Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-22


ways furnished an important and va
liable market to farmers In those secS(
tions of the State adjoining our timber
resources. A fair estimate or the
wages and maintenance Of these woods
crews and their teams would amount
TO at least $4,500000 annually. These
figures will convey to thoughtful clti-
zens something of the Importance OF
these great Industries to the life, and
growth, and prosperity of the State OF
Maine, and will suggest the disastrous
results that would follow any legisla-
ton designed to turn over to the Do
minon of Canada these important
business interests of our State. Here
we have employed in the lumber, wood
pulp. and paper business an army Of
more than $4,000 wage workers with
wages aggregating more than $lC,OoO,-
900 a year, practically all Of which goes
into circulation through the channels
of trade here in Maine to become.
a part and parcel of the prosperity Of
our State.
But Mr.. Bryan and his friends tell
us that if we had free lumber and free
pulp and paper from Canada we could
buy all these things cheaper I'm
questionably. this would be So but
| they must recognize also the fact that
| these cheaper prices would only be Sc
| cured at the expense of great vital
| industry of the State of Maine, turn
ing cut an annual product of more
| than So 900, 600 employing $4,000 work.
ing men, citizens of Maine, and eX-
| pending annually in our midst for
wages along amounting to more than
| $40, 900 ono Certainly there is no reader
any more selfish interests involved in
this proposition than the Remedies
Journal would have if it were disposed
to look out upon the prosperity Of its
| State from that narrow standpoint. We
would be exceedingly glad to secure at
a lower price the hundreds of tons Of
of this paper, but we do not want TO
secure this lower price at the sacrifice
of any great vital interest Of our State.
We have upon our lists thousands of
farmers in Maine, and we have upon
our lists thousands OF men who are
earning their living, directly and in
directly, out of the great allied lum-
Der, pulp and paper industries Of this
| State. Of what advantage would il
cure cheaper paper through free trGde
methods that would mean the impuv-
eri@hing of a large number of our
subscribers? We had rather pay more
for our paper and have the great al
lied lumber, pulp and paper Industries
| of our state continue here under the
protective tariff. free from the Nither-
ing effects that would follow unre-
strictcd Canadian competition. We
| would rather see the $1,000 men now
| engaged in this industry in our State
employed upon this side Of the line
than to see them employed upon the
! Canadian side, and we would rather
see the 100000 year which these
allied industries put into circulation in
Maine in wages continue to be
put into circulation in this State
! than to be able to secure our white
paper from Canada even at half
the price we are now paying for it, for
we are firmly of the opinion that any
| decrease in price which we should ever
get through the sacrifice of Maine in
duStry and Maine prosperity would
never he of any permanent benefit to
us. Indeed, we are firmly of the
opinion that any temporary advantage
that we might get in such way
would be Il hundredfold offset by the
impoverishmcnt of thousands Of men
who are today among our patrons.
Let us recall the fact that in advoca-
ting free lumber, and pulp. and paper
Mr.. Bryan and the Democratic party
were addressing themselves particu-
| larly to those sections of the country
in which they We're planning to make
their biggest fight and which are con
sumers rather than producers of these
| products. We go on record unhesi-
tatlnGly in asserting our sincere belief
that next to the destruction of our
great agricultural interests in this
state, the greatest blow that could
| possibly be struck at the material vel
| fare of Maine would be the demoraliza-
| ton of our great allied lumber, pul1
and paper interests by putting them
into unrestricted competition with the
saw mills, the pulp mills and the paper
mills Of Canada.
RooseveIt's Endorsement of Taft.
Upon receiving news of the nomina-
| ton OF Secretary Taft for the Presi-