Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-19

not to try to force 1t upon him from
without. In all these matters we must
follow his lead, advising him SO far
as he is willing to receive advice, but
always acting as he himself desires us
to act in relation to his own interests.
Cooperation Is very desirable as
means to an end, but as yet in this
country there are many localities
where all that Is necessary is that
side of 1t which deals with collective
bargaining.
Many of the questions most affect
ing the farmer should not be treated
as questions of party policy at all AS
have already said. l hold very
strongly that we should endeavor to
eliminate the tariff from the domain
of party politics through the assistance
of a continuing governmental COM
mission. Economic problems cannot
be solved by partisan political meth
DDS. The real issue is not whether
the tariff shall be revised upward or
downward. The real issue is to make
it fit the case, and this can only come
by continuing study and modification
by competent, independent, nom
partisan body of experts. In particu-
lar, the farmers needs can only be
met In this fashion, and they are as
equally disregarded when his foreign
competitors are unduly favored against
him, as is the case under the present
tariff, and when as under the Payne
Aldrich tariff other people in the re-
public were given an advantage that
he was not allowed. In other words,
the tariff question can never be sat
isfactorily and properly adjusted
merely as the policy of a party,
seeking votes and distributing ia
vors.
How Highway Policy Should Be
Treated.
What is true Of the tariff is true
of many of the agricultural ques-
tons. The whole highway question
should be taken up from this point
of view. Instead of merely connecting
towns and providing automobile
routes, necessary though this also is,
there should be study of the whole
state made for the purpose of making
it accessible, and not only for the pur-
pose of developing the resources of
the land for the farmer himself, but
also developing the resources offered
by the forests the streams and even
the scenery The present backroad
system is largely uneconomic. Many
old roads should be discontinued and
new ones laid out on better grades
and so placed as to make the farming
lands more utilizable. The backroads
should not be paved roads but well
laid out, we'll made, well kept earth
roads to serve the people on the land.
This is of the first Importance to IN
ternal development, and ii Is a State
far more than a county problem.
In the same way. the marketing
question, which is important tc every
person in every state, should be stud
led as a whole by a continuing body
of experts, which should be to this
field what the public service commits
sions are to their fields. We are sure
ly coming to the regulation of market
ing agencies by non-political COM
missions or other bodies that under
stand the question. and that have pow
er derived from the people.
From all of this it will be seen that
I believe that the general attitude of
our party toward the farmer is more
important than specific promises We
must in good faith so act that the
farmer shall have confidence that his
needs and problems are to receive Sc
rious study and attention and are to
be worked out as they arise on the
merits Of the case and not as a means
of political advantage. And they must
be worked out under his lead, the rest
of US cooperating with him to meet
his need.
We appeal to the conscience and
commonsense of the people. Ours is
the one party where words are made
good by deeds. We represent the party
of sane radicalism, the one party
which fearlessly attacks evils and yet
behaves with such judgment as not
to damage the body polite while cut
ting out the evils from the body polit-
ic. Every wise business man, every
hard headed, right-thin<ing farmer,
every laboring man, every wage work
er, who thinks intelligently about the
future should join with us. Our appeal
is to the patriotic men whose hearts
and heads are both sound. We stand
for prosperity, and yet We stand
for proper division of prosperity, for
passing prosperity around. OF the
two old machines, one by it's actions
would destroy all prosperity, and the
other, if prosperity were obtained,
would divert 1t with enormous dispro-
portion to a few favored and privileged
people. We stand for healthy and
successful industry, for profitable in
dustry, for efficient work in every di-
rection, and yet we stand for the dem
ocratization of industry just as we
stand for the characterization of poll
tics. We demand not only absolute
honesty in the business and political
world alike, but also that the activi-
ties of each be made subservient to the
common good of all our people.