The Portland daily press., 1880-10-05
Boston ,journal.l

Random and Conflicting Oratory.
AS might be expected there was great deal
of random and conflicting oratory in and about
Faneuil Hall Wednesday night. For instance
Mr.. S. J. Anderson of Maine, who returned
ten years ago from the political exile to which
he was doomed because of his intense copper
headism during the war, declared in the hall
that the Democratic party had always been in
favor of an incidental protective tariff. Just
outside of the hall Col. Isaac Hull Wright, in
effect, declared that the Democratic party has
always been, and is, the party of free trade
and sailors rights" Here are two men who
have always been Democrats Democrats be-
fore the war, and in one instance, at least, a
true Democrat during the war, by being op-
posed to the war policy-and yet they cannot
agree respecting the doctrine of their party
upon great question. We are bound to say
that our fellow-citizen, Colonel Wright, is
correct aud that Mr.. Anderson is wrong. We
suspect that Mr.. Anderson has given so much
time to comparing the characteristics of every
Democratic candidate for office during the past
dozen years to those of Henry of Navarro and
his plume that he has had no time to refresh
his memory respecting his party creeds in the
past, An Andersonian speech without Henry
of Navarro and his plume would be like the
play of Hamlet with the character of Hamlet
omitted. Lest those who read the speeches of
Mr.. Anderson and Col Wright should be con
fused by their conflicting statements respect
ing the attitude of the Democratic party to-
ward home industries, we feel bound to state
that the Democratic party has always been
hostile to the policy of protecting our manu.
featuring interests, as it now is, if it is honest
in its platform declaration for tariff for
revenue only"
Mr.. Anderson was led into expressing anoth-
er sentiment at variance with those of the De-
mocracy Of Massachusetts, that is, with the
respectable element Of the party-when he de-
clared that capitalists are the oppressors of
labor" The fact is, Mr.. Anderson has been
posturing to the Greenbackers of Maine, with
whom such sentiments are popular. In Mass
achusetts, where there are many Democratic
capitalists, whose money is invested in facto-
ries, and who know that demagoguism of the
Anderson type is not only unjust but mischiev-
Gus, these Communistic utterances of the
Maine Railroad President are not welcomed
by Democrats and are detested by every intel
ligent and decent man, Mr.. Anderson would
be valuable auxiliary to those mischievous
persons who are fomenting strike at Fall
River. Mr.. Anderson, who appears to be
natural demagogue, charged that the Republ-
can party is responsible for the system of max
ing land grants to railroads. This, as every
body knows, Is false. 1t had its origin with
the Democratic party, and in Congress every
scheme of that nature has been supported by
Democrats. Mr.. Anderson, who was leader
in the scheme which laid burden of nearly
three millions of dollars upon the property of
the citizens of Portland to build railroad of
which he is now President, and from whom
he has drawn good salary for ten years, is
the last man to denounce aEy party for voting
subsidies to railways.
Time forbids calling attention to more than
one more of the many random statements of
the Democratic orators. Col. Isaac Hull
Wright declared that Democratic Congresses
had reduced the taxes and expenses of the
Government S91 100000. The taxes Demo-
cratic Congresses have reduced" are these.
The duty on quinine, the tax on tobacco and
the tax on whisky The first Democratic
House made great show of economy in its ex-
penditures, but its successors have not followed
in its footsteps, as will be seen by comparing
the expenditures OF the two parties for the last
three years of Republican with those OF the
last three years of Democratic Congresses:
Republican Democratic.
1874 -. s172,290, 700 1s79...... s17I ST., ,775
1S75..... 55017,7 $50 1890 .... 162, ,4O4, ,647
1S76..... .l47,714,940 1881. 154,11S,212
Making the above comparison upon the coin
value of the appropriations, the figures are as
follows
Republicans Dcmocratic
1874. S153 800, ,594 1S79.... .S171 677. .775
1875 ~. 1877 655, ,769 1880. ~. 49, 4o4' '647
1S76..,... 129,693,7iS 1881. :. 154, 4,11S,212
The above figures show that Col. Wright's
claim that Democratic Congresses have re-
duced taxation and expenditures $91 900 eco is
as groundless as his assertion is false that the
administration of President Lincoln is respon-
sible for the Rebellion