The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-03

and propogating processes which have been
adopted by the fishery commission we are in
creasing the supply there immensely. Upon
the Pacific coast today, just being touched as
IL were, we are beginning to develop fisher
les which promise to produce enough almost
70 supply the whole world, il we can have
our business protected, II we can have that
protection from our government which be-
longs TO us and which every other nation gives
to its fishery interests. Why, gentlemen,
upon the Grand Banks today there are four
hundred and more French fishermen, and
for every quintal of fish they take into
France they get two dollars, and every fish
erman gets bounty OF ten dollars yearly.
France Is realizing exactly what the pr0tec-
tion of her fisheries means. She sees Great
Britain taking possession, with her vast
ocean tonnage. of the marine interests OF the
world, and she realizes that she must do
something to protect her own interests upon
the seas. The United States must also do
something to protect her interests. England
has possession of nearly all the steamships
that cross the ocean; with railroad to Van
couver, and fortifying, as she Is, the Pacific
coast, making it depot for supplies, she has
circle around the globe, embracing
all the commercial ports and today she
Is dominating the world. The United
States has got to take some position on this
question. What do we find in Washington?
We find the committee Of marine and fish
cries organized against us, almost entirely.
You have got one noble man upon that COM
mittee. Nelson Dingley, a gentleman who
knows his business and knows how to work,
but at the head of that committee is Mr..
Dunn of Arkansas, who can hardly tell
teri and he Is there conducting the marine
interests of this countryl 1t Is high time
that our people were awakened to these in
fuences and to the Importance Of these mat
tiers. Why. gentlemen, we know that the
people Of this country, the men who work
with their hands more especially. are not in
favor OF giving away every principle of right
and justice m respect to our own products
and our resources. The Golden Club of
England numbers among its members Mr..
John G. Carlysle, the speaker Of the House
Of Representatives., who presides over the COM
mittee handling the public business of the
United States; it also numbers among its
members Senator Vance of North
Carolina, and Senator Beck The Golden
Club made the treaty which the Senate re-
jected. Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain and Mr..
Thomas +. Bayard are members of that
club, and they together have the control of
the negotiations entirely. Those are the
influences which are working against us.
Once was the time when wooden ships were
built in Maine, and we all know that we
then had an advantage Of ten to fifteen dol
lars ton over the English manufacturers of
wooden ships, but when the first iron pro-
peller was built on the Clyde we learned
that England had an advantage which we
did not have. We found the same disparity
between our building iron ships that they
had experienced in the matter of wooden
ships, the difference being in the cost of
labor largely. We had in this country a
man who came here from Ireland when but
twelve years Of age. He learned the ship
carpenters trade, and by industry and per-
severence he succeeded in establishing one
Of the largest shipbuilding industries in the
United States. His business was of such
extent that he was able to reduce the cost
on iron vessels down to about So ton diff
ference between here and Great Britain, or
on the Clyde in Scotland. That man was a
contractor for four government vessel, and
under a ruling of Mr.. Garland that his con-
tract was void, John Roach, the Irishman
who, instead Of coming to this country and
setting up saloon in New York and be-
coming Democrat, came here and became
an American mechanic, working for the in
terests of the American people in that in
dustry, went down to his grave under the
treatment of this administration. That is
where we are, and the marine interests of
this country must look to it. 1 claim that In
the fisheries there are no foreign men who
have the training that our own men have:
there are no sailors equal to our own men
anywhere. There are no men who know so
well as the seamen the ocean In all its moods.
l claim that of all our fishermen Is per cent.
or more are Americans. But II a man comes
into this country honestly. intending to
work, and becomes an American citizen, l
do not know why he is not as loyal, / do not
know why he is not as much entitled to
respect as the men who have been sitting in
Boston, investigating this matter, and who
twenty-five years ago endeavored to destroy
this government and pull down the Amer
lean flag which you have hoisted here to-
night. Applause.
Captain Babson then discussed the
pension question briefly, and in conclu-
sion said: "Now, gentlemen, as l stated be-
fore, we are going into this campaign with
these issues before us, and we are going to
win. L want you to understand that thor
oughly; have not the least doubt Of it.
There are forces at work which will no long
er tolerate the inconsistency and the un-
Americanism Of the present administration.
From its first Inauguration 1t has not been In
sympathy or in harmony with American in
dustry or American principles. / have been
astonished myself. and | will confess it.
President Cleveland has been what is called
smart, | will acknowledge but what he has
done has been for smart purpose. It was
a trick that the President of these United
States should not have performed. He con-
suited Mr.. Brice, chairman of the Democrat
ic National Committee, and asked his opinion
as to the effect of this action in a political
sense, and even the Boston Herald Of today,
thoroughly English in all its sympathies,
comes out and questions the propriety of
this action, and says to President Cleveland:
y You are not there, sir, to play tricks for po-
litical advantage. You are there to admins
ter the power given to you by the people of
the United States for the benefit OF the
people Of the United States, and for no other
purpose.
II hope and trust that every man, at this
election, not so much.as partisan, but as an
American, will weigh in his mind the conse-
quences Of his ballot, want to say to the
fishermen, especially, that your vote either
endorses Bayard and Cleveland or it en-
dorses Frye, Hale and Edmunds. 1t either
endorses the men who have fought this fight
for years, or it goes directly against them.
There is no halfway business about it. l
predict right here that Gloucester will 60
thousand plurality in favor Of the Republi-
can ticket, not so much because it is the Re-
publican ticket as that it embodies the ma
tional principles which are so dear to the
heart of every true American. / do not
know what further / can say to you upon
this occasion. l have given you my best
ideas in regard to matters concerning which
| have felt that have had opportunities to
know, and / ask you, one and all, to Judge
impartially. to think Of the nation as aggre-
gated individuals, and vote for American in
dustries. American homes, American princl-
pies, and all our interests, just as you would
for your own homes and for your own inter-
ests.
Three cheers were then given for the
speaker, and after several fine selections by
the band, the meeting adjourned.