation,
and Maine is suffering under it, it has always
been a disadvantage. He was willing that
Augusta should have all its advantages improv-
ed, and stood ready to support any thing to
develop her recources ana was willing she
should go and prosper by her industry,
and become rich; but if this bill was to pass
the House without being noticed, with the idea
that if would tho r,y1fa ofr
way, he would, rather than see the banks of
the beautiful Kennebec lined with cotton fac
tories, see it flow, undisturbed in its natural
course, to the sea. @ H-oE -
Mr.. Stevens, of Augusta, said the gentleman
from Portland had misapprehended the tenor
and ,purport of some of his remarks. He did
not desire at this time to discuss the question
of protection per Sc. His remarks were entire
ly predicated on the incidental protection nee
essarily growing out of our vast national debt