Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-10


Augusta City hall, Wednesday evening
August 81.
All is well with the Republic! Other
nations are in battle or in peril OF war;
the Republic is without an entangie-
mont The debts OF other nations in
crease: the debt Of the Republic DE-
creases and its bonds are the hlghesI
standard of value known to the money
,narkets of the world. Our foreign
trade ts greater than that of any other
nation, ancient or modern. our coil-
mcrce among ourselves is equal TO the
international commerce of all the world
besides. In mines and farms, in FAC
tories in all that works for thrift and
ENTERPRISE, all is well with the Repub-
lie.
But prosperity and luxury are not all
NJ life High aspirations. noble pur-
nose. lofty ideals and grand achieve
ments-these and thes" alone make the
life OF man worth living, these alone
are the realities. Religion and educa-
ton are the foundation stones OF
national Righteousness. We have more
schools and churches than any other
three nations. more newspapers than
all the world beside, and on none Of
them the SndrkitS ol bt'llfoSioii. "
have more railroads and telegraphs
than all the rest OF the world; more
books to read. more sermons to hear,
ard more discussions OF public matters
are held here than anywhere else, and
the American Republic In 1904 leads all
the nations In the unendng and eternal
advances. So in the higher as in the
material things. all is well with the
Republic!
This being so, what is this campaign
about? Is there a business man IN
Maine who does not wish there were no
campaigns? Every policy Of the gov
eminent is successful. at home and
abroad, and prosperity prevails. What,
then, Is this campaign about? why IS
It that at this moment OF highest
prosperity at home and greatest
prestige abroad-"The American era,
az foreigners call 1t. that the opposition
ask US to party that. had it been in
power for the last eight years. would
have wrecked American prosperity and
erairched American honor? A party
whose leaders now admit that they
were wrong eight years ago and that
we were right and that had they the
power they would not undo many
things that we have done?
Would q change make business pet
ter? Would 1t make more work?
mere partisan victory is nothing. IL
NAV be an evil. The power and pros
perfty OF the American Union. the
ends of the peace and justi"e-theSe
are every thing. 1t Is nothing to detea'
a party. or conquer man. hut the
achievement of these objects, Is the
grandest honor.
Now. consider! II Parker and his
party had the power. could they in
crease our present prosperity? Ihey
asserted that we have not prosperity
or that, II we have, 1t is falling. Well
why was It that last year 100000 more
immiprants came here than came in
1896, the last year of Democratic con-
troll? Why was it that 100000 more
came in 1908 than in 1902? 1mmigra-
ton is an unfailing barometer of the
prosperity Of nation. When times
are good. the foreigner here sends this
message to his friends and kindred
across the sea: Come over now-tim
are good"-and the crowds cone.
When times are bad. the foreigner
sends a different message: Don't come
now-times are dull" and Immediately
immigration falls off. The message of
good cheer Ia always sent when the
Republican party is in power. and the
other message Is sent when the Demo-
crats are in control There has been
much discussion Of the immigration
problem" We can get rid Of that
problem in short order by putting the
Democratic party into power-that
party would kill immigration entirely
in the space Of ten years.
II prosperity Is decreasing. why are
the evidences of 1t increasing? Why
were there 5000 fewer business fall
ures in 1903 than in 1896? And why
1000 fewer in 1908 than in 1902? Why
were ten millions more kilograms sent
in this country in 1903 than in 1902, and
thirty millions more in 1909 than in
1896? People don't send many tele-
grams when business is Frustrated. In
1908 the postal department carried ST.
100000 more newspapers than in 1896
the people read more papers and had
more money to pay for them. In 1890
railroads sold under foreclosure We're
valued at s1.130.000,000 more than
those sold in 1908. when very few fore
closure sales took place. Don't pay
much attention to these stories of pam
&c. t1nu out the 1aCtS, ana then you
will find that prosperity is at the root
OF things in this republic today.
OF money in actual circulation there
was in 1903 $1.1S0, 100000 more than
seven years before. when William Nc
Kinley took up the reins of govern
ment. Some may say that these fig
urse don't apply to the common people
and their affairs. Well. let us see,
Take coffee and sugar. two good arti-
cles upon which to base an argument
Everybody knows that the working
man will hold on to his coffee and his
sugar as long as he possibly can ge,
the money to buy them with Well. ir
1908 there were consumed in this coun.
try 400,o0o.000 more pounds of coffee
than in 1896. More people in 1903.
Yes. but in that year the per capita
consumption Of coffee in the United
states was over IL pounds. agains
eight pounds in 1896. Every man. wo
man and child in the United State,
used 10 pounds more sugar in 1909 tina,
N 1855. National bank deposits /,
asoS were $1,000. 0oo. 900 more than !,