Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-28


that they should make failure 10 every
way was something not to be anticipated.
Least of all was it anticipated by many good
men who have always acted with the Demo-
cratic party and who wished to act with it
up to the end of time.
The Real Hope Of the Nation.
| That those men, while they have had OBJ
| jections, strong objections, some OF them
perhaps well founded, against the acts and
against the general course Of the R'publl-
can party, may now see that, on the whole,
the safety of the country requires the res
toration of that party to power, is the real
hope of the nation today. The lesson of
the past year, while it has been disastrous
to the material interests of the coun-
try if it should result In q more thorough
appreciation of the actions and deeds OF the
party which was in control of this country
from 1860 onward, the country will wrest
out of the misfortune blessing. In saying
this do not in the least oyer-value the
| capacity or the strength or the ability OF
the Republican party. know how often
it falls short of the highest good; l know
how often it disappoints the expectations
of its best men. but that it expresses, on the
whole, and with all allowances for the mis-
takes which are incident to human nature,
the best development Of this country, is, to
my mind, true beyond question or doubt,
and today 1 think 1 may urge upon the
many men who have hitherto acted with
! the democratic party to take this view OF
| their duty in the future.
Let me make very brief review of what
has happened during the last year. Whist
ever may have been done by the people at
present in possession of the government,
every one will admit that it has been done
slowly, out of place. and in such way as
to be of the least possible service to the
country. The repeal Of the silver purchas-
ing clause under the Sherman act might
possibly have been of some service to the
country had it been done promptly and at
once. But the delay in the Senate, the long
and protracted debate and the continuous
opposition, the realization on the part of
| the country that the Senate did it unwill-
ingly, prevented any good effect which the
| friends of the measure were disposed to
claim for it. After the repeal of the pur-
chasing clause had uncovered the real stu
| alton of the country, it then became the
duty of Congress, even from Democratic
point of view, to pass such tariff bill as
would give to US a reasonable degree
of assurance that the basis there established
would be one that would be permanent for
a sufficient period of time, period at least
80 long as the victorious party were to be.in
power. This the country had the right to
expect. 1t had the right to expect it at
once. Had this been done, there can be no
doubt that there would have been at least
moderate degree of prosperity. 1 am
speaking, of course, of such q reasonable
bill as n light be supposed to have been
passed by Congress representing the va
rious interests of this country. But, IN
fortunately for the country, the procedure
fell into absolutely incompetent hands.
Party Pledges.
Instead of realizing the first great prin-
ciple of craftsmanship, that whatever is to
be done in the world has got to he done in &C.
cordance with the wishes of the people who
live in it, the gentlemen in charge of the
tariff bill in the House of Representatives
undertook to ignore all the varied interests
of the country and to mold tariff bill,
not in the interest of the nation, not in ac-
cordance with the wishes of the people, but
in accordance with certain theories which
they thought might possibly fit their
dream of ultimate free trade. Such bill,
framed in such manner, was doomed from
the moment of its inception. 1t had none
of the elements of sound and wise states
manship. 1t was not adapted to this country I;
it was not adapted to it, interests; it was
not adapted in any way to the situation in
which the country then found itself. Com
mencing upon vague theory that it was
necessary to coddle certain manufactures
at the expense of others, it violated the first
principles of the Democratic platform, and
undertook protection in a different form
from that which had existed before.
Their party pledges had placed them
all in line of opposition to protection, and
had pledged them to a tariff, the purpose
and object of which was revenue and reve-
enue only. Nothing in the Democratic plat
form required them to pay any attention
whatever to the manufactures of the coun-
try.
While they might have been disposed to
carry out the platform, the very first diff
Guilty which confronted them was the actual
existing business interests of the coun-
try. They found it absolutely impossible
for them to deal with the question without
reCORnluOu OF the tact tnaI tne DuSiHess VI
this country was an existing institution
with which they could not NEEDLE at the in
stance of any theory alone. Hence the bill
which Mr.. Wilson introduced, although
claiming to fulfill the Democratic platform,
was yet protectionist bill in principle and
to certain degree. 1t has sometimes been
asked of lis Republicans, "Why, if it was
protectionist bill, were you opposed to it?
Why should you make opposition to bill
which recognized the principles which you
yourselves advocated" There ought to be
an answer to this question at once, and an
answer also to the same allegation with re-
gard to the bill which was finally passed.
1t does not follow, because bill recognizes
the principle of protection, or because it is
subject to that reproach when you are
speaking of it to Democrats who have re-
pudiated protection in their platform, that
therefore it is proper and suitable protec-
ton bill.
Protection, as a system, is something
which can be understood, supported and
defended. Protection, as principle, de-
mands that this country shall do its own
work. Prote elton, as q principle, demands