The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-29
Mr.. Reed was declared the nominee of the

three was appointed to wait upon Hon. Thomas
B. Reed, inform him Of his nomination and
request his presence before the convention.
The chair appointed Messrs. Burbank of
Saco, Hincklsy of Gorham, and Geo. W.
Woodman of Portland.
The convention then adjourned to City Hall.
Whom the committee returned, escorting
Mr.. Reed to the platform, the convention ap-
plauded and cheered him with great en-
thusiasm,
MR.. REEDS SPEECH.
Mr.. Reed addressed the convention as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Chairman and Fellol0 Citizens:
feel very deeply the honor which you have CON-
ferred upon me by the substantial unanimity of
your vote upon this occasion. have, for nearly
eight years. represented the First Maine District.
have done under circumstances of considerable
difficulty, and it is of the proudest feelings in
my heart that have, on the whole, met with the
appreciation of the people among whom 1 was born,
and with whom have always lived. (Applause).
feel that while you recognize many shortcomings
In me, nevertheless, on the whole, you feel that
was actuated by an honest sense of public duty in
every act connected with the office which, by your
kindness, have held. do not disguise for one
moment my regret that in any action of mine
should have dissatisfied any portion of my district,
and especially one portion for which have the
deepest respect, the highest regard, ami the most
sincere gratitude; for from that town have met
with kindest support and friendship. know the
people at least some time ago personally knew al
most all of those who were interests in politics.
But, of course, time makes changes, and. by your
kindness, 1 have never been obliged to make that
careful examination Of towns which men some
times have to make when they want the sutfrages
OF their fellow citizens that do not come to them
voluntarily.
Now, in the matter which has oeen alluded to
oefere you, there is no possibility for me to make
any long or extended explanation; nor, after your
was part Of the duty which have always avoided
whenever there was an opportunity. For the first
four years OF my congressional life had very little
to do with the appointments for office, and nobody
was more delighted with his escape than was my
sell. Because IL Is very hard to satisfy the
only say to you and know that there witnesses
here to bear me out in the statement that in all my
transactions of public character have never been
governed BY any personal motive or by any person
al disposition to aggrandize myself by any such
cheap means as distribution of offices. stand be-
fore convention OF men who are busily interested
In the politics of the counties and Of the state and
of the district and in your presence venture the
assertion that there is not district in the United
States 80 utterly free from dctation on the part of
its member of Congress as is the First District of
Maine. think you know that to be fact. have
felt in the first place that had faculty for any
such work. Ihave felt in the second place that the
office which you bestowed upon me by your voun-
tary and unanimous suffrage was an office had no
right to degrade to the putting up putting
my own. This much have right to say and as to
this particular case which has been brought before
you desire 10 say simply that after an examination
OF the matter l came to the conclusion that there
was certain state of affairs there, and that the
best thing could recommend was the recommen-
daLion made. l was utterly unhampered by any
thought of personal aggrandizement, BY any sense
or obligation, by any disposition to do anything
eept for the good of the public and to represent
their wishes as understood them. If 1t so hap
pens that 1 made a mistake in regard to it can
only say that such is necessarily occasionally the
fate of public man at distance from the scene of
action, and who is governed only by the papers
which come before him. So far as any particulars
In regard to it are concerned hold myself at the
proper time in readiness to satisfy the people who
are interested at least of my honesty of purpose.
Having now said all that would be proper on that
matter. come to much more grateful theme. L
matters which interest us all, not personal affairs
but matters which interest the whole of the people
of the United States.
The Republican party has been in power in the
United States for now more than four and twenty
years. During that time it has been often the tar
get of attack and reproach it has had the severe
criticism OF its enemies and sometimes the severer
criticisms of friends within its own ranks Never
theless notwithstanding its shortcomings it has
received the confidence of the people of the United
States for period without parallel in the history
of this country and almost without parallel in the
history of the world What is the reason of this?
Certainly not because any of us believed it to be
beyond criticism and Improvement but because on
the whole taking all its acts into account In its
regard for the true business interests of the coun
Iry IN 1C6 regard Tor SUBSTANTIAL Justice to all
kind its readiness to meet the best wishes of the
people it has been superior to that other party be-
tween which and it the people of the United States
have been called upon to choose. That that supe-
riority existed has been proved by the votes of
twenty-four years. The question before us today
Is whether that superiority still exists or whether
1t has shifted to the other party. Parties like
are to be judged by their Deeds not by their prom
ises; by what they have done, not by what they
perform. You need not fear that intend to take
You across back quarter of a century and cele.
brate Republican achievements and denounce Dem.
ocratic shortcomings. That part can take care of
itself. My business is with today.
