Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-16

Aidrich and his tariff making assoi.
ates. pointed out the benefits of a rner-
chant marine in connection with tn,
Panama canal and blamed the inhu.
enc of express companies in prevent.
ing The adoption of a parcels post
Gov. Wilson said in part:
1 am interested in politics not as
search for office. but as a great con-
test devoted to something very definite
and practical indeed. Politics ought
not 10 be considered as aatmere oc-
casfon for oratory Politics ought 10
be considered as branen OF the ma
tfoaai business. and a man who talks
Iolitics ought 70 tell his fellow citi-
zens distinctly what he thinks about
their affairs.
Here we are at a farmers picnic,
and pm this DAY | suppose I'VE mSahd
say that the farmers occupy the CEN
Ter of the stage. When did the farm
ers ever occupy the center of the
stage in ohr politics? | don't remem-
Der any time.
4. There is not a single class of the
nation that ought to demand that 1t
should be occupying constantly the
center of the stage, but there is also
not a single class in the nation that
ought not to demand constantly that
it be regarded as a member of the
Firm in the great partnership. | have
seen the interests of a great class
specially regarded in legislation hut
J must frankly say / have seldom
seen the interests of the farmer re-
garded in legislation. And of the
greatest impositions upon farmers of
this couIthy that has ever been 9de-
vised is the present tariff Legislation
of the United States.
When the United States was the
granary of the world the farmers We're
not looking for protection, and while
they were not looking everything else
bad duties upon ii and the cost of
everything they had to use was rats
ed upon them and raised upon theta
until now It is almost Impossible tor
them to make legitimate profit ~
While you were fee ling the world,
Congress was feeding the trusts. We
could give you a list of the gentlemen
who have been most prominent in
securing tariff regislation. We know
the kind that secured it and the pur-
pose they secured it for. and they
weren't thinking about the general
prosperity of the United States. They
were thinking about the balance
sheets in particular investments, and
those investments We're not invest
ments which were easily within TIA
reach and work of the farmer.>
Il wish to disavow all intention of
suggestion to the farmer that he go
in and do somebody up. That isn't the
point All | am moderately suggest
ing to You is that you break into your
own house and live there. | want YOU
to examine very critically the char
actcr of the tenants who have been
occupying it. 1t is very big house
and very few people have been living
in IT, and the rent has been demanded
of YOU and not of them. You have
paid the money which enabled them
10 live in your own house and domi-
nate yber own premises.
Il regard this campaign as ] re-
garded the last one and the one be-
fore the last, and every campaign in
which people have taken part since
the world began as simply a eonen-
ued struggle to see'3to it that the peo-
pie were taken care of by their own
government. And my indictment
against the tariff is that it represents
special partnerships and does not rep
resent the general interest. 1t is a
long. time since tariffs We're made by
men who even supposed that they were
seeking to serve the general interests.
because tariffs are not made by the
general body of members of either
faIfk
past been made by very small groups
of individuals in certain committees of
these houses. who even refused infor-
nation to their fellow members
Zone of the gentlemen who have
been most conspicuously connected
with this thing has in recent years
prudently withdrawn from public life,
/ mean the one-time senior senator
from Rhode Island, Mr.. Aldrich. | al
least give Mr.. Aldrich the credit oil
having had large weather-eye. He
saw the weather was changing in
Rhode Island as well as in the rest OF
the Union; that men who had LONG
known that hew< as imposing upor
them felt the limit had been reached
and they were not going to be inn
| posed upon any longer. They saw he
Twas not even doing what he pretend
! ed to do, namely, to serve the specia
: interests of Rhode Island. because ht
was serving only some of the speeia
interests of Rhode Island.
Now there are various questions
Which YOU gentlemen ought to realize
are pending. questions that directly
concern the farmers of this country
IT makes a great deal of difference t
you that Mr.. Taft the other day We
toed the steel bill. 1t makes a differ
erac 70 YOU in the cost of practically
evtc tool YOU use on the farm. ant
| it is very significant. or ought to b.
very significant to you that a Demo
cratic House of Representatives ha
just passed the steel tariff reduction
| bill over the Presidents veto
! why?
/ BECAUSE the gentlemen know the,
| are pushing this thing forward agains