Evening star., 1896-09-11
REVIEWING THE PAST,
Speaker Reed Wakes His Last SDeccl
fn the State Campaign.

Speaker Reed Wakes His Last Speech
fn the State Campaign.
Spe lker Thomas b. Reed addressed his
constituents for the last time before cleo
ton last night at Portland, Me. The rain
fell in torrents, but the large auditorium
was crowded.
President George Libby of the Lincoln
Club presided, and introduced Mr. Reed.
who was greeted with tremendous applause.
Mr.. Reed said, In part:
LAS l stand before this great audience
largely composed of men by whose side /
have fought these many years. my mind
naturally turns from the battle we are now
fighting to the many battles we have sue
cessfully fought in the past. Humble as
we may be as individuals, We have never
theless participated in ali the great acts of
craftsmanship which makes up the thirty
wonderful years of republican rule prior to
1892. Possibly We have made mistakes, but
they have been few and small. Yet all the
events which we have passed through, and
part of which we now see, We're but on the
road to the event which We are to decide by
the coming election. We have now i'm a
much milder fern the same kind of an at
tack that was made on this government in
1850. But for great nation We have gov
erned ourselves wisely and well, and al
though gentlemen who have vivid imagina
tions and with certain lack of fixity of
principles have invited us many times into
the fiowery paths of dishonor We have never
yet followed them.
Mr.. Reed then entered into a review of
the past and touchingly referred to his first
appearance before Portland audience as
candidate for Congress, and the struggles
that the country has passed through since
then.
I'VE had every temptation then" said Mr..
1;rfa, fh..y a
issue more greenbacks, let us have large
currency and we will go forward The
temptation was great to many OF us, but
we said when the United States says this is
a dollar just that moment ii ought to be a
collar and shall be- and our reward was
fourteen years OF the most magnificent
prosperity the sun has ever shone upon.
From 1875 to 1892 the United States grew III
wealth, dignity and honor, and If a nation
ought to see from experience that it should
be honest it should be the United States of
America. Now we are again threatened
with disease in a greater form.
The experience of the world has shown
peradventure that the attempt to issue
government money every time a specula-
tive period has set in and bursts means de-
struction and ruin, out of which there is
no way except through bankruptcy. Now,
we have got to learn that it is not wise to
lower the currency one-half in order to
eke out speculation. l think we shall
learn 1T. The democrats hold out two IN
lower our currency you and l can pay our
debts at less rate, and the second is that
the government can pay its>debts at less
rate. What a nation owes, If its resources
are ample and sufficient, history shows,
makes no very grave difference. England
has risen from eighty-seven million pounds
to nine hundred million pounds in debt,
and people wanted her bonds, because
never by her history has she refused to
pay what she promised she would pay, and
she can borrow money at lower rate than
any other country because cf her honesty.
Nothing stands a nation in stead like
the honorable fulfllment Of every obliga-
tion entered into. No method has ever
been discovered of keeping a material that
is one-half cheaper than another material
equivalent to the better material, except
by exchanging 1t whenever the man who
hGs the weaker material desires it. Great
as our nation is. we cannot make some
thing out Of nothing, except by the use of
natural means, and We cannot by any pos
sibiIity do more than to set the laws of ma
ture at work. Let US recognize our limita-
tions"
Mr.. Reed then told of the terrible effect
of free silver on the country, and his ar
gument was full Of homely illustrations
He closed by q discussion Of the tariff ques-
ton.