The Portland daily press., 1888-02-10
TIMELY WORDS.
Senator Sherman's Speech Before
the Home Market Club.
Industrial and Political Questions OF
the Day Clearly Defined.
Interesting Review of the Reform
Methods Of the Administration.

from all parts Of the country were present al
the banquet of the Home Market Club at the
Vendome this evening. Among them were
Senator Sherman, Congressman Goff of Wesi
Virginia, Ely and Russell, of Massachusetts,
and Mckinley of Ohio. Senator Sherman
was the first speaker. On rising, he was
greeted with three cheers, and at an interval
of every hundred words or so, was interrupt
ed with applause. Senator Sherman firsi
emphasized the value of a home market com
pared with foreign market, and said the
home market deals with over eight billions Of
agricultural products, and six billions of man
ufastures annually, while the foreign mar
ket deals only with billion and half OF ex-
ports and imports annually, more than hall
of these being home products. All the cap
ital and labor employed in the production
and transportation of home market products
is American while the foreign market is con-
Quoted entirely by foreigners, and nearly
half the foreign products are made by for
eign labor. The imports, in highest years
are less than six per cent. of the home prod
ucts, while we export less than per cent
OF our food products, the rest being consum
ed at home. In view of these facts, he won
dered why so many gentlemen of education
and character are willing to endanger the
wonderful developmentl.of home industrie:
to increase foreign commerce. We can ex'
cuse such professors as Sumner and Perry
whose theories exclude love of country, and
rest only upon the universal good of man
but the best we can do for mankind is to dc
the best for our country. In Congress, al
least, we are supposed to legislate for the
United States.
Referring to Mr.. Lowell's Characterization
of President Cleveland as the best lepresen.
tative of the higher type of Americanism
since Lincoln Senator Sherman said: Thus
ty with its confidence and trust, places
Cleveland above Grant, the great soldier OF
the country; above Hayes, who certainly
gave the country pure and excellent adj
ministration, and Lowell himself; above
Garfield, one of the most accomplished
American Statesmen; above Arthur, in
and a prudent and able President.
Now for what has Cleveland been distin-
guished to justify this eulogy? First, for a
promise OF civil service reform, and ne has
practlced the most general and sweeping re-
movals in public offices since the government
was established. He found 1859 presidential
postmasters in office, and removed or
changed 1000. The Postmaster General, out
of 81 900 employees, removed 10000. Out OF
80 ministers abroad, the President has re-
moved or changed 30, a large proportion OF
whom were men distinguished in the war
against the Union. Out of $4,000 places he
has removed or changed $4,000, and out OF
this $1,000 there are not 80 Republicans
named to justify the eulogy is the recent
message Of the President recommending that
all taxes on home products be continued, and
duties on imports be largely reduced. The
inevitable effects of this policy is to increase
home market and especially, to reduce the
wages of all engaged in industries compet-
ing with foreign production"
The Senator then said that the surplus had
been growing since the war, and had enabled
the country to pay off a vast debt. Gladstone
told him, 20 years ago, that this would be as
great victory as success in war. The sur
plus could be reduced at any time by paying
the debt, but the Administration would not
do this, as its object was to break down the
tariff At any time, in the last Congress,
taxation could have been reduced but for the
desire of the Speaker and President to strike
at home industries rather than reduce taxa
tion. A majority of the House, though
Democratic, would have passed in an hour a
bill reducing taxation If it had been permit
ted by the Speaker to vote upon the reduc-
tion of internal, rather than external taxes.
Today, If the House was not packed to de-
feat its will, bill to make all the reduction
recommended by the President could be
promptly passed; but the truth is, the Pres
ident and the controlling elements of his
party are determined to use the exigency
which he has created to force Congress to
reduce the taxes in their way so as to strike
dangerous blow at domestic industries.
Because of this, he receives q, high ,eulogy
though distinguished as a literary man, has
no perception of the interests or business of
this great republic.
The speaker then answered few points
in Senator Morgan's speech at the Tariff Re-
form League banquet, and then entered into
an elaborate explanation of our system OF
protection and its effects on our manufac-
lures. Finally he said: 'The Presidents
policy will not reduce the revenue, but will
absolutely increase it, and swell the surplus
as well as disturb the business of the coun-
try. 1t will necessarily check the enormous
productions of the country, and increase and
harden competition between European and
American labor, reduce the wages of all La
boring men employed in protected industries
and disturb or break down large depart
ments of industry now in course Of success
full experiment. 1t is departure from the
policy recommended Dy our fathers, under
which manufactures have grown to their re-
cent enormous aggregate. 1t is departure
from policy adopted by the most
intelligent nations OF Europe and America
carefully revised. Every essential nom
competing imported raw material should
be admitted free, and all the necessaries OF
life, if non-competing. Protection should
be granted every manufacture which can be
conducted with reasonable success by its
aid. The internal revenue tax should be re-
duced or repealed. In this way, the revenue
should be reduced to the necessities of the
government and their requirements of the
sinking fund for the pnyment of the debt,
including in the necessities of the govern
ment proper appropriation for the improve:
ment Of harbors, the, defence Of the sea
coasts, the increase of the mercantile marine,
transporting the mails to foreign countries
Union soldiers, the widows and orphans
Above all, he would impartially protect the
home market from the deluge of foreign I'M.
portations and encourage, maintain, diver
sify and establish ON sure foundation the
industries of our people in all parts of the
country.
Other speakers were Representatives Nc.
Kinley and Gotf.
History of the First Maine Cavalry
II