The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-01

and was contradicted in every line of all the
free trade experience L have quoted from
speeches against the Republican party as
having favored trusts, to hold them respon-
sible for their existence and to introduce il
as an issue in National campaign, but even
the Democrats, who are making these
speeches, when put upon their responsibility
as legislators, did not dare to bring the sub
ject forward. They knew, if the President
did not, that trusts were derived from State
charters and did not exist under National
law.
SOME RECENT HISTORY.
Nor did the passage of the Mills tariff bill
through the Democratic House afford the
only occasion in the history of Congress,
that the Democratic party very unanimously
backed out of any investigation of trusts. l
do not desire to be personal or censorous
and, least OF all, dol accuse any man, but
II is fresh in the memory of all my hearers
that since President Cleveland was inaugur-
atei, it was charged that Senator from
great State owed his election to bribery, to
bribery of the rankest character ever
charged in our political history. So notori-
GUS was the charge that the legislature of
the State memorialized the Senate of the
IN Rnitea states on the subject and asked only
the favor that there might be an open. fair
and fuil investigation. The bribery was
charged against one of the most prominent
members of perhaps the largest trust
in the United States. Far be it from me to
say that he was guilty. | know nothing of
him. Certainly know nothing to his per-
sonal discredit but the charge was made, and
made openly; not made anonymously, not
made In corner, not made by an individual
responsible or irresponsible, not made mere
ly by newspaper but made by the legisla-
ture Of what the Democrats are fond of call
ing "a sovereign state of this Union"
There. my friends, was the opportunity for
these lrrepressible, yeraci0uS, omniverous,
enthusiastic Democratic opponents of trusts
to get right into the secret history, if there
was history, of all the crooked transactions,
II there were any crooked tranactions, of one
Oh the largest trusts in the nation, to aScer-
tain whether it was a guilty monster,
whether 1t was corrupt and dangerous or
ing for the election of United States senators
and buying up State legislatures by the out
lay OF vast sums of money.
- we have seen that the contriyers of the
Mllls tariff bill avoided the whole subject
and now what did these Democratic sena-
tors, many of them still in the service. these
senators that are preparing to make stump
speeches on the Republican niQuity in the
matter OF trusts; what did they do? Did
they spring forward eagerly to. the investi-
COTTON? Did they champ their senatorial
bits with impatience to get into the race for
VINO should first chase these wicked trusts,
or this one wicked trustdown2 Not one of
them They worked against investigation.
Ihey combined against investigation lest
one stray senator might express faint de-
sire to look into the matter of trusts and of
the corruption charged upon the chief of
them. They caucussed against investiga-
tion.. They voted unanimously against
touching the matter. If the alleged trust
fled from it more rapidly. Not even ten SOW
erelgn states could have induced them to go
into the subject at all. They did not want
to know anything about trusts, especially if
any member OF those trusts had been resort
Ing to bribery in order to elect a senator of
the United States to sit on the Dem
ocratic side of the chamber. Not alone
did the Democratic members of the
United States Senate resist this inyesti-
cation, but they were urged thereto with all
the force of President Cleveland's admins
tration, for there were reasons affecting that
administration that made it quite as eager to
suppress investigation into the alleged cor
ruption OF the Senatorial election, and into
the connection Herewith Of money derived
from this great trust, as those which affected
In fact, the tar of that stick made a some-
what general besmearing in the Democratic
ranks and both outside and inside of the ad-
ministration, they were determined to have
no Investigation. But now when all chances
TO investigate the bribery and the trust money
that was alleged to be behind it, and all
chances to insert anything about trusts in the
Mills tariff bill have safely gone by. the DEM
ocratic papers can make loud noise over
trusts; brave member of Congress can fire
blank cartridges at the whole system of trusts
by putting in on occasion bill, which is at
once referred to the tomb of the Capulets,
with no possible hope Of resurrection in this
world or the next. [Laughter.l
IN THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
In my speech at Portland, l said that /
should neither discuss the advantage nor the
disadvantage of trusts, whatever they might
be, nor shall now. They have no place in
4 national campaign. They are State issues,
and if an offensive trust should come up in
Maine, the Republican party, responsible as
t Is for the legislation of the State. will not
be lacking in the energy and effectiveness
with which it will meet its proper response
oility. only referred to the subject at Port
and, as L refer to it here, to show that Presi-
lent Cleveland's effort to charge whatever
there may be in trusts upon the protective
policy, was without any justification what
ever, and was weak offset to the
prodigious effort with which, three years
ago, his administration smothered all
Investigation into the largest of trusts and
the studied neglect into which the ways and
means committee and the Democratic House
treated them in their tariff bill. In the Re-
publican national platform upon which Har-
DcODle.
there is a resolution with which my hon
ored friend from Iowa had much to do, re-
ferrlng to trusts, in which there is a wise
made as to the legislative
power which shall control them and cure the
rebels connected with them. That resolu-
ton recommended to Congress and to the
State legislatures in their respective jurisdic-
tlons, such legislation as will prevent the ex-
ecution of all the schemes to oppress the peo-
pie by undue charges on their supplies or by
aT6dScs rates te 6e & che t Of their
convention referred the trusts to the jurisdic-
ton of State legislatures and the Interstate
commerce to the power of Congress, making
precisely the distinction upon which my re-
marks at Portland and my remarks today are
based. The Republican party assigns trusts
to the power that can deal with them. rhe
President, in his message, referred them to
those bywhom he knew all efficient action on
the subject was impracticable and impossi-
BILE.
PORTLAND INTERESTS AT STAKE.
And now, my friends, few words on an
other subject. The county of Piscatsquis is
not fishing county, [laughter,l but it be-
longs to State that has large fishing inter-
est on the coast, and you know. without my
telling you, how completely the interest of
those fishermen were sacrificed in the treaty
which was made by a special commission of
which the Democratic candidate for Cover
nor in this State was one. You know, also,
how that treaty although supported
and urged by President Cleve-
land was absolutely rejected by
the Senate of the United States. The Con-
stitution requires that treaty, before it be-
comes law, shall be ratified by two-thirds
Of the Senate, but this treaty, instead of get
ting two-thirds in its favor came much near
er getting two-thirds against it. Laughter
The President, though intensely displeased
with the issue, was unable to strike at the
Senate, which was on top, and seems to have
concluded that the next best thing was to
shy a stone at the under dog. which was
Canada laughter and applausel, and he did
SO IN an astonishing manner. A long while
ago, when we were beginning to have rail-
way connection with Canada, and when
trade was growing between the Dominion
and the United States, Congress enacted a
provision authorizing transit through the
territory of the United States of merchan-
disc between Canada and the United States
The ports of New York, Boston and Port
land were designated in the act, leaving to
the Secretary of the Treasury to designate
such others as he might choose Well, you
don't need to be told by me that under that
clause very large trade has grown up be-
tween! Canada and Portland as the main
seaport of our State trade that has been
of such consequence and value TO Portland,
that, if it were struck down. you might as
well knock five millions out of her valuation
You know, in the county of Piscataquis, that
you are soon to be traverSed by the Megan-
tic road, which, in connection with the
Maine Central will make another transit