The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-13
tcoNpsNUEp From r1Rsr pAsE.l

The result of the uniting of capital and
labor is profit, and the question is what is
fair share for each? How can you find out?
Only by discussions between those who
furnish the labor and those who furnish
the capital, and if each has a thorough
knowledge of the others business and the
others wants, they will reach some fair con-
cluslon IN regard to 1t. But the conclusion
you reach today is not the conclusion that
will do for tomorrow. Sometimes business
is prosperous, and sometimes it is not. and
the question is OF q division of large profits
today and of lsmall profits tomorrow, and
there has got to be perpetual discussion,
each thoroughly understanding the other,
and when they do that, the result has got to
be fairly just.
Now, if men combine, and can manage to
get fail. justice done better that way, if they
have the approval of the community, they
will work out their own salvation. But these
questions are questions that are settled, for
the most part, outside of legislation. When
ever the community becomes satisfied that
piece of legislation, like the ten hour law,
ought to be enacted, it is Just as sure to be
enacted as you and are to live We are all
governed by law. and we have all got to be
satisfied with the reasons for new things; we
have got to discuss those matters, and when
the community discuss them and understand
them, don't you believe they will act reason
you an Illustration of the laws of nature,
which claim are superior to any laws of
Congress. In looking at the annual report of
the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul Rail
road the other day, in newspaper, found
these astonishing results. Twenty years ago,
road got for every ton of freight that it car
ried mile the sum of 11-100 cents; in 1875,
ten years ago, it only got 10-100 cents; last
year it only got 2S-100 cents. For twenty
years. then, steadily, the price of freight
/ 28-10O cents, all of which is for the benefit
of the community, for if a farmer can trans
port his grain cheaper, he can afford to take
a less price for it, and you and get the ben
eft of it, and he can afford to add something
this railroad would not rather carry the
freight at 11-100 cents per ton per mile? /
am sure it would. Why doesn't it? Be-
cause it cannot help itself: because the law
of competition has forced it down, and will
go on forcing it down, a result beneficial to
the people. Why, it has cost less the past
year, almost, to transport q Barrel of flour
from Chicago than the cost of trucking it
from the DEPOT to your house, Thousand
miles railroading against one mile OF
Le~~Another instance: was standing one day
| by Michigan railroad, and the manager OF
| the road said to me, ''Do you see that rail
thereP" said, YES Said he. ''That has
been there six years, and that is the hardest
place upon the read; that is steel rail, and
when we used iron rails we used to place a
new one there every six months This one
has been there six years, and it locks like a
new one now, and we are going to have upon
our railroad steel rails throughout" Said L,
| "You ought to save a lot of money" Said
he, eve can do our business for SO per cent
less. That is, we take dollar, and with DC
| cents we will pay our expenses and the other
80 cents will go to our stockholders. It now
| costs us 20 per cent. for expenses" Said |,
| "That is good luck for stockholders, is ii
mt c' said hp tVpS Will give them some
| more dividends Did they? Why no; the
next railroad alongside put in steel rails,
| too, and the manager of that road said, now
we are making so per cent. and if we take
from the other road" but the other road
said, I'VE are making 80 ler cent. and we
will take off 10 per cent. !" and then the other
took off Is per cent, and the first one took
off 20 per cent and that left them just where
they were before, with only 80 per cent, of
their earnings left to go to their stockholders
and their bondholders. What became of the
20 per cent. Was it lost? No. 1t all went
for the benefit of the people. 1t lowered
freights instead of raising dividends.
There can be no invention, there can be
no improvement made that will not in short
time have to be disposed among the people.
| say that is law greater than any law
Congress can enact. 1t is a law of God,
eternal, immutable, made for the benefit OF
his creatures. (Applause.) 1t IS practical
communism which outyalues all the COM
munism of the theOriSt.
have only a few more words to say. This
is the last meeting we shall have before the
election. l will not venture to say to you
what my hopes or my anticipations are. |
only desire to return thanks to my fellow
citizens for the fayors they have shown me
in the past, for the thorough support which
they have always given me ia my native
city. As to the rest of ticket / believe that
it deserves and that it will have your sup
port. Great applause.) | believe you will
stand united upon it all that you will give it
your strength, and believe that when we
get through you will find all the men upon it
elected to the offices for which they have
been nominated. (Applause.) Now to that
end you must address efforts which will be
more powerful than mine, for, after all,
where is this country governed? In Wash
| ington? have never thought so since
| have been there. This country is governed
right here it is governed in proportion to
| his size and capacity and sense,
| by every man in this audience. You have,
therefore, duties to perform. Occupying the
position of governor of this country, what
do you owe to it? You owe good sound
sense. You owe a careful examination OF
| the facts; you owe an honest vote, in accor-
dance with your conscientious belief. There
is no occasion to turn back to the prejudices
of the last twenty-five years. New, events
have come upon us; new era has dawned,
and we should readjust ourselves to them,
we should make our votes express our salts
faction, or dissatisfaction, with the way in
which he have been governed for the past
two years. (Applause.) That is the plain
and simple problem.
Now, / have no long or eloquent sentences
with which to close. have given you, so
for as I have been able, fair, candid state
ment of facts, upon which your judgment
must be based, and the matter now rests
with you. Great applause)