The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-09
SEN. BRANDEGEE'S SPEECH
Address of Chairman at Opening of
 State Convention.

State Convention.
 The speech of Senator Brandegee, chairman of the convention, was as follows.
 Gentlemen of the Convention.
 It is an inspiration to look upon this magnificent body of republicans, representing the great body of our party in every town of our beloved state. That you do actually represent 1t Is no rhetorical fiction. Every elect or of this state who took interest enough in hls government to enroll as a republican and to attend his primary meeting has had his voice Tn your selection.
 We have gathered here to ratlfy the platform of principles promulgated at our great national council; to renew our allegiance to the cardinal and en- during principles of our party; to frame a state platform and to select our candidates for those positions on our federal and state tickets whom we have been duly warned to choose. This ls the fourteenth gathering of our party in a presidential year. Or ganlzed In 1858, more than half cen tury ago, our party has been doing things ever since. It's glorious achieve ments. all condemned at the time by our opponents, have been repeatedly approved by an intelligent and pa triotic electorate and are now imbed' ded in the foundations of the repub- lie. It's great leaders, all attacked and abused at the time, have long since been awarded illustrlous rank n history and are enshrined in the af- fectIons of grateful people.
 The record of the republican party for the last half century constitutes the history of this republic. Ever, existing statute passed during that period is the product of It's wise and farsighted statesmanship Our party was organized as protest against tho infamy of human slavery, II struck the shack'es from four millions of oul fellow citizens: preserved the Unlof against the assaults of secession bN the successful conduct of the greates military struggle in history; restored the national credit; pensioned the ve- erans of the Civil war: passed th' homestead act: resumed specie pay ments; passed the Sherman anti-trus act: established the gold standard established and maintained the polio! of protection to American industrie and American lahoring men: main tsined the authority, dignity and pow CT of the courts; enacted the rall road rate bill: the measure providing for the inspection of meats: the pur, food bill; the bill providing for fre' alcohol in the arts; the bill reformin; our consular service. the Legislation : providing for the construction of thu Panama canal and the measur 2 throwing additional protection abou . the subjects of naturalization and I'm migration
 Every one of these measures was o' , vital importance to the growth. tn prosperity and possibly even, to in existence of this nation. If our oppo
 
 in 1880. our country would have bee
 dismemhered, our southern boundar would have been Masons and Dixon line. From thence 10 the Gulf c
 Mexico rival government. based up on the institution of human slayer, { and governed by an arstocraci : would have existed. That artery c l ,,.t vlx c would have been controlled by on . government at it's source and anothe government at Its mouth. Each gov ernment would have made It's ow |, treaties with foreign powers, and pc [. litical chaos would have existed 0 !. this continent.
 I IT our opponents had controlled tn 7. government in 1896. our judiclar [. would have been rendered fame an g impotent. The protective .ariff th
 handmaid of prosperity and the guai
 antor of thrift and high wages, woul ' revenue only, which means "frl '' trade" would have been substituted '' Our industries would have been pal ' alyzed, wages would have been rt 2 duced, laborlng men would have bee 2 thrown out of employment, and fl ' market for the manufactured produc i, of this country would. to large eI
 tent, have been handed over to ot T foreign competitors Instead of ever
 dollar of the nations currency bein v as good as gold the world over, tf
 value Of every dollar would have bee
 reduced to so cents. Financial di
 aster would have followed "repudit
 ton and the progress of our natio
 would have been turned back a ha
 century
 E. Happily these dire effects of demt l. cratic ascendenoy were aver.ed by tf e intelligence. the innate common sen, .- and the patriotism of the America l, people. The republican party con l. prlses in its membership the ajorl l. of all the voters of this country. Tn, = is only another way of stating that
 has the confidence of the majority
 the people of the United States.
 believes in legislating for the greate
 good Of the greatest number. It h, II done this in the past and that recoi 's Is the sure guarantee that It will col 'r tinue to do so in the future. We S