The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-03

Chief Magistrate of our State Your plat
form and the principles enunoiaeted
therein have my hearty approval. They
speak, in language not TO Re misunder-
stood, the sentiments of the Republicans
OF Maine. We are all justly proud of our
State, of its past record, Its present posi-
tlon and it's future prospects. There are
none In which the standard OF excellence
Is higher, True we cannot boast so much
OF wealth and of numbers as some of our
sister States, but this is q secondary con-
sideration in republic. Te produce
men Intelligent, virtueus temperate, and
patriotic is of paramount Importance,
and certainly We can point with just
pride and qualification to the eminent
men and brave soldiers, who have in the
past shed lustre upon our State, whose
names shine brightly in the national
galaxy; while today Maine stands con-
spicuously at the front i'll the councils of
the Nation and offers to the Repu blioan
party standard bearer, whose conceded
abilities and consistent public acts and
record are better guarantee Of the Re-
publican principles than any platform
that can be written. The name of this
distinguished Statesman and parliament
tarian-this natural leader of men, whose
views are broad enough to comprehend the
great wants Of every section of this country
of ours, is Thomas B. Reed. Maine has
never faltered in a presidential year. 1t
has always cast it's electoral vote for the
Republican candidate for President, oom-
menoing with the Pathfinder" John
G. fremont in 1866, and whoever may
be chosen at st. Louis to lead the Re-
publican hosts-we pledge to him here
and now and to the principles of protec-
ton and honest money, majority SO
large in November next that the votes
cast for other candidates may be almost
denominated-soatte
There is no spot or place on Gods
green earth where the man of moderate
means, the freeholder and farmer, the
mechanic and laborer-ths man who
earns bread by the honest sweat of his
own brow has more of the comforts and
the pleasures OF life than in the State o f
Maine. We enjey a general diffusion of
personal liberty and individual security,
Under equal, just and wise laws. We
have a good soil, "a healthy and invigor-
at1ng climate,-an unrivaled seaooast,-
splendid scenery, beautiful lakes and
rivers, and magnificent forests. And
in The settled part of our State It's hills
and valleys are dotted DER with thrifty
tented and comfortable homes of an in
telligent and prosperous people. Taxa
ton is not oppressive, and its burdens
are or should be so placed as to bear
equally, equltably and justly upon all
the property and residents of the State.
believe p wise and strict economy should
characterize every expenditure of the
peoples money, and that every dollar
used should respond to we'll defined
public need. Yet I would not hesitate to
appropriate willingly such sums as are
necessary to care for the unfortunate,
to relieve the suffering and to educate
the whole people. Our common school
system is OF the highest Importance to
our general intelligence and welfare and
should be fostered with no grudging
hand.
The Republican party of Maine
through long course of legislation and
by resolutions in every platform for
many years has been and now is squarely
committed to the cause Of temperance
and prohibition, to use every reasonable
effort to diminish and Danish from our
State the blighting curse of the liquor
traffic. All laws designed to accomplish
this much desired result, now upon our
statutes, have been enacted and kept
there by the Republican party, and they
furnish a splendid monument of it's
temperance efforts and record; and a
sufficient refutation of all charges of bad
faith which may be made against us. In
our ranks are to be found large num-
Der of earnest, consistent and true work.
prohi5itory statutes are, to a great ex
| tent, an embodiment of their views aud
desires. How to keep in check and
finally eradicate the evils of intemper-
anoe is "a problem that calls for the
highest wisdom of legislators and the
noblest efforts Of philanthropists. Good
men may honestly differ as to the best
methods and measures. Yet of one thing
we may rest assured, that Maine, which
was the pioneer in prohibitory legislation
will take no steps backward, but will
| continue to be prohibition State.
recognize the fact that the war ia
| over, and that all its strife and bitterness
should be forever entombed in oblivion
and forgeufuln sss But / do earnestly
insist that the impossible gulf between
loyalty and disloyalty.- patriot
ism and treason, should never be
bridged over or lost sight of, and that we
should never forget but ever remember
that our Nation and our State owes to its
brave defenders, both the living aud the
| dead, who maintained the integrity OF
the Union and the honor of the Flag, a
debt that it has not and can NOT fully
repay. More than thirty years have
| elapsed since the close of the most gigan-
tic and causeless rebellion, against liber-
| ty and popular government that history
| gives any account of. During that time
| Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, and
VttSb uUSU u OiuCSFS anu pfIVhGSE, all
heroes have passed to the great majority
beyond-hRve gone to that undiscovered
country from whose bourne no traveller
returns" And as to those who still re-
main; most of them have crossed tine
divide and the shadows of their lives
have begun to fall and lengthen on the
other side. I submit then in all oandor
and fairness that it is the imperative
duty of both the State and the Nation to
adopt a liberal pension policy so that no
old soldier, and no person Immediately
dependent upon him, shall suffer from
want in their declining years. To do
this is not to give aims or to bestow
| charity, but rather to properly recognize
and discharge debt and obligation,
which we from our vast wealth can we'll
afford to pay.
The Republican party will enter upon
this campaign with we'll defined prlnci.
pies as to tariff, finance, currency, and
all other important issues inscribed upon
it's banner, and it will earnestly appeal
to the voters reason and Judgment, not
to their passions and prejudices. It adj
yocates and believes in protection to
American industries, American workmen
and manufactures, against the underpaid
and pauper labor of foreign countries, as
a fundamental doctrine, essential to our
best National developments and growth