The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-08-15
Mr.. Franks Speech at Alfred.

To the Editor Of the Press:
There are many things in Mr.. Franks
speech at Alfred which are not exactly as he
thinks them to be, or, to be sure that do
his Information no injustice, will say are
not exactly as he would have the York coun-
ty farmers believe them to be. But the York
county farmers have studied the practical
operations Of a protective tariff for them
selves, and Mr.. Franks advice to them to do
that thing Is entirely lost upon majority Of
them, who have seen and felt the benefcent,
encouraging and enriching effect Of the
''pampeIed monopolies" he sObs about In
open convention, which have sprung up at
Biddeford and Saco. at Berwick and San
ford, and on all the little rivers wherever a
cascade runs merrily through turning wheels.
OF course there are those, but they are
greatly in the minority among the farmers
Of 'old York." who listened to Mr.. Franks
telescope speech, and who looked In at the
large eud OF the telescope as Mr.. Frank sug-
gested, TO whom one OF those magnificent fac
tories at Biddeford, among the largest in the
world, didn't look larger than one Of those
old fashioned district schoolhouses where
they, and Mr. Frank, and myself, failed 10
reeite rightly and were whipped.
But the following quotation from Mr..
EAahA 10 oAaCtiy 80, anu the COMMISSION runs
thus:
We are too prone to look at public questions
through party spectaeles We are too ant 10
allow others TO adjust our telescopes when we
view public issues. They so adjust them, and
sometimes our preiudiees lead US TO desire them
so adjusted, that whatever can be made to appear
for our interest Is magnined, seems near at hand,
while that which might be dlstasteful TO us or
That we might disapprove Is seen through the tel
escope reversed, IL seems great way on and Of
the most diminutiye proportions.
No one understands the reversing OF the
campaign telescope so as to adjust 1t to
Democratic eyes better than Mr.. Frank.
For Instance take him on barley, he says:
Nol1 t1e are continually sending abroad
loheGt, corn and barley. What, therefore,
regulates TIE price zoe reeeiue? WIZ, the
price zoe get abroad.
In the official report on commerce and navi-
CATION for the year ending June 80, 1888, the
last yet printed, page 396, we learn that
there were exported 900, ,SS4 bushels Of barley
at valuation Of S3l7, ,239, or about 81 cents
per bushel. But on page 227 we find that
we Imported during that same year 1881,
46l bushels Of barley at a valuation Of SS,-
OI6,OS2 or about 70 cents per bushel. Now
Mr. Frank did not enter into details on the
barley question (antl tariff protectionists, II
their heads are level never dol but he left
the Democratic farmers Of old York looking,
this time, In at the little end Of the telescope,
at that exported barley 55O,sS4 bushels IN all,
and that tar of exported half million bushels
OF barley looked "en0ugh sight bigger" than
the ten millions OF bushels Of barley which
were imported
The Republican Mckinley bill proposes to
put duty OF thirty cents upon every bushel
OF barley imported, and the Democrats say
no. Who Is the friend to the farmer so far
as the tariff on barley is concerned?
l.. q. DENNETT.