Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-23

joice. Nevertheless, we have got some
thing else to do besides rejoice. Victories
bring responsibilities, and, as / have
pointed out to you, our victory is so great
that it probably means responsibility for
many years.
| OF those many years / shall not now
speak. If we have wisdom for two years
we will be trusted for more, and the wis
dom for the next two years seems to be
easy. We have neither the President nor
the Senate, and all we can do is to let the
country try the results of the folly of
| 1892. 1t is poor prospect, but it is all
| there is. / hate to say this. l wish it
were not so, and that we had such posses
sion of the government as would enable
us at once to devise such remedies as the
country needs. But the constitution OF
this country was 80 made that the will of
the people must become fixed before it
can be effective.
| While in the long run this may be
wisest, just now it seems great misfor-
tune There are cOmpensations, however.
We shall have two years to look over the
situation 80 as to do the best we can when
our time has fully come. So far we have
done all in our power. The bad work
cannot go on, even if the good work can
not commence. We have removed one
uncertainty, that of the future, the uncer-
tainty of possible change, but the uncer-
tainty of the present still remains.
| What the German bill means for the in
dustries of the country we have yet to
see That it favors Canada and gives il
at least 50, 000,0 00 we already know.
That it destroys sheep husbandry is all
too probable. That many small wooden
manufactures must go under seems I'M
avoidable, and that wages must come
nearer the European standard seems lnev-
table But this need not last more than
three years if the American people are
steadfast and wise and determined.
This country is in favor Of the doctrine
of protection, largely in favor of it,
Everything shows this, and no man,
whose brains are not suffering from re
! cent conclusion from the heels, can think
| otherwise.
In the 10th Congress, Democratic by II
majority, Fernando Woods bill was de
| fcated, without even the ceremony of a
discussion of items in the committee OF
the whole. In the 18th Congress, Demo
cratic by rs majority Mr.. Morrison's bill
| had its enacting clause stricken out,
most humiliating failure.
When Mr. Cleveland, for private per
sonal and political reasons, threw into the
scale the whole organization of the Demo
cratic party, he was defeated before the
people at the first opportunity.
| II anybody believes that the Democratic
platform was Endorsed by the election of
| 1862, he has no fellowship with the presi-
dent or the chairman of ways and means,
| for neither of them dared to even attempt
to carry it out. 1t may be that, at the
| last election, hard times causedH some If
rational voting. 1t may be that disgust
at the utter inefficiency of the Democracy
as rulers played no small part, but the
| fact remains that the overwhelming vic
| tory we have had was victory for pro
lection as the firm faith of the American
people
How, then, can we utilize this victory,
make it permanent and give to this coun-
try return of the prosperity of past times:
| There is only one way. We must educate
the people of this country up TO the full
| measure of wisdom in this matter. or
rather the people must educate themselves.
And there never was a better opportunity.
Men 5 minds are now receptive. In the
last two years they have seen the folly of
all this nippant talk about tariff taxa
ton, - - free raw material " ''markets of
| the world, - and all tn, other catchwords
which exhibit the wisdom of the parrot
and dcclaimer instead of the wisdom of
| the statesman.
| They realize in general way that there
is soundness in tlVt universal instinct
whereby each country demands that its
people shall have the first chance to do
their own work, and that everybody who
is willing to labor shall have employment
at fair wages.
What we need now is not general belief
in our doctrines We need teaching which
comes from practical results. We'need a
distribution of the facts. When | say to
YOU that protection will cheaper goods
and make better goods, you may yield
assent, but it may not be "A fighting faith.
But when | show, by facts and figures,
that ground glass, for example, though
raised 100 per cent. by the Mckinley
tariff, has reached almost the same price
as before, and the consumer gets Ameri-
can glass worth 90 per cent more and
every inch of it made by American labor,
show something which is an ever pre-
sent answer to all the theories of the
world. Hardly one Of the audience ! now
address would fail to give like example
within his own knowledge Truth has to
| bc taught.
iA.I.ieS find their own way. If weeds
grow where should be the waving grain,
il is because it is easier for weeds to grow.
FREQ trade captivates mems minds, be
cause it can be put into a phrase. The
real world cannot be put into II phrase.
All the volumes on earth have notyet con
tanned it, Truth does not fly about like a
butterfly, ready to be caught in Il net
Truth is mt the bottom of the well, and the
bucket goes often down before it fetches it.
During the next two years this country
needs the help of every man who has the
slightest morsel of truth in his possession
Why do insist on this? Because the
stream cannot rise higher than its source
If we had an absolute despotic monarch,
could we hope fer laws which would be
better than he knew? Who is our ruler?
The sovereign people of the United States,
moro despotic than any monarch that ever
sat on q throne. How is it possible to
have laws more sensible than the people
are?
But | hardly ought to have touched!
On this theme, for there is no time to
elaborate it. Let what ! have said stand
/ ne n s,binct far n LITTLE Thought and let