Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-09-07
MAINE RALLIES.
The State Full Of Republican
Meetings, Saturday Night.
The Good Work Going on Throughout
Length and Breadth
OF the Land-Result Will be Seen in Powers
Plurality. Sept. Ia.

Gray, Sept. 6.-Speaker Reed spoke
here, Saturday afternoon to Il trencn-
lous crowd. that correspondcd in en-
thusiasm to its large numbers. He de-
liyered oflc of the greatest speeches of
the campaign.
Levi Jordan of Raymond presided.
Mir. Reed in substance said:
Il am sorry that the Democratic ora
tors have not left more of me, for I
ann ready to confess that / am much
worn out by these people.
Il have been led to suffer much on
account of being obliged to listen and
read SO much discussion about a ques-
ton that amounts to nothing. Although
not much attached to them, | will offer
a few suggestions of general charac
ter
Il am not going into an explanation
of political economy or the currency
question. Few understand political
economy and none the currency. Those
who do the most talking about both
usually know the least.
Like those who first believed that
more complete notion about it than
they have since had. 1t is part of the
business of a free country to get itself
governed. We have no heaven des-
cended people to do the governing for
US. neither does any inspiration come
from heaven save what comes to us all.
Hence the government by parties.
Never have | complained that Il party
did not take my view of things or that
it was deSirous of governing in it's own
way, and also presenting its own prop
0SltionS Parties are made up of two
classes of men, one of them progressive
and the other conservative.
Il do not mean to be understood as
stating that all men are equally aggres-
SiVe or conservative, but that the mass
of them range side by side. and that
the dividing line shifts before almost
every election. If nothing new comes
up. the line remains where it was be
fore, but if some new question comes
up. a question of Importance in which
men differ, and that difference becomes
strong, some men of one party go over
to the other and give them the victory.
Some men say we ought always to
be in doubt. to have no settled convic-
tions of our own. l differ with them.
Ordinarily it is desirable FOR man to
stay in his own party, yet there are
conditions arising sometimes when il
is the duty of man, if his faith and
belief guide him. to shift temporarily
or permanently.
The trouble and perplexities of a
man who makes such shift | can con
template our affiliations are naturally
with our party friends, and yet there
are times when our own interests make
us act with those who in times past
have opposed us, and that does not
make us belong to the other party. but
only leads US to act with the majority.
Il do not think that there was ever
Il time when the Democrats were more
free to express their independent views
ana to come over to us than now. Not
that | would welcome those who do
not believe III us, but | would have
every man who does believe with us go
with us.
The Democratic party took posses
sion Of the country in '92. They had q
right to ii, because the vote of the pco-
pie had given them the right. Under
taking to govern as a party. they be
came disorGaniZed when well into the
service There was lack of unity of
purpose, not any lack of intelligence.
AS long as they were in the minority
ana were simply opposed to the Repub-
iican party nobody asked the reason
for this.
There were in the party those who
l,elived in prohibition. there were mod
~. . 4 ,,,I
tariff for revenue free traders. That is
the secret of the failure of the admins
tration when it took hold of things III
81
when it came to positive action it
found great difference of opinion as
to how to run the government. Among
the Northern Democrats not three out
of 10 even believed that tariff reform
so-called would be carried to the cx-
tent that it was. Their belief was
proven in the last three elections.
The Democrats have not stayed at
home three successive times without
showing what they thought of this re-
from policy. What was the feeling in
the ranks of the Democracy? 1t was
the natural feeling that the party's
policy had not been a success. | sup
pose every Democratic friend | met,
and surprising as it may seem. l have
many Democratic friends. said: OF
course you Republicans will carry the
country this time
The wish in a great many such cases
is father to the thought
In referring to the Chicago convention
Mr.. Reed said: THAT assembly was
taken possession of by the least re-
spectacle element Of the party. ] do
not believe the party of jefferson and
Jackson and Cleveland was a party of
disorder or that it was against a rea-
sonable raising of revenue to pay the
running expenses of the government
because the Democrats whom l know
We're as honest in their intentions to-
ward the government as | hope l am.
THAT element which | have men
toned took possession of that conven-
ton and they declared among other
things for the free coinage of silver
But their silver proposition is the least
harmful of them all.
1T is SO thin. SO cheap. so ravishing
that it will cause no great trobule. /