Luckily for us at this moment what then seemed
great misfortune happened to us two years ago.
The Democracy swept the country like q cyclone.
They entered upon the 46th Congress with more
than seventy majority 1 do not believe you APP
people majority is the same thing, whether it be
one or seventy. But majority of one such as
we had in the 47th Congress means hand to hand
fight every day. There is always a certain percent
age of cranks in every assembly and your odd man
may chance to be one Of them. But majority of
seventy, If the party has sound common sense,
means the easy doing OF everything the party
wishes to do. 1t means responsibility for doing or
not doing in its widest sense
At the opening of the Congress the Republican
minority with faith in the right of the majority to
rule which showed their attachment to the great
principle which underlies our institutions offered
and urged upon them change of those barriers to
business which are called rules of the House
of Representatives which would have
given them complete power Of action as well as COM
voted
down. They seemed unwilling to trust themselves.
Probably the verdict of the country will be that on
that one point alone they were right.
The first duty which they felt called upon to per-
form was to change the tariff. Now to change the
whole tariff schedules is a serious matter.
Congress has right to change the tariff; 1t ought
to change 1t II 1t is wrong Nevertheless the prop0-
sal to change it is serious matter. just see how
1t affected two classes of people and through them
and thousands of others. First, the inn
porter doesn't know just what to do in his business
If the duty is now 30 per cent. and he imports and
the duty Is then lowered to 20 per cent. he must
compete with somebody at 10 per cent. disadvan-
tage However, the bonded warehouse system helps
him out and he is reconciled somewhat, becacse he
thinks lower duties will mean more business. But
the manufacturer has no consolation. He does not
keep his mills at full speed because his product NAV
become a loss; he does not stock up with his raw
material because its value may be changed; he
not stop because his plant and his organization will
suffer. In a word, proposed change in the tariff
pending in Congress, may be worse for the manu-
facturer than the actual passage of bad tariff. OF
have had two within the last two years
one proceeding thetarif bill actually passed and the
one preceding the Morrison bill before that unhap-
Ply creation lost its head. After two such periods
can you wonder at the present condition of business
n this country?
And after all, they didn't pass their bill; with
seventy majority they could not get even the first
line of it read Do think they ought to be blamed
for trying? Certainly do. They had no right TO
nothing. Will majority of seventy they ought to
have framed bill that would have passed or have
let it alone Business which involves the WelbeinQ
of hundreds of thousands of working men and mil
lions of capital ought not to be trifed with.
In this utter failure a whole session of Congress
has been wasted. Three mortal weeks and more
were spent in tariff speeches which were with few
exceptions only a rehash Of what has been hashed
and rehashed any time these 80 years in the Repre-
sentatives' House Of Congress.
Meantime all the other public business has been
neglected. 1t was only the other day we were able
to pass a bill extending the life of The Alabama
Claims Court to enable the cases to be decided
which we're already before it. 1t took us five
months and half Of another to prevent 25, 600
claimants with testimony already before the
tribunal from being turned out of court
What became of the bankrupt bill ithe other day?
This bill had passed the Senate and was earnestly
demanded by the whole mercantile community It
had the merit of proposing to distribute among all
the credi tors equitaby the of failing debtors
instead of leaving all to the first one who grabbed
and yet the House refused it the poor favor OF day
for consideration. Meantime the Senate has passed
more than one hundred and thirty bills to which
not even discussion has been vouchsafed in the
House.
1t really looks if the sole fruit of the 4sth Con
gress will. be the appropriation bills. Qaughter.)
Even on those the same lack of statesmanship
would have been seen but for the modifying power of
theSenate. The post office bill it passed theHouse
had an appropriation too small to pay the salaries
of postmasters as allowed by law. 1t refused to
provide enough for letter carriers for fast mail SER
vice and for any improvement, and this is service
which pays for itself, and of which no.
body has the benefit who doesn't pay for
it. In the consular and diplomatic bill they pro-