Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-03-27

a remedy so good. and he is glad to rec
ommend 1t. The special value of this
in our State. You know them and will
not be misled by any false statements
that are made about assaults upon
them. 1t is claimed that our tariff bill
is sectional, but let me call your atten-
ton to the fact that out of the forty
four senators who voted yea upon
the final passage of the bill through
the Senate, twenty-one were from the
northern and western states.
II have seen some of the literature
that has been sent through New Eng
land, claiming that the tariff bill is
sectional, and so / take this occasion to
dispute that charge and supply some
evidence to the contrary. The South
was compelled to give up much in free
sugar, and through the whole tariff
controversy there was not more pa
triotic delegation than that from the
South, in the consideration of tariff
legislation.
1--WE placed boots and shoes upon the
free list because we knew that this
industry had established itself so firm
ly in this country that it not only sup
piled the demands OF our people. but
in a single year shipped abroad annu-
ally, TO be sold In competition with like
products of other countries and in
some instances at the very doors of
their factories, s17,000,O00 worth of its
products, and that We were right in
our conclusion that this great industry
could hold it's own in the markets of
the world, is conclusively shown by its
present prosperous condition, never
equaled in it's history. A large reduce
ton was made In the duty upon cotton
goods, but no cotton mill In this State
nor so far as I know in the whole
country has been compelled to curtail
it's production in the least, because of
competition with foreign goods.
I'VE attacked schedule X, said to be
the very citadel of high protection.
We broke the strong union which had
been established between the wool
grower and the wooden manufacturer.
and placed wool upon the free list, and
left adequate protection to the wooden
manufacturer in a 35 per cent ad val
orem duty. And whore are the evil
dences that We have destroyed the
wooden industry of New England?
1--WE placed lumber upon the free list
in the interests of the home builder.
and what Indictment can the lumber
men of Maine bring against this act
ion? We made q slight reduction in
the duties upon print paper costing
above 2ls cents per pound. a reduction
from 10 TO II per cent upon the pro-
ducts of your great mills in the neigh
boring city of Westbrook. We reduced
the duty from 80 to rs per cent upon
wrapping paper but nobody who
knows about the conditions surround
ing the mills that make this paper. like
the splendid mills of the Hollingsworth
& Whitney company in this State, be-
iieves that we have not left them ade-
quate protection. But that no injuri-
Gus results have followed, let the whir-
ring wheels of the great mills at Mil
linocket. where stands one of the larg-
est mills for the manufacture of this
class of paper. attest. We placed fish
upon tile free list against the protesta-
lions of the fishing interests of Glou-
cester, but have our fishermen suf-
fered, who are engaged in this most
hazardous industry? We made large
reductions In the agricultural schedule,
but what products of the Maine farm
sell Tor less than formerly!
With meat and cattle upon the free
list we have added largely increased
supplies of meat products for the ever
increasing needs of our people. 1t is
too early yet to note the beneficial re-
suits of this legislation. but with the
large quantities which are being inn
ported from Argentina and Australia,
a meat famine in this country has
been averted and the rise in prices
which has been going steadily onward
for some years has been fully checked.
There is no ground for fear that
the farmers of this country will not
receive reasonable prices for their pro-
ducts, when we consider the rapidly
increasing demand upon them. shown
by the fact that while in the last CEN
sus the rural population of the coun-
try increased but eleven per cent, the
urban population increased thirty-four
per cent. Mindful of it's duty towards
the agricultural interests of this coun-
try, this administration has largely in
creased its appropriations for agricul-
tural work.
Following closely upon tariff revi-
sion came a revision of the banking
and currency laws which met as de-
termined opposition as had the revi-
sion of the tariff, but now that what
seemed the impossible has been accom-
plished it is almost universally admit
ted that most beneficent law has
been enacted, and / believe that the
distinguished Senator from Massaehu-
sets who voted for the bill justifying
his vote on the ground that it contain
ed rs per cent of what was good and
% per cent of what was bad would
now raise his estimate of the percent
age of good. This bill imperfectly un-
derstood, provides that the people shall
have control of their banking system.
Legislation designed not only to check
the growth OF monopolies but to break
the power which those heretofore
formed now exercise is now under con-
sj6erotiou and that such Ia uS NAV