The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-06
A GREAT CONVENTION.
Continued from Second Page.

the hour of distress and need, and she
will continue to scrupulously observe it
SO long as any of that band of loyal men
shall survive.
And though Democratic administra-
ton may drop the disabled and battle
SCARED veteran from the pension rolls,
though they may seek to deprive him of
food and shelter they can never take
from him the satisfaction he enjoys, in
having served with Grant and Sherman,
With Sheridan aud Logan in that grand
Old Union amy. They may attempt to
reduce him and his family to want and
suffering. but they cannot dim single
star in the crown of honor he won by
his gallant service, nor can they abate or
take from his patriotism and love of
country. And come what may, they can
never make the old Union soldier regret
that he gave some of the best years of
his life to uphold the honor, integrity
and glory of the American Union.
am proud to belong to party that
has never undertaken to belittle or de-
grade the services of the American SOL
der and the American sailor. There is
satisfaction in belonging to party that
has always maintained that in all of our
legislation we owe our first duty to the
people of our own republic and not TO
those of other countries; a party that
never attempted to build up the manu-
featuring and commercial and agricul-
utral interests of other nations to the
sacrifice of our own; party that never
sought by legislative acJion to retard
the prosperity of this country and of it's
people or to cripple their great indus
vocated policy that would put the COM
peting products of foreign labor into
competition in our own markets with
the products of our own people ard our
own labor. And in these hours of de-
preston the people turn to that grand
old party of nationality and protection
for relief from the threatened tariff leg
islation of the Democratic party which
has already Ill its anticipated effects
wrought ruin and disaster and misery
enough.
How different the condition of country
on the 4th day of March 1893, when the
Democratic party assumed control of it's
legislation from what you find it at the
present time. A little more than year
has lapsed, but to the people and their
business interests it has been a dark,
long and oppressive year. When you
yielded up the sceptre of power your
country and all it's material interests
was at the height of prosperity; the
lawful reserve of gold in the treasury
was unbroken, the nations credit WAS
unimpaired, the rights of American citi-
zenship protected at home and abroad,
and you were pursuing policy that COM
manded the respect of the American
people. The Republican party was not
dickering with trusts and monopOlies and
com bines in establishing it's tariff ched-
ules; the Republican party was not at
tempting to place tax upon the neces-
stiles of life at the dictation of great
trusts for the benefit of centralized
wealth and 70 speculative purposes. The
p h r,.arfx ,nff 70
establish a monarchy in any part of the
world agairst the wishes of a free people
who had thrown off the yoke of oppress-
ion. You were not attempting by threats
or intimidation to restore asdisgraced. and
tyrannical Queen to her throne And
never during Republican administra-
ton did you permit the American flag
American citizenship and American
rights in any foreign country to be low
cred in disgrace. You were pursuing
national policy, Ri American policy that
reflected honor on your country and
your party. Then the nations maufac-
tories were not idle, labor was not out
of employm ent, Coxey's armies were not
dustrial enterprises paralyzed. And
when the Democratic party came into
power and assumed control of both
branches of Congress the great business
interests of this country did not then
realize that they would attempt TO carry
out the destructive and pernicious policy
that was foreshadowed in their Chicago
platform and thereby strike fatal blow
to the industrial progress of the United
States. But when it became known that
they intended to tear up this foundation,
the great cornerstone of protection, upon
which the prosperity and growth and
progress of this country had rested since
the days of A braham Lincoln, when it
became manifest that it was their de-
liberate intention to offer to Great Brit
ain and all other foreign nations the
benefits and freedom of our markets and
the unlimited opportunity to ship the
products of their cheap labor to America
free of duty to be sold in competition
with the products of the American farm
er, the American manufacturer and the
American workman, then it was that
our manufactures and shops Gle sed,
labor was out of employment or com
PEELED to seek work on half time or at
reduced wages, commercial values were
unsettled, and financial disaster came.
Under the operation of the protective
tariff policy administered by Republi-
can administration the country moved
forward in the bright pathway of pros