Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-11-01
.llev.. indianapolis speeeh. ]
DEMOCRACY.
Deaf to the Appeals of the Working People
Unfinished Public Buildings.

Let me bring 10 your attention measure on
which the Democratic friends OF the working
people were more paTsimOnious. We usually
appropriate about four millions and a hall Tor
public buildings. We have large public build
ings standing unfinished. In Chicago alone
SIS GOO wear rent is paid for Offices which are
TO be in the Government building, which j.
nearly completed. In Philadelphia we have ex-
PENDED nearly 8. .OOO. coo. Public buildings
standing unfinished in many cities; AID yccE
Democratic committee reduced the annual aI-
preparation for this purpose more than one-haif.
If they can afford to pay two millions and haii
in coin interest every year for the silver to make
subsidiary coin, why could they not in this year,
when the working people are so distressed,
afford for this one year to spend the usual
amount Of money on public buiidinss. They
sympathize. they say, with the laborin-
classes. Let us see how they manifested their
svnpafhv. What Is Z public building. II Is
nineiy-iive rer cent, and more, of labor, and
less than five per cent. Of raw material or ca p
tai. Ninety-iye per cent of the two additional
millions would have flowed into the hands of
the laboring classes OF the country, and would
have Guiclened trade and industry 20 eons.d-
erabie extent. What, / ask you again, Is pub
lie building, Why, the making OF the hole IA
which YOU pu. Observation-Disclosures cellars al
labor for man and beast The foundations are
stone in the quarry of little vslUe- bur labor
orarries them, handles them, and em5oiies
them in the wall. The clay lies in ypuder
field until labor dies and treats aud mouids i,
until other labor gathers 10 i: fuel, and converts
the soft clav into the enduring brick. The
granite in the quarries Of New England, OF
marble in those uf Pennsylvania. or the beaut.-
fu stone at Joliet, Illinois, is Of little value
wherever il may be until labor blasts and quar-
ries and handles and dresses il, and puts It IN
its place for a structure of permanenee and
utility and beauty. The public building s
timber in wonder forest Of little value. obstruct-
ing the progress Of settlement, until the wood
mantle slalwart pioneer wOOdman-with his
axe brings down the monarchs OF the forest,
floats or hauls them 70 the mill, and they are
cut into timber. fashioned into forms of beauty
for ornament or moulded into doors and sash.
What Is iron and ore in the bank: Coal in the
ninei Limestone in the qUarrys Zach ant
all of little value as they are there covered 10
by dear mother Nature, until labor descending
into the dark mine. blasting limestone from the
quarry, bringing forth the coal and ore, am
bringing the three together a. the forge, filling
the forge, building fires under it, watching j,
until the red Equid flows; and there is the
rough pig-iron, from which labor shall roll the
bar cut the nail, make the screw, fashion it
into a thousand forms Of utility and beauty.
These are the elements of public buildings,
and the two millions withheld by this Demo
cratic Congress from the continuance Of the
buildings already begun are =, ,OO1, coo withheld
from the suffering laboring people Of the eoun-
try in this time Of depression and want Ap-
plause There is economy that is extrava-
rance. There is retrenehmeGt thst is waste
ful : and charge upon these men that their
boasted economy and retrenchment were waste
full extravaganza, and oppressive to the su1er-
ing poor of the country lApplause.l