The Portland daily press., 1892-12-17

lAnu IaTllI HGIOr1n League DluueTs
dinner of the New England Tariff Reform
League was held at the American House
this evening. President Henry L. Pierce
was the presiding officer and the speak
ers were Hon. Charles S. Fairchild, sec
retary of the treasury under President
Cleveland Hon. Harvey A. Shepard, Jo-
siah Quincy and VIM. S. Rice. Covers
were laid for about 225. An hour and q
half was spent in discussing the menu.
Soon after eight O'Clock President Pierce
called the meeting to order and made q
brief Introductory speech. He closed by
introducing as the first and chief speaker
of the evening Mr.. Fairchild, who, he
said. has as secretary of the treasury,
won the confidence of the business COM
munity, and would speak, not as poll
tician, but as practical business man
who solely desired to aid in solving
the present problem in a way that would
best promote the business interests of
the country.
Mr.. Fairchild alluded to the necessity
of continued efforts in the interes of tar
iff reform and spoke on the money ques-
ton. He said: 'sOur business friends
ask for stability in business, but they
have built up an artificial system where
by the business Of this country is held
up above it's natural conditions They
have deliberately produced that condi-
ton of things. They desire to maintain
it and even te aggravate it, And yet
their stability was dependent on each
succeeding election. Instead of seeking
to do the one thing requisite to the
maintenance of their system, the thor
ough education of the people as to the
wisdom of such laws, they have
sought to divert their minds
in every possible way from the
consideration of the true subject. An
other thing: They have formed a habit,
begun four years ago, OF contributing
vast sums of money to buy elections. 1t
is useless to deny that the Democrats
are equally guilty with the Republicans
in attempts to corrupt elections. Here
tofore it has been done under excitement
of a canvass, but within these last few
years, business men who desire stability
in business, have contributed Of the
gains which came to them, as they sup
posed, through the government, for the
hardly concealed purpose of buying
elections. We have seen the successful
men deliberately contributing of their
substance to undermine the foundations
of society, to do that which not only
could not make their business and prop
crty safe but which rendered unsafe the
business and property of everybody in
this coantry Had not this party, sup
ported by such means, been overwhelm-
ed, all that has been said of us as peo-
pie in the past would be untrue"
Mr.. Fairchild strongly advocated a
state bank system. He said: sThere is
no more craftsmanship, there is no more
sense, in depriving the American people
of one Of the most useful devices of
modern times because some one may
sometimes lose by it, than there is in de-
priving them of the other forms of COM
mercial credit. In the face of the vast
usefulness of good bank note circula-
ton which will pass from hand to hand
readily, but not a legal tender, say it is
utter imbecility for this American people
to lie down and say they cannot do that
and they won't do it. Something must
be done before long. We cannot go un-
der this idea of governmental power and
duty toward this question of govern
ment issuance of money, without com
ing to trouble which, I believe, will
equal any that we have had in the past
in a business waN