Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-08-16
Senator Hale.
REMARKS UPON THE COURSE OF THE DEMO
CRATIC PARTY.
cious tact.

The Lincoln county republican mass con-
venton held at Damariscotts was addressed by
Senator Hale and Congressman Dingley.
II was a very large and interesting meet
ing.
Senator Hale took up, in detail, the
| pledges of the democratic party and showed
| their failure. Theyshad promised economy
| in national expenditures, but instead of this,
were spending every year millions of dollars
beyond what mad been needed by republicans.
Ia nearly every department OF the government
Congress was asked for more mouey than
had been given before.
As member of the committee of sppro-
priations Mr.. Hale said he had an opportuni-
~ OF measuring these new requirements AL
most every department of the government,
through Its leading officers appeared before
that committee, and instead of asking tor re-
duction of expenditures sought for appro-
priatlons in excess of the preceding year and
in cases demanded an increase of their off Re
and clerical force. The net increase of the
regular yearly appropriations for all the de-
partments of the government for the year
ending Juy 1887, above the appropriations
for the preceding year is more than 40 mil
lion dollars, the appropriations for the next
year being 264 millions, in round nnmb RS,
| against PIG millions for the last year. The
only marked case, when saving has been
made by decrease of official force results
from republican legislation in the winter of
1885 when the republican party was in power.
la almost all cases the departments wanted
more men and more money
Senator Hale spoke of the democratic
promise to revive business. In this respect
the democratic record of incapacity and fail
ure is manifest to everybody. No measure
for the reduction of taxation passed the House
of Representatives. Its nearest approach to
this was the attempt to pass the Morrison bill
which struck deadly blow at American labor
everywhere, and which sought by its provi-
sons encouraging the importation of the
product of foreign labor, to reduce the wages
of every laboring man in the United States to
the basis of his foreign competitor.
The laborng men of Maine were perhaps
worse aimed at by this democratic measure
than those of any other State. Lumber,
granite, fish, cotton and wool manufactures,
potatoes, starch, shipb2i ling, were all ST.
lected tor punishment. Not man IN the
State engaged in the forest or the mill, IN the
quarry or the factory, in the field or the ship
yard, or the fishing smack, could have es-
capped the disastrous effect of this democratic
measure, nad IL passed.
In every measure undertaken for self de-
fence and protection the democratic party had
! been found in an unpatriotlc attitude, and the
burden OF sustaining and carrying these meas
ures had been thrown upon the republican
party. This unpslrlotc attitude was especial
ly illustrated upon the Notifications bill Our
entire coast, both upon the Atlantic and Pacific
Is to-day dettnceless against the armament eff
even third class powers A CHILEAN OF Brazil
ian ship, to say nothing of European nations,
could lay any American city under contribu-
tion, or could lombard aud destroy it. Real
lzing this, the republican Senate passed a
bin approprlatlng money for the purpose of
encouraging the manufacture by American
labor, of forging and armor, to be used upon
forts and war SHIPS for our coast protection.
The democratic House not only refused these
appropriations, but killed the entire bill. For
the last six years the republican sdmnistra-
tons had oeen trying to rebuild the American
navy. The old wooden ships of that estab-
lishment had become comparatively useless,
aud we possessed no war vessels formidable
either for the defence of our coasts or for in
hIcting injury upon the commerce of nations
with whom we might become involved in war.
When the democratic party makes up its
platform and passes its resolutions it never
fails to indulge in strong expressions of SYM
pathy for the soldier of the armies of the
republic who fought to suppress the rebellion
but the present administration has character
lied itself by an assault upon pension bills
unprecedented in our history, and while the
whole party, including President, Cabinet and
the representatives in Congress rallied to
restore Fitz John Porter to his place in the
army, and voted to pension the survivors of
the Mexican war, nearly all of whom live in
the South, scarcely day passed during the
last three months of the session, when some
poor soldiers bill was not vetoed.
Mr.. Hale said that whoever grew despond-
ent about the future of the republican party,
or feared that its mission had been accom-
plished need only watch its course since the
present administration came in, and contrast
it with President Cleveland and his party.
Most of the great questions, he said, which he
had referred to are still open and unsettled,
and upon them the republican party will keep
up the fight, and, whether in minority or ma
joritv, will constantly press their considera-
ton before the American people, firm in the
belief that. in the end, they will be estsb-
ished, like all other great and beneficial acts
which have characterized the history Of the
party.