Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-09-05
SPEAKER CANNON.
Continued from Page One.)

through their representatives, members
Of Congress selected by the people, leg
fslatinp under the national constitution
touching the Jurisdiction of the federal
government 1 would be rash man if
should undertake to come in here and
attcmpt to advise you about your local
matters. You would be unwise individ-
nails IF you should come out to Illinois
and undertake to advise us about our
local matters. But have the right, as
much right as any man in the republic,
TO look in your eyes and discuss ma
tional politics with you.
ITO start with, / may astonish you,
gentlemen, by telling you that l am
Republican. (Applause.) believe in the
policies Of the Republican party l am
old enough to recollect when that party
was formed in 1854 and 1856; not quite
old enough to have voted for Fremont,
Int old enough to have cast my first
Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln.
(Applause.)
IT know the forces and the factors
that made that great party and its pol
fcies necessary for the preservation and
welfare Of the republic. 1t has wrought
well. as it has represented a majority
of the people from the time it came in
to power to the present time. 1t is a
party that is in sympathy and in touch
with labor.
This IS Labor day and therefore let
me talk to you a little while today
about labor. Labor. IN the sweat Of
thv face shalt thou eat bread all the
days Of thy life,' was the edict of the
Almighty We have been eating bread
time to the present, and we will contin-
ne to eat bread that way If we remain
true, honest, good people. Now 1T is
very important that we should eat
bread that way.
eff desired to make n drOne, if / de-
sired to create a man who was not, as
q general rule-and l speak Of averages
"a good member Of society, ! would
take him from the cradle through
youth to manhood and I would put q
gold spoon in his mouth every time ne
turned about. might send him to col
lege, never earning dollar, never COM
ing under the hand of necessity, ana in
999 cases out of 1000 when he came out
into the world to assume the duties of
citizenship he would be drone; or, as
one of my constituents out in Illinois.
not much for culture but great for good
sense and somewhat profane-and |
will omit the profanity-said: Cannon,
Some Of them fcllers are edicated idi-
OTIS Am l against education? No not
against education, but ! want 70 be
practical on this Labor day and talk
about labor. If you labor you build up
character. No man can walk for anoth-
er man. If you want the muscles of the
limbs to be strong, If you want the
lungs to be healthy and useful. you
must do your own breathing and you
must Go your own walking. If you want
to know the value Of a dollar you must
earn it. II you want to raise your fam
fly properly, you must teach them 10
be self-reliant.
IT don't know how it is down IN
Maine, but amongst the sons of Maine
and Of New England and of all the
states, who may be in the Middle West,
the people Of Maine who come out there
understand this rule, that each mol
viduaI must build his own character
If l were in Illinois, going to pick out
the men that would he doing things
when 1 am playing the golden harr,
trust 1 would pick out the sons OF the
farmers, the sons of the mechanics. "i
the men who toll. that under the mann
of necessity we're learning to make
matter assume shape that was useful
to the human family. for with that
knowledge comes character.
"Now the Republican party had al
those notions when it was formed. IL
was q labor party. South OF an lihaSh-
airy line labor was owned. N""th OF
that line free men and sovereigns did
the labor We said: That degradeS us
because we are doing the same klhd
of work that Ia Dor does that is owned
lust over that imaginary line Ana IN
the fullness of time, as the questions
were presented. the effort was MADE III
the interests of that owned LABOR 10
break UP the Union. and the free men
from Maine and all up north OF Mason
and Diyon'S line made piouS vow
and called upon God to witness that
that should not be done. and it was not
done.
"Under the leadership of Lincoln and
Grant and Fessenden and Hamlin ana
n host of others, in civil life and IN the
army. when the war closed the
footstep of no slave could he
found anywhere in our borders.
1t was free labor. l said we We're a
marty in favor of labor. We were so
organized. and that was our first work.
".WeH. you say. didn't We Demo-
Gratis help youo'" God bless you. some
of YOU did. but solid down South you
didn't daughter and applause).
81 can't pick out the Democrats here
from the Republicans: you all look
alike to me. Uaughter). / guess you
are all pretty near alike.
What next happened? We found |
ourselves without men, without NUM-
tions of war. without guns. without
money and our treasury bankrupt
when Lincoln took the oath of oftice-a
divided country. The Congress came
together. and under the leadership OF
Morrill, Of Vermont we wrote upon the
statute book a revenue law that would
not only yield revenue but behind
which the people of the United States
could stand and pay labor here $500
where it only got s100 elsewhere in
the world. and build up our factories.
orr raSO,IrceS omen orr mines