Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-09
THE CAMPAIGN.
Addresses Delivered by Hon. ].
G. Blaine and Hon. Will am
Gibson OF Ohio.
A Large and Enthusiastic
Meeting at Pennington.
FARMISGToN. Sept. s

FARhISGToS. Sept. s.
Fully five thousand people gathered on the
Common this afternoon to listen to speeches
by Hon. j. G. Blaine, VIM. Gibson of Ohio,
and Senator H. w. Blair of New Hampshire.
Special trains brought large numbers from
the adjoining towns. The speakers arrived
| on special train, took dinner at the Stoddard
House, and were then taken to the Common
in carriage. H. H. Richards presided, and
IN brief remarks introduced Mr. Blaine, who
said -
The palpable issue is whether we shall
vote TO sustain the protective tariff now in
force or vote to reduce it. and put il in the
direction OF ultimate free trade in the coun-
try The Morrison bill, which is a direct
attack on the present tariff system, and so far
as Maine is directly interested it is a free
trade bill, for it strikes almost every interest
OF Maine by putting them on the free list Ii
! strikes at the farming interest, the fishing
interest, and large part of the manufactur-
ing interest. That bill was defeated by very
small majority. and the author of it, dis
| tinguished democratic leader, gave notice be-
tore the adjournment of Congress that he
would call the bill up when Congress assem-
bles next December. 1t therefore cannot be
disguised that the people of every State, in
their election of representatives to Congress
and In the election of such Legislators as are
charged with the election of senator of the
United States, vote directly on that issue
support OF that bill is being made test of
fealty to the democratic party. If the repub-
lican delegation in Congress from Maine
shall be reelected will be the decisive
expression on the part Of Maine
that it is in favor of protection. If
that delegation should be defeated it
would be an equally decisive declaration in
the opposite direction. The defeat of any
member of the delegation would be construed
as an evidence that Maine is giving away on
that issue. There are few things less inter-
estng than to go through an entire tariff dis
cussion, item by item, therefore l shall ask
your attention to a single article. | will take
one upon which the democratic party and the
free traders generally have pointed out as
deserving of special and marked reprobation,
and one to which | have already required
during this canvass. The one thing upon
which they have made this assault is the duty
which was placed in 1870 on steel rails, which
have built the railroads of the United States.
In 1869 there were about thirty-seven 70
thirty eight thousand miles of railroad in the
whole United States Not long before that
hbS ihSlc ildu COtne ACROSS the waters the
intelligence that England was beginning to
use steel rails, and that they were verv much
more durable and better in every way than
iron rails. Some of our people, anxious to
get them, paid at the factory in England
twenty-five ponnds sterling per ton in gold
coin-Sll0 per ton. When they added the
duties and translated it into g.eenbacks the
first steel rails that were laid in this
country on an average cost about
Sl60 to Sl10 per ton. This went on
until 1870. The manufacturers of the
country controlling the iron interests-there
practically was no steel interests-said if YOU
will give us protective duty we can make
rails in this country. Against a united pro-
test of the free trade element, and with the
apprehension and timdity of many of the
protective element of the country, Congress
imposed duty of S2S per ton in gold on
steel rails. The free traders complained
bitterly that this would make the price so
enormous that steel rails could not be used
in this country. Nevertheless we imposed
the duty. had the honor in sharing in the
legislation.
Up to that time. July, 1870. there never
had been made so 900 tons of steel rails in
this country. There had never been made
OF ingot or any other form of steel over no.
600. For the Bessemer steel we depended
entirely on Europe. That was only 1870
What was the result? In fifteen wear. from
that date the manufacturers of the United
States had turned out ten million tons of
steel rsils-enough for 100, 900 miles of rail
way. That so rapidly reduced the price that
in this very last year steel rails sold down to
within fifty cents of the duty alone of 1870,
so that rails were furnished at the shop at
S2S- 80 ton, where they had originally cost
Sl60 to $40 ton. And while we were
doing this we increased the steel product
of other kinds-every form of steel that was
needed-until within the same period we
produced in this country fifteen million tons
of ingot and other steel, as shown by the Off
cial statistics, ten million tons of steel rails
and fifteen million tons of ingot and other
steel. If the cost Of that be averaged it will
be found to be about $50 ton. We started
at very high price and kept decreasing so
that the average was about $50. Therefore
that product sold in this country for $780,
000,0 900, and the fifteen million tons Of ingot
and other steel at the same price sold for
500, 900, 900. So that the steel product
from July, 1870, to July. 1885, amounted at
the selling price in this country to $780,
100000. want to say a word to the labor
ingman as to the cost of that steel
When labor put its hands to it, it was moth
ing except iron ore in the mine Labor met
it there, where it was worth just ten cents a
ton royalty. With the exception of that ten
cents ton, every dollar OF that 81, ,25O, ,OOO,-
900 was the product of labor. What did
labor get out of that? They say these steel
manufacturers made a great sum; no doubt
they did. They went into an experiment
which took enormous capital, and they had
to make great plant. Put it at the very outside
and they made for themselves $3.50 200, 900,
putting it at its extreme. / don't think that
they actually made anything like that amount,
but for argument sake it is admitted. They
left, therefore, one thousand millions to be
distributed to the strong arms and the brawny
hands of the skilled labor which made that
steel. Tremendous applause.
Was 1t not better to have tnat steel made
here and keep that one thousand millions at
home? (voices, Eyes, yes," and applause) q,
and the other $3.50, ,00O too? We never
would have bought that 25,000 900 tons of
steel at $50 if England had been left with the
monopoly OF this market, as she had when
that high duty was put on. She never would
have reduced the price. 1t was competition
in this country that did it, so that not only
was one thousand millions paid out to the
labor of the country, but the railroads of the
country got their steel rails vastly cheaper
than they ever could have got them if they
had been left dependent on England. If that