Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-02

mortalixed BY the pen Of Thackeray; and yet
this otherwise happy condition was ahected
| BY an institution which impoverished your
soil exhausted your forests, and kept you
backward in progress and wealth compared
with the northern States. Nov, events have
changed all this, and you have An opportuni-
ty to follow the example of Pennsylvania
and Ohio and other States that have diversi-
6ed their industry and developed their re-
sources. We ask you, one OF the parent
States of greatest power and wealth when
our Independence was won, TO join with US
| in policy that will be OF more oenent TO
you than to any other State, and would place
you where you ought to be almost In the lead
of the great States of the Union in wealth, IN
education. in diversity of pursuits and de-
veloped resources.
The republican party believes in and acts
upou the principles of John Marshall. If
| trusted with the powers of the national gov
eminent they will be fairly exercised for the
protection of our industry, the development
of our resources, the improvement of our
commerce, the regulation of our railroads,
and in every work of national policy which
would seem to add to the industry and pro-
mote the enterprise and comfort of our peo-
pie
What have you to hope for in this respect
from the democratic party! laggard all
the way, before the war and since the war,
having no affirmative principles; uQable now
that il is in power to propose anything or to
do anything for the common good; playing
with a civil service law to which its leaders
are almost unitedly opposed; tinkerng with
our currency by demonetizing minor silver
coins, and pay ing off the misunderstanding
Sc tha -bao doht.
upon the tariff, with Carlisle, Tucker, Nor
rson. and Hurd pulling one way land Randall
and others the other: processing to be for a
tariff for revenue, and proposing horizontal
reduction of protective duties. 1t proposes
nothing it does nothing, and is nothing ex-
cept an incumbrance of the national life of
our country.
Why should Virginians cling to this party
that appeals to nothing but the names of its
ancestors. 1t has not the clear perception Of
Thomas Jefferson or the strong will of An
drew Jackson to guide it. distinguished of
late only by It's crimes against the elective
franchise, and, as it appears to me. living on
ly upon the memories of the civil war, reviv-
ing in its parades and cavalcades and march,
es the events of 1865, while charging me for
the offense of revving the frauds and violence
of the democratic party in 1884. Surely
such party cannot meet the wants and ex-
pectations of the people of Virginia.
Upon what pretext was this party brought
into power? They said the republican party
had been in power for twenty-four years. and
had been guilty of frauds and speculations.
They wanted to count the money and ex-
anime the books. Well, they have counted
the money, and every dollar was found to be
on hand, even to the last cent. They have
Al -, 8 =.
office and out of office, and, among the multi
tude of public officers who are charged with
the receipt and disbursement of public money,
they have not pointed out single defaulter,
rascal, or thief. No such record has ever
been made by any party before in the history
Of this or any other country. They talked
about fraud, and yet the official statements
show distinctly that there has been less per-
centage of fraud or defalcation than in any
democratic administration in the past, and
that the later republican administrations
have been almost free from all fraud or de-
falcation. They said they wanted to turn the
rascals out but who are the rascals that they
have turned out? Where are they? Have
their names been written or printed in the
papers of Virginia? When they found no
rascals thew commenced to turn out offensive
partisans," men who voted the republican
ticket, and the chief quarrel between the
members of the party is that they have not
turned these ''offensive partsans" out more
rapidly. Instead of turning ont rascals they
have put in rascals. Mr.. Cleveland, often
no doubt misled and deceived, has appointed
more penitentiary and Jail birds in his eight
months than were appointed in the whole
twenty-four years of republican administra-
ton. You have no doubt read in the papers
rapeatpdlv of aDDointmpnts m ado and aftar.
wards recalled because it was found that the
appointees had been in the pententiary or
were indicted, or ought to be indicted, for
criminal offences. They said that we had ac-
cumulated large surplus in the treasury
which belonged to the people. and was
boarded in order to make hard times. This
was the cry of Mr. Hendricks, vice president
of the United States. Well. have they paid
out any of this surplus? Has any portion of
it been applied to the payment of the
public debt? They said there was
enough of it to buy two barrels of
-four for every man. woman and child, in
the United States. Have any of you received
your barrel of flour? What public measure
supported and adopted by the republican
party during the twenty-four years of its
power do they take issue upon? None what
ever. They dare not contest with US on any
question VI Tue past. w mat mas tnlS party
done since it came into power? What does it
propose to do? Has it done anything to re-
lieve the hard times, to raise wages. to add
to prices? Have they adopted any reform?
On the other hand, every measure has tended
to harden the times, to reduce wages and
prices.
For years it has been the policy of all par
ties to build up our merchant marine as well
as our navy. OF all the men in our country
there was one who had devoted his whole life
to this policy. He was a plain, unettered
Irishman of great energy and power, who,
from small beginnings, had established the
greatest ship-yard in America and one of the
greatest in the world-John Roach. He was
engaged in building great numbers of mer-
chant vessels and several ships for the gov
eminent ulder contracts let to the lowest
bidder after public advertisement. Upon
lawyers bubbles and pretexts, that have
since been abandoned he was driven into
bankruptcy, failed, and assigned, discharged
$500 men, and then the vessels were placed
in the navy yards to be completed on the
same plans at largely increased cost This
was the first achievement of the administra-
ton.
Again, Congress had appropriated by the
consent of both Houses, $500, 600 to paw for
carrying the foreign mails, of which $780,
900 was to be paid to American shipowners
upon contracts prescribed by the law. The
Postmaster General disregarded this law, and
adopred a nnlicy which evrludad Amar;oo,