The Portland daily press., 1888-08-28
TO BELITTlE THE TARIFF QUESTION.
President cIeyeland's Performances
on the Fishery Treaty,
And How II Knocks In Pieces Mr.. Put
nam's Position.
MIR. BiaIne's Speech to Thousands
at WatervIIIe Yesterday.

IL
tended by people from the town and neigh
borhood. Mr.. Blaine was the chief speaker
at the afternoon meeting. which was held in
the square in front of the Coburn Classical
Institute, and which was attended by three
thousand enthusiastic people. He had left
the Poland Spring House at noon. Upon
reaching Waterville, soon after o'clock. by
the vestibule train which made a special
stop here on his account, he was given
most cordial reception by Mr.. E. F. Webb.
chairman of the day, a committee and big
crowd. Immediately afterwards he was es-
corted to the place of meeting by uniformed
companies. among them being organizations
from Skowhgan. Pittsfeld and Winthrop
The Harrison Brigade of Wateryille in the
Continental regalia, were conspicuous in
this line. Seventy-fiye men in this company
will vote for the first time with the Repub-
lican party at this coming election. The
business mems club of Waterville, with tall
hats and gay red and blue military caps
turned out magnificent line. Prominent
in line were many of the leading business
men of Waterville. Winslow had 50 men in
uniform. and the companies from Pittsfeld,
Skowhegan and Oakland were prominent in
the procession.
Mr.. Blaine was introduced by Hon. E. f.
Webb of Waterville. Mr.. Webb, in intro
ducing Mr.. Blaine, said:
In the highlands of Scotland dwells one of
heightened years, of great experience in
public affairs, whose eminent craftsmanship
IS interviewer with the political history Of
Great Britain, and whose able and peerless
championship of Irish rights against crown
ed, aristocratic England has earned for him
sell and from the common people the singu-
lar, but expressive title OF the grand old man
In America is one who has served ns coun-
try with distinguished ability, in many pub
lie positions, never shrinking from any duty,
however peril0uS, always leading public
opinion and never following, who believes in
American honor, in American principles,
and IN the dignity OF the American flag. We
may well call him our grand old man. pre-
sent to you Names most honored son, Mr..
James G. Blaine.
AS Mr.. Blaine came forward to speak, the
crowds greeted him with tremendous burst
Of enthusiasm, lasting for several minutes.
His speech occupied about twenty minutes.
The crowds listened with special Alteration,
repeatedly cheering He said:
MR.. BLAINE's SPEECH.
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow Citizens MY
voice seems in chronic state of hoarse-
ness, and is so much worse than usual this
afternoon that fear l shall be able to speak
very briefly and that without comfort to
myself or satisfaction to the audience. If |
had not especially desired to be present
wherever | am announced to speak in the
old Kennebec district think should have
cut this meeting and gone directly home, but
have, for these many years, had too much
m 10 ,f
received from them in every form such
oceans of kindness and confidence that no
task they can lay upon me can ever be too
heavy; no request they can make win ever
be denied, and, therefore, am here. rAp-
plause.
l am here to say few words on two sub
jects only. The town of Waterville is one of
the most prosperous and progressive In the
State OF Maine. 1t has grown within the
last ten years with the rapidity of one of
destined to be one of the largest centres of
industry in the State Of Maine. 1t is admir-
ably suited and fitted to that end. 1t has
magnificent water. 1t has large transporta-
tion facilities. 1t is surrounded by Gordon
OF prosperous and wealthy farming towns.
Your destiny for increased prosperity here
after, and for great enlargement of popula-
tion is fixed and settled unless you shall be
interfered with by some maladministration
ot the National government, and with one of
threatened. The proposition now made by
the President of the United States and the
Democratic House Of Representatives is to
change the revenue laws and the protective
system under which Waterville has
SO auspiciously begun her manu.
featuring career. shall not
spend any time in expressing sympathy for
the stockholders and owners in manufac-
tories themselves. They represent capital
ana VIII be certain to protect themselves.
/ IN caU ic 70 ba Ioho horir 6
Waterville and, through them, to wage
workers everywhere, that, if there be a
serious reduction of duty as now proposed
on the articles which you are manufacturing,
you will not be able to maintain the scale Of
wages that is now paid. By way of illustra-
ti0n let me suppose that instead of serious
reduction of our tariff, President Cleveland S
proposition was to go to direct free trade
and put us on exactly the same basis as Eng
land. Is there any man so unwise as not to
see that being reduced at once to direct COM
petition with English cotton manufacturers,
we should be compelled to have labor at the
same price with England and, If you serious
ly reduce the tariff, your labor will 60 down
pro rata in the direction of English wages.
Ii you hold the. tariff as protective in charac-
ter as It now is, you can hold the wages
where they are. But it is the idlest jabber
that ever was spoken to idiots, / won't say
by idiots, [laughterl to tell the American
people that you can have free trade in cot
and that the owners Of the factories can pay
any higher wages than the men with whom
they come in direct competition in the
market. / take 1t that is proposition so sim
pie that no man can successfully dispute it.
Let us pursue this point little farther.
Suppose free trade should come; do you sup
pose that all the factories in the country
would be shut down and all the mills closed /?
Not at all. But they will 60 on with an en-
forced and absolute reduction of wages, for
4 n q % hnl anA aw.1 l,kA ali
not help itself and must submit. And yet
today, at the hour speak to wage workers
In Maine and to wage-workers throughout
the. whole United States, it is entirely within
their power to protect themselves absolutely
and an completely every one of them has a
himself and those dependent on him.
A voice, "We will'' and great applause. |
And If a man is not willing to protect him.
self by going to the polls and voting in the
complain of suffering after the calamity is
upon him. He should stand it like a man
and say, Because of my attachment to the
Democratlc party and my admiration for
PRESIDENT Cleveland, its chief, 1 did this
thing and although have to repent in sack
cloth and sashes, thank God l was a DEM
crat," Laughter and applause.l IL he
thinks his attachment to the Democratic
party is full pay for his reduction of wages,
we can only leave him to his peculiar enjoy
ment.
repeat, therefore, my original PROPOSE
tion, that this great question of a protective
tariff is one that comes to the door of every
wage-worker in the land, and if | talked ali
day, l could not make that IDEA more plain,
for 1t is one of those self-evident PROPOSE.
tions that carries its logical con.
clusion with the simple statement
That Idea, with the apprehension it creates,
has got into the heads of the Democratic
leaders. 1t has reached the White House
and it has received the sovereign notice OF
the President and his constitutional and no
litical advisors, and now the President and
the Democratic party have said to themselves
and to each other, IF we can't stop this
free trade discussion among the people we
shall rapidly drift to ruin. If we can't stop
this popular arraignment of our party foI
hostility to the protective tariff, we shall be
beaten dlsastrously in November. What
shall we do in this crlslsY
And then comes the happy thought. eve
must divert the attention of the people. we
must get them to thinking of something else
we must take their minds off this ouestion
of protection: we must get out of the nm
lucky hole into which we have put our foot
Tappiause.l; and we must get up great
scrimmage with Canada over the fishery
question" says the President. Laughter
and long continued applause.l
Fellow citizens. this attitude of the Presi-
reflect that in 1886 and 1887 the President
calmly allowed our fishermen to suffer avery
indignity along the shores of British Ameri-
ca, "a voice, "True, true."l Congress then
passed a law giving the President the right
to retaliate by refusing to Canadian vessels
the Commercial privileges in our ports which
they denied our vessels in their ports. But