Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-07-25
Lincoln County and Free Trade.

away and train with his political enc
things are so bad that they cannot be
worse"
tire blame for the increased cost of
living upon the so-called trusts, and
accuses Republicans for their ex-
stence and lack of restraint; whereas
the trusts" have grown out of busi-
ness conditions and wherever they
have been pursuing illegal or unjust
courses the Republican administra-
tons of Presidents Roosevelt and
Taft have reached out with the hand
of the law to check and punish them.
The policy of the Republican party
has been-and is-tO prevent bad be-
havior on the part of these trusts.
No Democratic administration could
do more. At the present time the ad-
ministration is for second time
reaching out after the beef combina-
| ton. Eventually such concerns will
find under Republican rule that out
| RACES of the law and injustice to the
people will not be tolerated., even if
their chiefs have to be sent to jail
But the high cost of living is not
due entirely to beef or other trusts.
Increases of wages. reduction of hours
Of labor are among the many causes
and surely American voters would not
have wages lowered. or hours length
ened
And American workmen with money
J in their pockets generally prefer to
pay IA higher even exorbitant. prices
for goods they buy, than to have the
prices cheap and no money to buy
with because of lack of work.
At the present day there is work
enough for all, and the outlook for
the future prosperity of our country is
good
At the Republican convention of
Lincoln county last June Hon. Luther
Maddocks of Boothbay, who presided
| over the convention, made a speech
| which was full of good Republican
doctrine and as well of that common
and business sense for which that
gentleman is, noted. Said Mr. Mad
| docks:
The business interests of the coun-
try are Just recovering slowly from
the depression which is always caused
by revision of the tariff. The un,,
certainty created by the agitation and
tinkering of the tariff creates feel
ing of uncertainty in business affairs.
Our Democratic friends are trying
to persuade the wage earners of the
country that the tariff has something
to do with the high cost of living. If
| we lived on imported articles. bought
imported clothing and INDUCED in
| that might, in a small degree, add to
the cost of living. But it seems to
| me that this country can produce and
does produce. in quality and quantity,
| anything and everything that the
common man can desire. So far as
| the laboring class goes. | believe their
interests as largely dependent on
protection of our Industries as the
industries are themselves. If any in
dustiy is Obliged to sell its goods at
ported goods. the reduction of labor
must follow. and this is where it
plhches the laboring man. or in other
words. this is where the protective
tariff benefits the laborng man. 1t is
fair to presume that the laboring man
is more indulgent to his family than
ever before and affords them more
luxuries. which may account in some
degree for the high cost of living 1t
may be case of high living as we'll
as high cost. | believe the laboring
1enenIent the hiph
tariff TODAY than anything else.
Our Democratic friends have sung
most believe it true. l would like to
take them back to a dark period in
this nations history. when this coun-
and free trade regulations. Those of
us who have lived three score years,
will remember its blighting effects. |
will only cite one instance which
came very near to us in business
way, and which wiped out one of the
leading interests of our State. When
the treaty at Washington was signed.
shortly after the war was closed. one
of the conditions of it was that Cana ..
dian fishermen could bring their fish
to our markets free of duty. What
was the effect? Lincoln county at
that time had nearly three hundred
sail of vessels. manned and COM
manded by the sturdy citizens of the
seaport towns.
The business in which these vessels
were employed was the taking of cod
fish on the Western Banks and Ouero,
bringing them to their home ports in
Salted condition, where they We're
hard cured for the West India and
South American market. This was a
lucrative business for nearly cent
tury. 1t was the controlling business
of our seaport towns. 1t was the be-
ginning of many of the villages
along the coast. When this treaty
regulation went into effect. our Cana
dian neghbors began to build vessels
similar to ours They could build
them cheaper, they could man them
cheaper. and could deliver fish into
the market, where we were accuS-
TONED to sell. at a price far below
what 1t would cost MS to deliver them
Consequently after a few wears of
struggle the business went out of OK
istencc. for no reason than that we
could not meet the competition and
could not run the business at a loss
Today there is not a vessel remain
ing of that entire fleet. This was the
encountered. and we have never fully
recovered from it, although it took
place more than a quarter of CEN
tury ago.
This Is what our Democratic friends
would have us try over again. and it
seems to me that the first thing the
Democrats would do if they came into
power would be to give the Cana
dians the right to bring their pro
ducts. not only fish. but everything
else into our market. free of duty.
How would it affect your lumber and
all other products? From a business
standpont this is what confronts us
today. Shall We. by our lukewarm-