Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-13


navy an arm of strength as well as
sonrce of wealth to our country.
Should the eentleman's free snip pro
I iect he enacted into law 1t will be put the
/ f;rst stem toward breaking down the
ba rr;ers If nrotection erected by our lore
fathers IN this pursuit sc valuable to our
neonle and giving 1t to foreigners, who Will
monoDolize it, because they will follow II
/ with cheaper vessels than our own, manned
Inv sailors more poorly paid and Ied anu
with much fewer comforts OF living.
Rut ali this is in line with Democratic
noIicv It is modern Democratic states
manship. It is destructive OF wnatever
II touches in our own land or that belongs
| To our own people anywhere Inc same
nolicy of stupidity or infidelity to Amerl-
can interests which is sending 40, O0O, 900
of American sheep to the shambles in the
interest of foreign wool growers, Gripping
our lumber and salt industries, closing
| onr mines and embarrassing our manu-
features, impoverishing our merchants
and farmers, and sentencing our working
men to idleness and poverty would decree
an abandonment of our shipyards for. the
benefit of British builders and surren-
der of our splendid and profitable coast
wise CARRYING trade to Canadian and Eng
lish coasters The gentleman's 1ree snip
policy would accomplish this.
The American shipbuilder. who is con-
structing the finest vessels, whether OF iron
or wood, that sail the ocean, ana VINO
sends the evidences of American skill
and enterprise to every quarter OF tne
globe where the seas and rivers '5Alsu'
and the American coaster seem 70 be
about the only men in our country wnorn
YOUR destructive tariff law could not
reach, and now you would place your
paralyzing hand on them.
If YOU shall succeed in effecting your
purpose then you can celebrate your VIC
tory upon the ruins of a grander pros
perity, built up by your countryms On dur
ing many years of protection, than has
ever brought comfort to the hearts and
homes of any other people known in the
history of the human race, and when the
people get at you again they will smite
Won with a more terrific thunde rbolt than
crushed YOU on the 9th of last November
But the Bourbon element OF the Demo-
cracy, which controls now, as 1t always
has, the Democratic party, is nothing II
not destructive. Condemned to 80 years
retirement from national control for its
attempt to dissolve the Union, it now re-
turns to power to compass so far as it can
| the ruin of a most marvellous prosperity
which grew up during the generation OF
its impotency for serious harm.
It constructs nothing. Its unsuc;ess-
full attempt to re-establish a corrupt and
semi-savage monarchy in Hawaii is the
only monument of its endeavor to build
up anything that has occurred within the
memory of men now living. Its mission
seems to be to tear down what patriotic
hands have erected. An invading energy
could be hardly more determined In its
efforts to annihilate all the sources Of our
thrift and greatness as nation than the
Democratic party seems to be in all it has
done and proposes to do.
This attack upon our shipyards lis made
upon an industry which was guar led and
cherished with particular solicitud e by our
forefathers, which has been the pride OF
our people, and is peculiarly matt onal in
character and reaching benefits.
| Perhaps no more correct reason can be
given why it is offensive to modern Bour-
bon Democracy and is now the object of
it's assault than the fact that it is asso-
ciated with the most inspiring achieve
ments which illustrate the pages of
American history.
In shipbuilding as well as in the charac-
ter of our intrepid sailors we haVe led the
world. No finer specimens of the ship
wright's art ever traversed the OF ean than
have been modelled and built in American
shipyards.
We built the Great Republic and many
others of her class, whose sailing qualities
were unrivaled in their time, and whose
symmetry and beauty of model were the
admiration of all who loved to look upon
splendid specimens of naval construction.
They furnished the models for tie great
iron steamers which now cross the ocean
with such remarkable speed as to make
Europe our near neighbOr.
The gentleman's policy would do moth
ing less than to destroy the shipyards of
America, where these grand results have
been achieved, and where today the finest
ships in the world are being constructed,
dispense our shipwrights, deprive our
country and the world Of the fruits of
American genius in this grand pursuit,
and make American shipbuilding a thing
of the past
The great iron shipyards of the Cramps.
from which has recently been launched
the magnificent steamer st. Louis, unsur-
passed if not unequaled by any ship of the
kind on the globe, the splendidly equipped
establishments at Newport News, Ches-
ter, Bath and San Francisco, which have
produced so many steel vessels that have