Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-04-18

tell yuu. what can any one say 10 ,h'
people upon the political ana business
situation which you do not aircaas
know? You know what was the condi-
ton of our people under the eHects Oh
| Republican, policy You know what II
is now.
| You know that at the close Of tbs
war. and | will not 90 back of that lest
hurt the feelings of our opponents, we
had u war debt OF S2,756, 900 600. You
know that whom the present admins
ltration assumed control of the govern
ment, that debt had been reduced I'M
der Republican, financial and economic
policy to 1855 GOO, 900. | refer to the IN
| torest hearing debt. You know tha'
| the annual interest upon our punl''
deot, which the taxpayers or our
country had to meet. was in 1860, *iol'-
900. 600, and we reduced that annual IN
|tcreSt to about 81. oGo.
| You know that in 1860 the interest
paid upon government securities was
at the rate of II per cent, ana yet not
withstanding a great civil war with All
its great outlay it's destruction OF prop
erty. and its disturbance of values. We
reduced the rate Of interest to three
! per cent and the greatest of English
statesman then said the financial pol
| icy al the United States challenged the
admiration of mankind.
| You know that during thirty years OF
| the prevalence of Republican policy
the wealth of our country quadrupled
| its foreign. interstate and domestic
commerce doubled. that its population
| Ia htfiIt ha
of GOO miles of railroad, thus opening
M q vast amount of our resources for
development. that ii reconstructed our
shattered country, gave to us the best
currency that we ever had, and that
our progress and improvement were
| Unparalleled in nearly everything
which goes to make Il great and pros
porous nation.
| Manufacturers nourished. trade was
active, the farmer thrived and labor
| found full and renlunerative employ
ment.
No people since history has beer
| written and preserved. has been Sc
prospe rous and had such assurance OF
prosro rity in the future as the Amer
leans had the day before the last Dem
ocratic President and Congress were
elected.
| But the people grew dissatisfied
They listened to the delusive sophistry
| Of our opponents. False statements
and false promises deceived them. In
eeriouslv their lot was compared witt
that Of their employers. or their more
fortunate noighhors. The Republican,
party had been giving them the goot
bcefst"ak of sound prosperity. Bu;
our Democratic friends promised thon
hufn'ning bird on toast. They threw
away what they had and reached fol
what had been fallaeiously promised
tho,n. They found it like the fablec
apples on the Dead Sea shore tempting
to the eye but ashes to the touch.
| The Democratic party came int
complete control of the government fol
! the fist time in ;. years upon the OLD
| Calhoun and Confederate platform ol
free t'adc and Il bad banking system.
| Tho once defeated confedcracy ant
| its allies have been in the saddle anc
| have hecn struggling, are struggling
TODAY, to adjust tho narrow sectional
unratl'iotic Confederate theory To this
great cntcrprising, progressive repub
| lie
| But the garment does not fit. Gu
out ard made up for a dwarfed stock
| ho|dirs Confederacy it cannot il,
drawn upon the stalwart body of tnu,,
sam. The seams have ripped and TIL,
cloth has burst into fearful tattcrs il
| the cndcaNor. aud you will see Uncl,
| Sam kick them off in disgust on tbs
| fourth day of next March. and possibly
indeed, | hope surely he will get sui
OF broader proportions and more sterl
fnatcriai from the sturdy staff of tlr
stat" of Maine. Enthusiastic demon
strations.)
| What do wc find today in contras
with the conditions under Republican
rule We find debt making instead o
debt paying party in power Instead
| of reduction of the public debt, w,
find it increased to the amount of near
~ three hundred millions of dollars
| The annual interest on our public deb
has been increased from about TWEEN
| tN-iire millions to forty millions, ant
| this too iii "A time of profound peace
with no especial emergency upon u.
How long the country could stand TIL.
effects Of the policy of the party now
in power, without becoming bankrupt
and going into the hands of receivers
Is a question only of calculation.
| But worse than this. the same Dem.
ocratic policy which has depleted tn.
natioral treasury. has stagnatcd tn.
busre SIS and shrunk the earnings o,
| the people, until depression. disaster
and poverty, has usurped the places OF
| thrift and plenty.
Any policy which cnforces idleness ot
| the people and retards the develop.
| ment OF countrys resources. strike;
| ar the foundations of individual anf
| national prosperity.
What then do we want today? w.
Want the reins of government to bf
| placed in the hands of party which
mas the practical intelligence to com.
prcherG the country's interests. whicl
undo rstands our great and varied in.
crstrics ard knows their needs in 10 ,.
lslation' which knows that the idle.
ness of the people is the greatest n,
an extravaganza, and that he who CIR
tails the wages of labor or depriyes il