The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-22


al don't know very m uch about Reeds
| rules, but do know something about
trusts, and l will tell you something
about them. Trusts may be Of men, OF
money.or Of privileges II may be COM
bination Of workmen or doctors who try
by combining to raise the scale OF the
prices to be paid them for their work. We
don't condemn this kind Of trusts They
do much good and improve their members
and make tn en- better citizens. though OF
course we can't approve of some of the
violent things they do. On the other
hand combination Of manufacturers
doesn't have such good effect. krhere h
another form of trusts which helps the
world. 1t Is the combination Of men and
capital to build great ships or great rail-
roads. The kind Of trust that does, harm
is that which combines to gain privileges
This kind of trust condemn.
Before party and before mon put
humanity and 1 believe ! am Democrat
becauss am a single taxer. / believe
the philosophy OF Henry George points out
o beautiful way for us to improve our
condition. He said II we change our
statutes so that the privileges Of the many
cannot be given away to the few all men
can have chance to earn an honest dol
lar and make living. Along this line
believe all true conservatives should
walk. Those people who think we are
bound to destroy the foundations OF
society by putting this principle into
operation are honestly mistaken. BY the
present conditions we are putting an
army Of unemployed upon our streets.
Let us as neighbors and friends go to the
ballot box and correct these conditions.
Ask why 1t is that in this land where we
have so many opportunities 1t is possible
that men and women should beg for an
opportunity to earn u livelihood II you
seek along this line you will come to the
conclusion that the earth does not belong
to a privileged few but because 1t Is now
owned by privileged few these con-
ditions exist. We will not tax men in
to hold their wealth tied up in bonds and
stocks. but will make it for their ad
vantage TO put their money into circula-
ton. We hear that we are taxing steel
rails, sugar and wool Remember that no
inanimate thing pays taxes. The people
who use these things pay the tax A tax
on sugar means that people who eat sugar
pay taxes, a tax on wool means that the
people who wear clothes payn this tax.
SIS it fair that this city government
should be supported by a tax on what
people eaty Is 1t good that the State of
Maine should thus be supportedf You say
no emphatically, but when you get to
| Washington you hear 1t said on every side
that tax on what the people eat and
wear, is the proper way to raise money
to support the government. BY this sys-
TEN the wealthy bachelor pays little or
no tax, the men with large families pay
more than their proportional part Of the
taxes. 1t is better to tax men for what
they have than what they need. 1t would
be still better to tax men for what they
have which belongs to us. p"
| Mr.. johnson then said that every little
child who eats candy is paying a govern
ment tax. Think of a government sup
| lDTttu ny u WA puAG ~ hAo
| Think of the children of this country pay
ing tax to support the navy. the army
and the government which is now en-
gagged in conquering the heather who are
costing us as TomDReed says, 80. 30
a piece and who are worth only IS each. "
Mr.. johnson continued to enlarge upon
the Henry George scheme OF taxation, but
had very little to say regarding trusts or
the method OF disposiDg Of them.
Then Mr.. Mckinney introduced Thomas
G. Shearman of New York. Mr.. Shear
man looks like country minister. He
speaks without great force. but seems to
| believe what he says. though he hasn I
the power to make other people believe
as he does.
| 1t seemed to be Mr.. Sherman's idea til at
the people of Maine were struggling for
existence In the midst Of abject poverty.
He drew q most gloomy picture Of what
Maine is IN comparison with what she
might be. 1t took him half an hour to
tell how many ships We built in Maine
once and who builds them now, why
wooden ships had ceased TO be built and
how iron ships were now being superced.
ed by steel ships. He got so tangled up
in his explanations Of these questions
that his audience became lost and wand
cred hopelessly from the Thames and the
Clyde to Pennsylvania. and Maine from
1914 through all the intervening dates
to 1899 and even beyond, and at the end
| of tn IS half sour Mr. Sherman said that
these things were because of the proteo'
tive tariff. AS soon as he mentioned the
| protective tariff he fiared up as a bull
who sees a red cloth. He grew angry
and illogical all at once and from thii
time forth his argument was of the penny
whistle variety against the tariff. Final
" he got down 30 the New York custom
house and this seemed to be the seat of al
his troubles. Mr.. Shearman doesn't like
tailors. He called them sneakipg trades
men who have been running the govern
ment He said that delegation of these