Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-04-01
FIRST FOR REED.
[Continucd from page il

armies fIoated over country everywhere and
forever free A long period OF national power
was before tho Republican party. !. n'u
made Lincoln its leader and the ehancipatos
| Of the slaves, and it made Grant anu oarneid
its soldiers ard its presidents twenty-five
! years rolled around, and from inc very 'apso
OF time came reaction and reverses.
| In IsS, Cleveland was elected. he began nm
| attack upon the protective tariff system under
which the country had grown rieh ana pros
| porous. At once there came reactoh ihe
other way, and under the banner OF pfotection
| Harrison was elected president. new tariH
BIZ was enacted which restored prosperity,
| vet strangely enough, when the wealth OF the
| country was greater and the wages OF the
| wage ,arners were higher than had ever been
| the ease before in this country or Ill any ma
ton on the globe, n second reaction against the
| Republican party came to pass. Cleveland
was again chosen president What followed
| his elecrion aad inauguration? Let his own
words. uttered on June 80, 1898, tell the story:
1.-THE dstrust and appre hension concerning
the financial situation which pervade all bust.
ness circles have already caused great loss
and damage to onr people, and threaten to
cripple our merchants, stop the wheels OF
manufacture, bring distress and privation to
our farmers, and withhold from our work
| ingmen the wage of labor.
Nevertheless his administration mally
The Wilson tariff bill of 1894 was passed.
! What is now the situation? Agriculture is
Frustrated it is not profitable for the farmer
| to raise wool, vet the wooden mills are stopped
| because the markets are gutted by the out
| pourings from English wooden factories. Prcsi-
dent Harrison in four years reduced the ma
tional debt $2;b 81 SO; President Cleveland in
| three years has increased the interest bearing
bonded debt So. G02..i5.
| The Second Reaction.
Therefore, the second reaction has set in
against the men and the party that have done
these things In 1894 there was a Republican
! uprising which gave greater mnjorities against
| the Democracy than ever had been known
| since the organization of The Republican party,
| and today there Is q settled determination in
| the minds Of the American people to restore,
| in November of this year. the Republican
| party to more complete power in state and ma
| ton than il ever vet possessed: ali this
hope and trust to b. accomplished under the
banner of our energetic. strong, positive and
| magnificent New Esgland leader Thomas b
| Reed.
| Looking now longer 10 the past, bu, only
before us to the future to see what that has in
| store for us, we ask, what is our victory
when We accomplish it, to signify? First and
| foremost, l place proper recognition OF the
| Union soldiers. 1t shall be made, so far the
| Republican party can make 1t, the ioftiest
crown Of renown for any man TO wear-any
| sign of his service in the Union army against
| the Shareholders rebellion.
| Next, our victory will mean the re-establsh
| ment OF protective duties. America is TO hc
| made by the Republican party again in power
q country OF high wages, comfortable and
| happy homes, peaceful, intelligent and con
tented men. women and children-the bone
| and sincw Of our beloved country. There ia TO
| be discrimination against foreign products
| and no discrimination among home products.
Our victory will also mean the settlement OF
| the currency question. Precisely in what way
| it will b. settled have no right positively to
| assert. This convention may utter its views
| the national convention will lay down its
| platform the president and congress t. be
| elected will carry out the national principles.
! For my part l may be permitted to say
| that am against the gold recommendation of
| President Cleveland. Secretary Carlisle and
| their faction of the Democratic party. am
| also opposed to the other extreme. namely, the
| unlimited coinage at this time by the United
| States alone. of silver bullion. which would
| send gold to premium and destroy that
parity between the two metals to which the
| Republican party and the congress are
| solemn1y pledged l am in favor of that hi
metallism to which all parties have been hith-
| erto pledged. and 10 which the Republican
party is especially pledged, and which mean,
| that silver shall be restored, at the proper
| ratio, to be the equal of gold for all purposes,
| to be with gold, upon the well-known system
\ OF binctallism, the measure of the world Is
values.
Besides restoring prosperity at home, the
coming Republican victory will give to the
government \ new foreign policy, based upon
sound principles and upon considerations
| tending to the interest and honor of the ma
| ton. Under President Cleveland there has
| been vacillation from one extreme to another
| extreme very remote Led by Blount OF
| r,rps nafp i1ed ast
| deavored to restore the duslSy queen of Hawaii
| to her lost throne in order that she might seize
| her subjects-Amcricans who had gone to her
| island TO make her people intelligent and
prosperous-and put them to death by beheat
| ing them. On the other hand, under the lead
| of Olney Of Massachusetts, the president nohly
| championed the cause OF little Venezuela. de
| Tending her indisputahle right to control the
! mouth of the great orinoco river. Back again
| from this spasm OF true Amcricanism he
| stands today the obstacle to Cuban indie
| pendence.
| That kind of n foreign policy will come to an
end March 4, 1897. Our next president and his
| congress will devote themselves, in all fitting
| ways and on all proper occasions, to aiding to
maintain the safety and the happiness of the
| Independent nations Of the Western bemi-
| sphere outside our own borders.
Two present duties are before us in this reia.
| ton. Venezuela is in contest with England
| In which we bound to befrend the re.
public. This is a question whether or not.
with no decent color of right, the mouth of the
| great Orinoco river--the key to all the com
merce of Venezuela-shall be seized and con
| trolled by the all-grasping, Englishspealzing
nation of the Eastern hemisphere. Here is an
opportunity which may not come again in half
a century.
| BY y regard for the Monroe doctrine, which
| is a traditional principle of the American gov.
eminent, by = consideration. not SO very re.
| mote, of what is due to our own safety and
peace, and above all. by our just and reason
able duty TO Venezuela herself. we are bound
| to espouse the proper cause of the little repub-
lie against the overgrown nation which threat
Gus her: and to bind that republic, and all the
| other South American republics, to ourselves
by ties Of indissolube obligation and graft
| tude.
| Again, as to Cuba, what is our duty2 We
have waited 81 years for our opportunity
r..fs~r:c' 80
properly and safely to aid in establishing
Cuban independence. There lies the great Isl,
and almost within sight of our coasts, i'll the
hands of European power, perpetual
| menace to the ITntpd States It has been for