The Portland daily press., 1896-02-13

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SENATOR WILSON OF WASHINGTON
What was this worthless country Of which
Charles Sumner spoke? 1t inoluded the
lands and waters of North America be-
tween the Columbia river and the 54th
parallel of north latitude. 1t embraced
more than one half Of what is now
known as British Columbia, beside the
state OF Washington; it mbraced ter
r1tory that is now contributing annually
six hundred million bushels of cerl ais to
the markets Of the world. California,
| alone, has produced thirteen hundred
| millions of gold; and Idaho has pro-
| duced over two hundred millions in gold
| and silver, and, in twenty years, Ne
vada, poor and despised as she is, has,
| today, poured into the national treasury
almost five hundred millions of bullion:
and Washington, to which New Eng
| land has contributed SO much, with her
vast timber interests, her coal, her iron
and her lead, her wheat, barley and
oats; her patriotism and civilization,
stands sentinel over all, on the rock
bound shores of the Pacific. There are
other reasons" said Mr.. Wilson, sswhy
l congratulate myself upon BEING pres
ent upon this occasion. recall the great
services that the public men of Maine
have rendered to the republic recall
your Fessenden; your Morrill,; your
Frye and your Hale, who have had no
superiors upon the floor of Congress n
creating and perfenting national legis-
lat1on. In a speech delivered, ] think
IN this city, some years ago. a distin.
guished leader of the Republican party
laid down four principles upon which
that party strives to maintain good gov
ernment. These were: First, peace with
all the world; second, commercial ex-
panslon in every possible direction;
third, protection to every form of Arue-
ricau industry and fourth, the right of
every man to cast one ballot and to have
that ballot counted as he cast it, These
great principles are as applicable today
as they were at the time of their having
been spoken by that great leader, James
G. Blaine'
Mr.. Wilson then referred to Mr.. Reed,
arouslng great enthusiasm when he
said: I have said | am pleased with
every environments. l have giyon some
reasons for TIL but therel is anoth-
er and that is that while we of the West
regard him as a national character
Maine claims as her own, Thomas B
Reed. [ came, If [ may be permitted a
personal reference into the 5lst Con
gress, with small majority in the Re-
publican House but all earnest and ac-
tive to do all they could for the best in
Congress Republican, and under the
leadership of that grand and noble man,
Thomas B. Reed, the country reached
its highest prosperity. Whatever he has
tried to do, he has done we'll. Whatever
he believes to be his duty, he strives to
perform. And now, now my country
MEN, that the country is to be torn from
the hands of the Bashi- Bazouks of Demo-
cracy, who is more worthy, who has
greater ability, who has better demon
strated his qualities of leadership than
Thomas B. Reed? He is the man who
should be made the presidential candi-
dato of 1896. I had the honor of entering
Congress pretty tolerably raw. l knew
wanted something but how to get it I
had not the slightest idea. This brainy,
big hearted man took ms by the hand
and showed me the way. ! have him
to thank that am now a United States
Senator. And the best thing of it all
is that he has never admitted that |
was under obligation to him. And so.
here tonight among his people and
friends and make known my obligations
TO Thomas B. Reed.
| Mr.. Wilson then alluded teeIingly to
the love with which the memory Of Lin
coin is cherished AMI alluded
| TO his untimely death, his early career
and subsequent rise to greatness; to his
| far seeing craftsmanship in preserving the
border state to the Union, by bis attitude
in the senatorial campaign in Illinois in
1858 where, by opposing the leaders of his
party in their desire to elect DOUGLASS.
he preserved the very life of that party
and made its great national victory possi-
ble and, by SO doing showed that he, of
all the great men and statesmen OF the
| Republican party. was the broadcast man
and the greatest Statesman Of them all
| 1t is bhe pride of our institutions and the
boast of our citizenship that we have no
defined classes; that men are not hemjned
in that there is spread above the poorest
boy in the land a sky studded with tho
brightest stars OF hope. Our history fur
nishes many examples of this and none
nobler; none more characteristic and con-
sDicuous than that OF our martyred Pres
ident, and IS we are gathered here to-
night to celebrate the birth of that in
spired emancipator, | ask you to ioin with
me as loyal citizens of this great republic
in reafrming these great principles that
were 50 typical of Abraham Lincoln.
First. the Union-the Union in anv
event. second, the supremacy of the Con-
stitution of the United States third the
abolition of all saotionalisn zone country
one people, one flag; fourth, deathless
loyalty to American institutions and n
patriotism as eternal as the everlasting
stars. ~
Mr.. Wilson was loudly applauded Mt the
close OF his remarks.
Mr. Stephen O'Meara, editor of the
Boston Journal was next introduced.
Mr., O'Meara is we'll known to Maino peo
pie and bis reception was Of the warmth