Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-12

cardinal principal of it's international
policy. He had announced himself as
henceforth a Republican at time
| when Republicanism seemed to be
down and out and when the Democ-
I racy was triumphant. For some time
MIR. Sewall had opposed The free-trade-
| revenue policies of the Democra-
| cy. He became a believer in the gen.
eral policy of the protective tariff. He
was selected by President Harrison as
| an attache TO the commission which
| negotiated the Berlin treaty In 1899
! for JOINT government at Samoa for the
| powers and was later re-appointed to
his former post at Samoa. Here was
| friend and a companion of Robert
| Louis Stevenson, the author, who has
mentioned Mr.. Sewall in his book and
| who gave him many tokens of an ap-
| preciative friendship. Mr. Sewall Sc
| cured the site of the naval station for
| the United States at Page Pago. His
service in Samoa was an honor to
| him. He stood at a critical time
against the invasion of Germany. He
became an out and out expansionist
| long before expansion was even fact
| or a policy.
He came home from his service at Sa-
| moa, one of the most prominent young
men in the Republican party marked for
a brilliant future. He presided at the
Republican State Convention of 1896 at
Portland that sent a delegation to the
| Republican national convention for Mr..
Reed. His speech at that convention was
of such high order, so truly high ex-
/ II 80 thot 40
of the country was full of it's praises.
Mr.. Sewall went as a delegate to the
National Republican convention of 1896
and in that winter was selected a men,
| Der of the Maine House of Representa-
| tives. In that session, Mr.. Sewall was
| the pioneer of protest against the fee
| system in Maine and he stood then. as he
has ever since, for a public conscience in.
public affairs.
When Mckinley was nominated in 1896,
at the convention of which Mr.. Sewall
was a delegate, the Democratic party
had no thought of William j. Bryan. 1t
is a matter of history that the nomina-
ton of Mr.. Bryan was a surprise and it
was none the less a surprise that Hon.
Arthur Sewall, was named as candidate
for vice president When the news of
this nomination came to H. NJ Sewall,
he was at his home in Bath. He had
been engaged by the National and State
committees for a lengthy campaign tour
for the Republican party. His dates had
been published 1t has often been said
that Mr.. Sewall showed deep ingratitude
in campaigning against his fathers
cause. but listen to the facts-the mo-
ment Harold NJ. Sewall learned of his
] fathers nomination upon the ticket of
bryan and Sewall. he went to him and
! told him that he was about to cancel hisn
dates upon the stump. His father turned
on him and said: "You are a Republic
can, are you not?" II am" was the re-
ply. You believe in its principles and
that Republican success will be for the
welfare of this nation?'' Il certainly
do" was the answer. Then there is no
OCCASION" replied the elder Mr. Sewall,
for our withdrawal in any degree from
your work. Do not cancel an appoint
ment. Pursue your cause faithfully to
the end. You owe it to yourself as we'll
as to me and be assured that I shall love
and honor you none the less for so
doing.
d could
not help being Conscientious and Mr.
Sewall spoke in every county of the State
for Mckinley and when Mckinley was
elected, Mckinley appointed him to one
of the three most important commissions
in his witt. nancy, L. S. minister to
Hawai-, the other two being as Mr. Nc
Kinley said commission to Spain and the
Cuban mission
Again as U. ~ minister to Hawaii, Mr..
Sewall made good. He received the
transfer of sovereignty of the islands to
the u. S. 1898. He himself raised the
first .. S. flag over the islands in token
of sovereignty. Mckinley appointed him
special representative of the Z. s., until
the territory of Hawaii was organized
under the Stars and Stripes In this. he
made good His executive capacity, his
tact and his diplomacy were all In evil
denee. 1t was while here at Hawaii that
the Philippine commission was sent to
the East The war with Spain had OBJ
secured this great Hawaiian question and
mad distracted attention from the pacific
to the Atlantic, but when Dewey took
the Philippines in battle one morning in
May, the great policy of expansion which
Mr.. Sewell contended for against Bayard
years before became the policy OF the
Republican party
Mr.. Sewau was the first member of the
republican committee from Hawaii and
ne brought the first delegation from Ha-
wall to Republican national convention,
1898 When Mr.. Sewalrs term of SER
vice as U. S. minister and special U. s.
agent at Hawaii ended. he came home
He was admitted to the Maine bar, was
elected to the Legislature of 1902, again
In 1904, to the Senate in 1906, serving with
great distinction in these bodies
The activities on the larger stage OF
national affairs show the calibre of the
attachments of the man who is before
the people of the second Maine district
as the logical candidate for the Congress
of the U. S. These striking facts need
to be supplemented by a brief record of
what he did in the affairs of our own
State. for it is in his relation with his
own people that the voters are now espe-
cially interesting in viewing him.
When he had led the fight successfully
to abolish the monopoly of State print
ing, had been largely instrumental in
abolishing the free system. courageously
marshalled the legislative forces that