Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-08-28

oiate anu upon nls eIectlon II VIII be made
so. IApplausel There is another thing,
mark you l am following the State and not
the nation. which has worried, harrassed aud
embarrassed laboring men in many directions
and that Is that if they happen TO owe some
body little money and were unable to paw
when demanded they would be caught up
quite suddenly and hsrshly by trustee proc
ess on the wages owed them. Now l am
quoting again from Mr.. Bodwell, and he said
that law ought to be abolished Applause
and that the trustee process for the wages of
any laboring man should not be allowed in
this State, and it won't be when the next leg
islature has adjourned.
Then there is third, a more inhuman and
indefensible wrong than either of these
nave spoken of; not only inhuman and inde-
fenslble but absurd at the same time, and
that is that il a man happens to owe little
money that he cannot pay, he can be brought
to disclosure. and at a certain period in the
proceedings he can be sent to Jail. OF all
absurd things in the world. the most is, that
II man owes you money and cannot pay it,
you stop his ability to earn anything and
send him to Jail where he cannot do a stroke
OF work. That is not only cruel but fra.
grantly absurd. and after the next legislature
has adjourned it will not be on the statute
u u,
that Is that the labor system of the country
has been interfered with and great wrong
has been done by putting children at too del
lcats an age, without physical strength to en-
dure 1t and without the necessary education,
into factory work, and Bodwelrs opinion, in
which have the honor to concur, is that
they shouldn't be allowed to go into that
work under fifteen years of age. Last win.
ter Mr. Bodwell was called upon by some one
VINO wished to know his view, long before he
was nominated and even very markedly
named for the nomination, before he became
prominent as a candidate, and he gave the
views which have now set forth. He re-
peated them with emphasis in his letter of
acceptance and think it wouldn't be very
hard to guess that you will find them in his
first annual message AS Governor of Maine
Great Applause.
l dwell on these as State regulations for the
State can do much to alleviate many of the
harkships, the wrongs, and the outrages, but
never dwell on them with the idea that they
are anything like so important to the labor
ing man as the protective tariff which the
National republican party has placed upon
the statute books. State legislation NAV diff
fer, republicans in different States may pur-
sue different lives, but the republicans of
the nation, represented in Congress pursue
but one line, and that line, from the hour
that the party came into power to the moment
am now speaking, has been steady and con
tinuous In support of protective tariff. |
do not underrate, do not depreciate, would
not neglect the reforms and remedies and the
cures which the State can accomplish,
but l would be unfaithful to nv
own convictions if | did not in every
presence and on every platform where
have the honor to appear and to every audi
ence that does me the honor to listen to me
that every other piece of legislation in this
country is comparatively, mark you, say
comparatively of minor influence when put
alongside OF the influence exerted upon the
labor of this country by a protective tariff,
lApplause and confess my surprise that
any ASSOCIATION of laboring men, and there
are many in wise and patriotic associations
l confess my surprise that in any one of those
associations there should ever be doubt or
hesitation in endorsing the protective tariff
as sheet anchor of rights of American la
Dor the one that must be through good re-
port and through evil report from beginning
to end.
Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to speak of the
important matters which depend upon the re-
suit OF the approaching election in this State
and concluded commencing Mr.. Bodwell and
Congressman Dingley to the voters.