The Portland daily press., 1878-09-23
Blaine at BridgeWater.

SoA'oieu az tne flym0uth county far last
week:
Mr. President Ladies and Gentlemen II be-
ileve 1t has become the accepted custom at sg-
rlcultural societies to speak your mind freely
upon everything except agriculture [laughterl
and the nnlucky attempts made to venture
within that field by orators who were not
trained to the soil have admonished others to
Keep clear of it, You remember the man in
New York who, in uttering his wisdom before
an agricultural society, said that as regarded
tue onion trees they should be planted ten feet
apart and the fruit should be gathered before
the first frost llaughterl; and a governor of
Indiana, whose name will pass over, although
he was sound metallic Democrat [laughter1,
recommended to the State Stock. Growing So
ciety the Importation of hydraulic ram to i'm
prove the stock. loud laughterl. L shall
steer clear of the errors of these gentlemen and
confess my ignorance in advance, although /
was brought up on good farm on the western
side OF the Allegheny Mountains. where Ply
mouth county and the old colony of Massachu-
sets are historical 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 Ia fact of extraordinary interest that
this little seed that was planted on the stormy
shores of Massachusetts, and within the colony
of Plymouth should become living element in
twenty-three commonwealths, and that this
influence has come from sixteen thousand men
who came to this country. They were i'm
mensely prolific. They are about sixteen mil
lion now. We claim knship and heirship in
their blood, and the whole New England race
which has led in the political fortunes of the
great national government, under whose pro-
tectng agis and conqueriug flag you sit to-day, =
was inspired by sixteen Thousand men, I come
from cclc.y TIA. is an offshoot of this old
mother State, and venture to say, looking into
the faces of this audience, that if knew your
names could match every one in the State Of
Maine You are all there. When landed at
Queenstown, on trip to Europe, asked the
boy who offered to take my baggage what was
his name. "John Murphy" said he, "Well,
John," said I, "there are great many of you
in my country. Up at the forks of the Ken
nebec, on the dividing line between Canada
aud New England, resides Miles Standish, the
ninth in descent from the old Miles of this
Commonwealth, a stiff, strong M inded, horny
handed: stubborn old democrat. IApplause
and laughter.I was always proud to have him
for conitituent, although 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 that stock,
They have always been prominent and honored
in the councils of the State.
Mr.. President: There was soma alusion
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. She has been for years incss-
sanity crazsd, not violently. She is the most
advanced advocate and disciple in Maine of
modern currency. have her half-dolar in my
hand (showiHg piece of paper stamped like q
half-dollar in silver She is a pious lady, and
has made this on the basis OF Saint Paups def
milton of faith, which applies to all fiat money
in these modern days,-"Fsith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things net
seen.u This is the substance of things hoped
Tor. Laughter IL 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 sspar-
ate value on each side of It. That side may
represent thousand dollars; this side may
represent q hundred. If you owe q man q
thousand dollars you may give it to him that
side up; If you owe hundred you may give
this; if you owe eleven hundred you may show
both Sides l do not propose on this occasion
to utter anything bordering on politics, bat /
do not suppose the lunaces of the Maine peo-
pie are forbidden to be used in Massachusetts,
to correct the errors OF those who are sane.
[Applause.l
Standing on Plymouth soil is we'll calculated
to suggest reflections that go far beyond the
limits OF your own country. Since the found
ing. OF the colony there have been two and q
half such centuries of history as have never
been seen in the worlds progress, and the last
century OF that history is something that IL
makes q mans head swim to contemplate.
Here sits an honorable and venerable gentle
man 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 conti-
nents and in all lands did not number twenty
millions of people. The home government
as the Canadians are always fond of calling
It; they think they go to heaven by the way of
England, and we used to speak of her with
the same reverence-did not rule sixteen
millions OF people. and our country did
Saxon numbers over hundred millions of
people. Fifty millions are on this continent,
doing much by their educating power for the
conquering and governing of the Globe Ali
this IN the single lifetime of one who is an hon.
ored guest and the most venerable on this day.
Oar excellent friend, the collector, gives some
instructive statistics. He 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? And if we do not send Goals
to Newcastle, We at least send GOALS to the
market of which Newcastle had monopoly
We have entered upon career in this country
with an accumulation OF practical and scien-
tlic knowledge which will enable Us to take
the lead. We have gained great advantages in
msnufactur1ng-not in agriculture; God has
given that to us,-but whether we are to lead
the world in manufacturing industries depends
upon our own wit, our wisdom, and our
strength. The manufacturing Is ours. We
hold it. 1t is for the American people to say
whether it shall continue or whether, follow
ing the wise lady in Maine, we shall throw it
away ina foolish and bootless struggle to cre-
ate something ont of nothing TApplause.l
Mr.. President, do not think a Plymouth
county audience can at all realize the feeling of
a stranger who stands before 1t. 1t is an every
day experience with it to feel the pressure of
what we have read of from our childhood, of
things which were in our primers In the pri-
mary schools. IL is on the fact that for nine
generations you have maintained the strength
aud wisdom of the fathers who planted the
colony that l, an outsider, am happy to-day to
congratulate you. You were born here, but 1
have exercised New England privilege and
become a New Englander By adoption, and to
this day am proud of it. know that when
we go west of the Hudson and further on in
the States they sneer at US for egotism and self
laudation, but it is proper subject Of pride
that of the hundred millions of Anglo-Saxon
people inheriting Anglo Saxon qualities the
New England people are unequailed. There is
not another three and a half millions In the
world so cultured as that number in New EGG
land. We have inherited, as northern nations
do, q love of strong drink. Show me three and
half millions in the world that have conquered
that desire as the people OF New England have
done. The AngloSaxons are by nature land
grabbers. Show me three and half millions
in the world in which private and personal
rights are so respected as in New England.
[Applause.] Lord Macaulay, who was un-
tavorably disposed to this country, said that in
the New England States the protection Of per-
sonal property and of the person itself was bet
ter than in England itself, or than anywhere
else in the world. come from valley that
has purer English blood, more unmixed de-
scent from the original immigrants than can be
found anywhere in England itself. For Que
section of the country think l may felicitate
myself and this audience that whatever may be
in the future threatening the destruction OF the
government and liberty the six New England
States, with the blood of Plymouth colony in
their veins, will stand solid as the rock itself
for liberty, for law, for order, for good govern
ment and for the rights of every man without