Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-09-17
MIR. GuDGER,s OPPORTUNITY.
Republican Convention Gives Him
Strong Text for Campaign Speeches.
lNeWton Enterprise. }

@~~POUAANNSA1 OVA- tO--OAVuEr WINS 1L1AEA
Strong Text for Campaign Speeches.
Newton Enterprise.)
The Republican platform adopted in
the convention of the Tenth Congress
sional district which nominated NJ.
J. J. Britt for Cogress will give Con-
gresham Gudger an exceptionally
good text for his campaign speeches.
1t denounces the Democratic tariff
bill, the ony tariff bi that has been
prepared and passed in fifty years that
has not been dictated by representa-
t1Ves Of big interests for their own
special benefit.
1t denounces the Democratic admin
filtration for not providing for MAJ
chant marine, the consequence of
which, they say, will be disastrous
during the European war And in
the next paragraph the platform con-
dennis the repeal of free tolls to coast
wise shipping through the Panama
canal.
The Republican party when it came
into power in 1860 found great mer-
chant marine carrying our flag COM
1nerce into all parts of the world. 1t
was almost continuously in power up
to the time of Woodrow Wilson's inau-
guration, eighteen months ago. Dur
ing that time our merchant marine
disappeared from the seas, and up to
the time that their party was driven
from power not one effort was made
to rehabilitate it.. It's high tariff rob-
berry, which compelled the people of
this country to buy only homemade
goods with the tariff rates to their
value added for the benefit Of the men
Who wrote or dictated the tain. pills
destroyed our commerce across the
seas. And the Republican shipping
laws which allowed the United. States
lag to be carried on no merchant yes
sells except those built in this country
drove all Americans engaged in. the
shipping business to buy their ships
across the waters to save a third to
half the cost that the high tariff add
ed to home built ships, and then sail
them. under foreign Tags, because the
shipping laws prevented foreign built
ships carrying our flag. This is why
the European war catches us with no
ships to carry our cotton and grain
and meat to the countries at war. and
why our farm products are piling up
every shipping point because it is not
safe to ship in vessels carrying the
flags of the countries now at war.
President Wilson and the, Democratic
congress have already dug the grave
for this runious Republican policy by
the law passed and signed last week
to allow foreign built ships to registry
in this country and carry our flag.
This will enable American owners Of
foreign ships to take down the foreign
flags and hoist the Stars and Stripes
Thus merchant marine has already
been established by the Democratic
IninistraHon 4andk established with-s
out subsiding them from the treasury,
which is the only way Republicans
have ever proposed to re-establish a
most important vehicle of trade which
their high tariff laws destroyed.
The exemption from toll of the coast
wise vessels which the Democratic
Congress has repealed, on the advice
OF President Wilson, was a pure gift
to the shipping trust which engaged
in commerce along the American
coast. 1t already had a monopoly of
this business because foreign built
this business. These do not engage in
any foreign trade and afford not
scintilla of relief in ethe present war
crisis. The free toll that had been
given them was pure graft to fat and
greedy trust, contributed from the
common treasury of all the people,
and not one dollar of it was to go
into the pockets of anybody but the
stockholders of the shipping trust. A
candidate for Congress who stands on
a platform condemning the rsstora-
ton of this graft to the treasury and
keeping our plighted faith with Eng
land, which condemns the Democratic
party for providing way other than
by a treasury subsidy for restoring a
merchant marine. which Republican
policies destroyed which condemns
the tariff bill passed in the interest of
the people instead of the privileged
few, should be defeated by an ava
lanch of votes.
Mr.. Gudger and the Democratic
press of the tenth district have the
material on which to start wave of
enthusiasm that should add at least
1000 to the 1912 Democratic majority
of the district.