Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-29

by declaring that I'VE must speak not
| TO catch votes but to satisfy the
| thought and conscience of the people
! He discussed the tariff, our policy in
| the Philippines, conservation, parcel
! post, and practically every phase of
| the Democratic platform but one that
! important plank in the Democratic
| platform which declared for an ade-
quate navy. The anxious Democrats
! in Washington listened, but the Dem
| oeratic nominee for the presidency did
| not answer. The Republican majority
| in the United States Senate came to
| the rescue of the navy and amended
| the naval bill SO as to provide for the
construction of two battleships, and
backed by public opinion have forced
/ the Democratic majority of the House
to agree to the construction of one
battleship.
With oyer thousands of miles of
coast line and the most important
cities of the country located along it
and the necessity of being in position
to guard the large investment that we
are making in the construction of the
Importance of a strong navy is great
er today than at any time in our his
tory.
Democrats Reactionary and Destruc-
EfHfs tive.
such is the record of the Demoera-
tic party in Washington, always odd
fashioned, always reactionary, always
destructive, and never constructive in
! legislation, and yet William Jennings
Bryan sought to label it as the pro-
gressive party in the Baltimore con-
vention and in trying so to do defeat
ed the real choice of the party in it's
nomination for the presidency a man
who had done more in the last four
years to unite the party in Congress
and in the nation than any Democrat
In recent history man who sought
to lead it along a sane vet progressive
course and who is recognized as one of
the best characters in American pub
lie life, the Speaker of the House, the
Hon. Champ Clark.
No sooner had our Democratic
friends secured control in the Nation
al House of Representatives in March
1911, than they said, I'VE will investi-
gate Republican management of the
federal government" and they APP
pointed special committees to inves-
tigate practically every branch of the
government, and special committees to
investigate the steel trust, the sugar
trust, and other trusts. These COM
mittees have worked long and diiigent-
ly; enormous sums from the public
treasury have been expended in these
Investigations; no one can today tell
how much as the bills are not all in.
All of these Investigations have in my
opinion been without satisfactory re-
suits; the people of the country in
view of the situation are sick of inves-
legations.
Wild charges were made against the
Republicans in connection with the
construction of the Panama canal the
greatest public work of modern times.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have
been expended in this great work. The
charges made We're reported on the
floor of the House. and have all fallen,
unsnstained and forgotten.
The Panama canal will be an en-
during monument TO Republican adj
miHistration to their honesty and
| faithfulness to nation wide, and more
world wide progress.
Democratic Policies lniure Maine. !.
Democratic policies will directly eff
| feet every citizen. in Maine. No state
| in the union is more closely connected
and directly concerned in the protec-
tive tariff than our own State. We
are almost surrounded by foreign ter
ritory, and our coast is open to for
- 70 1a1 ffnf
Lowelltown to Kittery by custom
| houses; our business has been built
| up under a protective tariff. The
Democratic party comes forward with
a purpose to take down our custom
houses, throw open our ports to Cana
| dian commercial conditions and world
wide competition. To adjust our
| business to such a change w1l involve
| a loss in Maine of many millions OF
| dollars in the shrinkage of farm and
other property values and of business
| which will be, necessary.
In view of the declaration of Mr..
! Underwood. majority leader of the
House, on the floor of the House last
| March, it will be the policy of the
/ Democratic party in its tariff legisla-
ton to remove the protective duties
from Maine farm products, such as
potatoes. haY, etc, as Well as the pro-
tcclipe duties from our canneries or
sardines, blueberries. and like pro-
/ ducts. as we'll as our WOODEN, and pulp
ard paper Industries, and many 9TH
4 ers tllat l might mention.
Mr. Underwood writes the tariff bills
for the Democratic party, the Ways and
Means Committee reports the measures,
and they are backed by the Democratic
caucuses; that controls tariff legislation
remscrats in Congress have already
introduced hills to place our potatoes on
the free Est as well as our farm pro-
duets. While Mr.~Underwood takes up
the agricultural schedule as he will be-
fore long, these bills will be taken up
for consideration. 1t is for the voters
of Maine to decide in the coming cleo
ton whether they will send men 60
Washington from Maine to oppose the
Democratic policy in tariff matters OF
support them.
The Democratic tariff policy declares
for revenue tariff as against protec-
tive tariff; a revenue tariff Is nothing
more or less than free trade with a
handicap, a policy that imposes duties