Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-01
GREATEST GATHERING
Ever Held in PiSCataquiS Coun-
ty, Listens to Mr.. Blaine,
Who ReiterateS His Portland
Remarks Concerning Trusts,
Giving Additional Facts Which May En-
tighten Certain Democratic Editors.
He Defines Trusts and the Authority which
Should Govern Them.
Striking Contrast between Democratic
and Republican Methods Of Deal
ing with Them.
DOVER, Aug. l3.

DOVER, Aug l3.
Mr.. Blaine spoke at Foxcroft, which is
almost part of Dover this, afternoon. and
people from all parts of the Piscataqus
county were there to hear him. He arrived
by special train about ~ 30 o'clock and was
escorted to the residence of Mr.. S. o.
Brown, whose guest he became for the
next hour or so. A feature of the process
Monson who wore badges inscribed Protect
our Slate" Soon after 2 o'clock a great
open air meeting was held at the academy
grounds and the chairman Hon. w. 4. Par
sons described it as 1.-THE greatest political
gathering in the history of our county" The
list of vice presidents contained Is names,
representing lStowns and of the names 10
were said to be those of men who voted for
Cleveland four years ago
Mr.. Blaine was given three times three
when he reached the grounds, and the ap-
plause was very hearty when he was intro
duced as ''Our own James G. Blaine" He
spoke for little over an hour. The part of
his speech in relation to trusts was from a
manuscript for as he afterwards said, al
though he hated to read speech he wanted
to make the statements exact. The speech
was as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN =
In some remarks at Portland a fortnight
ago, | had occasion to say that the Presidents
nl, fl.a Of hat
are known as trusts" in this country, to the
protective tariff, as he did in his last annual
message, was utterly groundless and unjusti
able | said then, as | repeat now, that
trusts flourish to greater extent under the
free trade policy of England than tn, do
under the protective policy of the United
States, aud gave one extreme instance in
VIII ch the whole bust ess of burying til,
d al in the United Kingdom bad been com
mitted to a trust in which all the undertakers
we're stockholders, and that preferential
bonds were issued upon this grim and ghastly
trust for the financial market | held in my
hand an extract which had myself cut from
a London paper, stating these facts in detail.
! Immediately thereafter, class OF EDITORS
who think that contradiction means an argu
ment, and that an impudent denial will take
the place of a sober fact, assaiied me for
4
of them procured telegram from London
stating that they did not in England even
know what the phrase Trusts" implied.
Laughter Neither did we in the United
States until within two or three years, for it
is simply a modern use of word to describe
that which has existed for a long time, name
", a combination of trade esmen or manufac-
turers in given line to keep up the price of
an article which they may all be engaged in
selling, and that form of combination or
monopoly, or, as it is now called. trusts, not
only fourishes more rankly i'll England than
in the United States, but it was from Eng
land and Eugishmen that the commercial
device was imported into the United States.
The London iron trade circular of June 80,
in referring to an instance to which | have
elsewhere made allusion declares it TO be
''the largest amalgamation of business firms
which has ever been accomplished In Eng
land" On July 14th, the iron and steel
trades journal of London says "the practice
of the combination to maintain the prices in
certain branches of business is extending in
England" 1t points out "a great increase
of combinations to sustain the iron trade"
! 1t further SAYS that "the makers of carriage,
cart, and wagon axles recently united for the
purpose of establishing an advance, and that
the alliance has succeeded in upholding
higher prices" Another statement sets forth
that 'the manufacturers of sheet iron have
| Joined together to prevent free competition,
and that more than twenty firms have shared
/ in the effort, the members of the un-
ion pledging themselves to abide as to
the price by the decision of the ma jority.'
Still another is the well known "wood screw
combination of Birmingham" which was the
exemplar and precedent for whatever was
attempted in the same line in this country.
Still another, which has recently been called
to my notice is a combination is some glass
paltery which, not being able to take in all
the trade attempted "to turn the tradesmen
of other kinds against those who persisted in
remaining out, and practically boycotted
them" | might cite many more and worse,
for | repeat what said before that England
is plastered over with theses combinations
which are now called trusts in this country
and the men who denied it either knew moth
| ing of the subject or were striving to conceal
the truth. They may take either horn of
the dilemma. Laughter. The point that
| made tnen that trusts were IN no way
chargeable to protective system but flour
ished even more freely and more widely un-
der free trade system, is abundantly es-
tablished and is well known to all who choose
to read the trade journals of that kingdom.
I Now as to American trusts let me say this,
that there is not one among all the trades in
the land that derives it, being, owes its or
ganizsiion or came up under the patronage
of the national government. Every one of
them derives whatever sanction of law it
possesses from the State government, gem
orally one State, but sometimes several unit
ing in giving vitality to the organization of
the trust, but in no case the government of
the United States. Take the Standard Oil
trust, the wbiskey trust, the cotton seed oil
trust the sugar trust,and various coal trusts,
take the whole list from to Il and not one
of them stands upon or is supported by the
authority of the national law OF the permission
aid approval of the national government.
The President therefore must have known.
certainly be should have known when
he arraign,d trusts in a message 10 Congress
that Congress could not dissolve
them when their charters were
from State legislatures or their organizations
under the State law. If he did not so under
stand it, obviously the democratic House did.
That trusts had no possible legal connection
with the tariff
Has Been Confessed
By the democratic House, confessed by the
/ ways and means committee, confessed by
: every man that stood as an advocate TO free
trade Take the Mills bill, thai the House
or its committee has had under consideration
for months, in which they were seeking to
do the most radical things with our revenue
laws that they dared. That bill, after its
months Incubation, left the House, contain
ing Al sections of 81 octave pages, more than
1900 lines and 1900 words ,ani it does not con-
tain section or page or line or word OF
s, liable relating directly or indirectly, or in
any way whatever, TO trusts The zeal with
which The President started of TO saddle the
; whole of the unpopularity of trusts on the
! protection tariff, and upon the republican
party, seems not even to to have been heard