The Portland daily press., 1888-08-22
TALKING COMMON SENSE IN POLITICS.
Mr.. Reeds Speech to Biddeford
Workingmen Last Night.
The Issue of the Campaign Forcibly
Presented.
A Man who Was Fresh and Wanted
His Salt Free.
Especial to the Press.l


little effect in keeping the voters away from
City Hall where Hon. I. B. Reed spoke on
the great issue of the campaign. This meet
| ing was no exception to the series of great
and enthusiastic audiences that have come
to hear him throughout his canvass in York
| county. At South Berwick yesterday even
| ing he had magnificent audience of over
| two thousand people, and tonight the re-
ception was repeated here. Mr.. Reed spoke
| in the largest audience room in the city.
| The large gallery was reserved for such gen.
tlemen as brought ladies with them, AS the
ladies came out in good numbers, and in spite
the rain, the gallery was well filled. The
| floor Of the hall was reserved for the men
the voters-for the Biddeford police assumed
that small boys have no business with the
tariff question and summarily dismissed such
as applied for admission. But every man
| was admitted, and they soon filled the hall
1t was an interesting and an interested au-
| dience. Most of them were laboring
men, some of them evidently having just
| come from their work. Such as could be
accommodated filled the seats and the rest
ranged themselves along the walls, in the
side aisles and in the open space and door
| ways at the rear of the hall
The presiding officer of the evening was
| Lucius II. Kendall, Esq, who introduced
Mr.. Reed with brief and appropriate re-
marks. On the stage were Hon. Amos AL
len, York county member of the State COM
mittee, Eben Emerson, Levi G. Hanson,
Judge Samuel w. Lucas, all three Tippeca-
noe veterans, DR.. John Lord, James G. Gar
land, George II. Boothby, and other promi-
nent citizens. On the rear of the stage were
the Biddeford Cornet band, fine appearing
organization composed entirely of young
Irishmen of Biddeford
Mr.. Reed. on arising to address his audi
ence, was greeted with loud and long APP
plause from the floor and gallery. Mr. Reed
devoted his speech almost entirely to the
tariff question, which he discussed so brill
iantly and clearly that he held the attention
of his audience, many of whom were stand
ing, through it all. The laboring men of
Biddeford evidently have not lived all their
lives IN one OF the greatest industrial cities
OF Maine without thinking and reading on
the subject of the great tariff system, on
which the prosperity of their city and them
selves solmuch depends for the points of the
speech from first to last were quickly apple
began by telling his audience that he should
require of them all the patience which they
could reasonably be expected TO be possessed
of, for he was to discuss before them plain
questions, questions involving common
sense, 'and you KNOW" he said, show diff
cult it is to talk common sense in politics"
Laughter After remarking how the old
issues had either passed away or been tenn
porarily obscured, Mr.. Reed turned to the
new question that has arisen involving the
prosperity of the country. And by prosper
ity, he meant no vague phrase. When a ma
tion is prosperous the people benefit by it.
And this being so it was very proper to con-
slider tonight whether the system that has
been in force in this country for % years, is
sound or not. What he had to say to-
Mr.. Reed reviewed the history of the free
trade idea in connection with the Democrat
ic party up to the time when President
Cleveland, doing the will of the Sou thern
Northern protectionist wing into voting for
the Mills BILL Speaking of the futile efforts
OF the Democrats to show that the Mills
bills is not free trade measure the speaker
said that when he took up his Democratic
newspaper now-it was not so few weeks
ago-he found it bristling all over with pro-
testations that the Democrats were not for
free trade. Now, party, like man, was to
be known by its company. And where was
every president of free trade club this CAM
paign? Why. stumping for Cleveland and
Thurman There was Everett Wheeler,
travelling free trade orator, and Henry
George, who has been over two continents
and knows his friends when he sees them.
You didn't need a strawberry mark to know
a long lost brother [laughterl; you could also
tell workman by the tools he used. Now,
the chosen instrument of those who wished to
change the tariff was Col. Roger Q. Mills,
chairman OF the ways and means committee
of the House. And what had this Colonel
Mills declared only a short time ago on the
floors OF the House,-that he was for free
labor, free men and free trade. One Of the
most interesting portions of the speech was
that devoted to showing the misleading ma
ture of the percentage argument by which
the Democrats were trying to show that
they were reducing the tariff only a little.
For the purpose of illustration Mr.. Reed
took the case OF one OF the articles on the
acid list, on which there was duty of 1877
per cent, but only about 200 ounces imported
in. the. course of year; and the metal
schedule, which bears an average of 80 per
cent of tariff, and the imports are in the
thousands of tons. Now, using these meth
DDS of averaging, the Democrats would say
that there was an average tariff of 11S per
cent, and declaim about what an awful rob-
berry it was. 1t was by this same unfair
method that they had averaged the high tar
III percentages on some Southern articles
with the zero percentages on Northern ar
ticles put on the free list and displayed
the Mills bill as an apparent protectional
measure.
After speaking of the averages, Mr.. Reed
c0ntlnuen: HOW ABOUT salt, that under the
Mills bill is coming in freeP"
A voice-Let him come.
The speaker-Oh! you want salt. [Roars
OF laughter and applause There is a gen.
tlemen who recognizes the enormous benefit
the Democrats have given him in free salt
More laughter at the expense of the fresh
man, How much does salt cost? WE'LL in
Michigan. you can buy 81 pounds, robber tar
iff and all. for one cent. [Applause.l And
our Democratic brother wants free salt.
Loud cries of Give him salt! Give him salt j
He isn't getting enough for a cent. ZAP
plause.l
This was the only time Mr.. Reed was in
terrupted for the evening. The audience
gave the most perfect attention. and the
meeting ended with three hearty cheers for
the speaker.
Previous to the meeting Mr.. Reed had
been rendered a reception at the rooms of
the York Club, where ne met the Tippeca-
noe veterans and other Republicans Of the
two cities.
Mr. Reed speaks at Springvale tomorrow
night.