Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-09-24
Mr.. Blaine at BrIdgewIter.

The following is the speech OF Senator Blaine
delivered at the Plymouth (Mass.) County Fan
last week
Mr.. President. Ladies and Gentlemen Il be
heve it has become the accepted custom at agri
cultural societies to speak your mind freely upon
everything except agriculture [laughterl and the
unucky attempts made to venture within that
field by orators who were not trained to the sol
have admonished others to keep clear Of 1t. You
remember the man in New York who, in uttering
his wisdom before an agricultural society, said
that as regarded the onion trees they should be
plauted ten feet apart and the fruit should be
gathered before the first frost laughter; and a
governor of Indiana, whose name will pass over,
although he was a sound metallic democrat laugh
teri, recommended to the State Stock-Growing
Society the importation Of hydraulic ram to i'm
prove the stock. Loud laughter. | shall steer
clear of the errors Of these gentlemen and con-
fess my ignorance in advance. although | was
brough BIT up on good farm on the western side OF
the Allegheny Mountains, where Plymouth coun
ty aud the old colony of Massachusetts are histor
cal and sacred names with those of us who do not
claim to be of your blood or descent Yes, the
history in our boys lessons at school taught us to
honor them through the length and breadth of the
land. 1t is fact of extraordinary interest that
this little seed that was planted on the stormy
shores of Massachusetts and within the colony Of
twenty three commonwealth, and that this influ-
ence has come from sixteen thousand men who
came to this country. They were immensely pro-
life. They about sixteen million now. We
claim kinshp and heirship in their blood, and the
whole New England race which has led in the
political fortunes Of the great national govern
ment, under whose protecting @gis and conquer
ing flag on sit to day. was inspired by sixteen
thousand men. come from colony that is an
ohshoot of this old mother State, and venture 10
Lob spr ,ntn tha nf md
If knew your names could match every one in
the State of Maine. You are all there. When
anded at Queenstown. on trip to Europe, ask
ed the boy who offered to take my baggage what
was his name. John Murphy said he, "Wel,
john" said |, "there are great many of you in
nv country" Up at the forks of the Kennebcc,
on the dividing line between Canada and New
England, resides Miles Standish, the ninth in de
scent from the old Miles of this Commonwealth
q stiff, strong minded, horny handed, stubborn
old democrat. Applause and laughter. was
always proud to have him for a constituent, al
though he voted against me for eight consecutive
times. He shows the strong Drawn that was IN
the colony that settled here. We are proud Of
the stock. They have always been prominent,
and honored in the councils of the State.
Mr.. President: There was some allusion made
BY my honored friend who introduced me about
solid metallic money. We have an Old lady
down in my State, who for some cause or other,
Of domestic or personal grief has lost her mind.
III.
violently. She is the most advanced advocate and
disciple in Maine OF modern currency. | have
her halfdoar in my hand Showing a piece of
paper stamped like half dollar in sllvcr) She is
pous lady, and has made this on the basis OF
Saint Pauls definition of faith, which applies TO
oil fat money in these modern days,-"Faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not SEEN" This is the substance of things
hoped for. Laughter These are circulating
now. She prepared some of them and sent them
to the aid OF the yellow-fever sufferers. 1t is
handy kind OF currency. 1t is made by a print
ing press. 1t is simple. You can put a separate
value on each side of it. That side NAV repre-.
sent thousand dollars; this side may represen ut
hundred. II you owe man a thousand dollars
you may give it to him that side mp; if You owe
. hundred you may give this; if you owe eleven
hundred you may show both sides. do not pro-
pose on this occasion to utter any thing bordering
on politics, but do not suppose the lunacies of
the Maine people are forbidden to be used in
Massachusetts, to correct the errors of those who
are sane. Applause.
Standing on Plymouth soil is well calculated 10
suggest reflections that 60 far beyond the limits of
your own county. Since the founding of the col
ony there have been two and half such centur-
les of history as have never been seen in the
worlds progress, and the last century of that his
tory is something that it makes a mau's head
swim 10 contemplate. Here sits an honorable and
venerable gentleman who served in the Congress
OF the United States for several years and who
voted for Thomas Jefferson for President. When
he was born the Anglo Saxon race on both CONT
nents and in all lands did not number twenty mil
lions Of people. The home government-as the
Canadians are always fond OF calling it thew
think they go to heaven by the way OF England,
and we used to speak of her with the same rever-
ence-did not rule six millions of people, and our
country did not contain over four. To-day the
Auglo Saxon numbers over hundred millions of
people. Fifty millions are on this continent, do.
ing much by their educating power for the con-
quering and governing OF the Globe All this in
the single lifetime of one who is an honored guest
and the most venerable on this day. Our excel.
lent friend, the collector, gives some instructive
statistics lie speaks OF what we are doing on the
soil But We are also doing at the factory what is
equally important. Who would have thought fifty
years ago that this nation would be exporting the
amount we are now doing Who would have
thought we would send cutlery to Manchester or
watches to Switzerland Aud if we do not send
Goals 70 Newcastle, we at least send Goals to the
market Of which Newcastle had MONOPOLY. We
have entered upon a career in this country with
an accumulation OF practical aud scientific knowl
edge which viii enable to take the lead We
have gained great advantages in manufacturing
not in agriculture; God has given that to us.-put
whether we are TO lead the world in manufacture
ing industries depends upon our own wit, our wis
dom, and our strength. The manufacturing il
ours. We hold it. II is for the American PEG
pie to say whether it shall continue or whether
following the wise lady in Maine, we shall throw
away IN foolish and booiless struggle to Great,
something out Of nothing. (Applause
Mr. PRESIDENT do not think q Plymouth coun
ty audience can at all realize the feeling of ,
stranger who stands before it. II is an every ia,
experience with II TO feel the pressure of wha, W.
have read OF from our childhood. of things which
were in our primers in the primary schools. II i,
on the fact that for nine generations YOU bay,
maintained the strength and wisdom of the faith.
ers who planted the colony that l. an outsider arr
happy to congratulate YOU. You were born here
but have exercised New England privilege an,
become New Highlander by adoption, TO tbs da,
lam proud of it. know that when we 20 west q
the Hudson and further on in the States the
sneer at MS for egotism and self laudatlon but il
proper subject Of pride that OF the hu ndied mi
lions Of Anglo Saxon qualities the New Eugl.n
people are unequalled. There is lot another ihre
and . half millions in the world so cultured as tia
number In New England. We have Inherited, q
northern nations do, love of strong drink Sho'
me three and q half millions in the world tn.
have conquered that desire as the people Of Ne,
England have done. The Anglo Saxons are b
nature land grabbets. Show me three and a ha
millions in the world in which private and persor
al rights are 80 respected as in New England
IApplsuse.l Lord Biacaulay, who was unfayors
oily disposed TO this country, said that in the Ne,
England States the protection Of personal prone,
" sad of the person itself was better than ia Eu
gland itself, or than anywhere else in the worIc
x eons from . valley that has purer English blood
Q more unmixed descent from the original imm
grants than can be found anywhere in Enelan