Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-02

1--WE have over seven millions of people
In this country engaged in planting, and
farming and am safe in saying tina, in GU,
entire population Of the United States TO
other class. nor a. many more. can be found
Who knos ~ liile about the economic ques
tons and the system Of Government taxation
- do the farmers Of America. In the fret
place they do not read the daily press Not
more than 30 per cent Of them read their
country paper, and when IL comes to the
study of the principles of our system OF gath
ering revenues, there is not 20 per cent OF
them that can tell you from what source the
Government gets its money, and II they at
tempt To 90 80 IL will De To repeat what their
party speaker said at Joness school house.
The Tariff Reform League last week
had kind Of Free Trade funeral in Boz
ton occasioned by the recent great Re-
publican victory in the Presidential elee-
ton. What kind Of talk and sentiment
there prevailed are plainly evinced By the
above extract from a communication cent
to and read at the meeting. written BY
W. j. Hilligoss, Chief Of the Eastern
Division ia the Pension Office. 1t GER
tainly IL very peculiar document, yet
its terms and spirit are 10 striking
accord with the letters Of President
Cleveland and the speech OF Sec
Rotary Fairchild brought out on the
zane occasion. The language Of this Hill
ligo.-, like the low appeals OF Cleveland :
1887 nessage to the farmers, stamps him
a. person singularly wanting in nforma-
ton and ~ an offensive partisan Fair
child vas certainly offensive enough When
he put forth the assertion that a man
might 90 into any NOrtherI community
and ask the people their reasons for voting
az they did in the recent election without
obtaining single Ineligible answer
But this Chief Of the Eastern Division OF
the Pension Office SURPRISES Fairchlld
In ignorant audacity. His charge
that the farmers, gho voted so largely for
the Republican ticket, did not understand
the issue before the court try. il IA impu-
dent as Ii il absurd. Nothing is better
understood by well-nforned persons, than
that the farmer. Of New England, Of the
West, and of the North West, are an IN
telligent body of men, much more 40 Il an
the most OF those who vote the Democrat
ic ticket both in the North and the south
Having been badly beaten bY the prepon'
deraucc of the votes Of the agricuituralst-
and the more intelligent and better por-
ton of the mechanics and workingmen, il
III becomes Cleveland, falrchild
and this IlilIigo's to abuse then
for their patriotic action. How
much better did the elder Lore
Derbey, the distinguished English states
man, who said, during our late var against
the rebellion, that after mature deiibera
ton he was led To believe that no country
In the world ever had such an intelligent
body of yconanry a. the farmers of thu
Northern States Of America, to whom la
largely attributed the remarkable success
of the uion Government in Its war ant
financial management. These we're thu
kind OF men on whom Washington, Ham
il,on and Madison relied wher
they formulated their great policy %
Tariff Protection, and who finally brough
Thomas jefferson to adopt thei
views. They were American farmer
who constituted the strong support o.
Henry Clay in maintaining the American
system, aud backed up Horace Greedy
Abraham Lincoln, aud Justin Morrill, il
cstabli hing the Republican tariff of 1861
The foolish, -colding talk of Cleveland
Fairchild, and the Boston Mug Nump
~ inst the Republican farmers can do thu
latter no possible harm, though it afford
ed poor commentary ON the good scns'
of the former.