The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-25
SENATOR HARRIsoN's SPEECH.

|
Senator Harrison's speech, delivered on
Saturday night is the opening note of the
Republican campaign in Indiana, and as such
must command the attention of readers of
every class. Treating, as it needs must on all
the salient points Of the fight, it could not
and was not intended TO, exhaustively con-
slider any one Of them. However, this in no
measure weakens the Senators argument and
logic, for where he condenses he leaves un-
uttered only such matter as is familiar to the
reading public in all parts of the country
His speech differs from that of his contem-
porary in the Senate in that it seeks to avoid
none Of the issues before the people, nor does
it appeal to ignorance and prejudice. Briefly
epitomized, the speech embraced the considera-
ton of the following national topics:
He first addressed himself to the independent
Republicans, who, with a virtue above the
/ party to which they SO long belonged and which
has given them the only prominence they enjoy,
have basely gone over to the enemy. Quoting
| George William Curtiss epigrammatic
/ description of the very hungry and
very thirsty party that now confronts
us, a party without single definite principle
or national purpose" he proceeded to fay Mr..
Curtis and his fellows who, to spite the majority
| that they could not control, are now aligned
| with that party which Mr.. Curtis as late as two
months ago denounced as above, and described
as a conspiracy against human rights in the
past and "a conspiracy now for plumber and
] spoils.' There is not one of these Independents
! who does not know. who has not in substance
said that the Republican party has an instinct
! for the right side--the moral side-of public
i nua MAY MT al yav haxa m
| the highest expression of the TRUTH but it has
| been on the side of truth. and it has been pro-
gressve. There is not one of them who does
not know, who has not in substance said, that
the Democratic party has an infallible instinct
! for the wrong side-the immoral side-of public
| questions. If there has been or is, in this
| country an intrenched eyil-one that has votes
the Democratic party has never failed to enter
into convention with it. The Democratic
| party as favoring civil-service reform
! was then considered, and the declaration of Mr.
| Hendericks fresh from the convention was
quoted as an earnest of the intention of that
party in this direction. The Democratic key
note, then sounded and since taken up by the
! rank and file of the hungry and thirsty party
was thai not less than $4,000 federal officials
must at once be ousted to make room for Demo
Gratis.
The tariff question the fear of confronting
which has thus far driven every Democratic poll
tician to the woods, was briefly discussed,
not so much as to its merits as
q measure OF pu0llc't. p0ilty, as to
the manner in which it has been
| treated by the Democratic party. Between
| Incidental protection which is a confession
| that protection is desirable, and "a tariff for
revenue only or exclusively the adverb now
/ employed, the party has masqueraded for years
| before the people While laundering in the in
! dex of national platforms, the Democratic party
has done nothing and can do nothing in this
/ direction 1t has had majority in the House of
Representatives since December, 1875, with the
| exception of two years (Forty-seventh Congress-
| and during the Forty -sixth Congress had a
| majority in the Senate also At all the elections
| which returned these Democratic majorities the
| loudest professions and promises of reform
/ listing revenue system was denounced as thiev-
| ing oppression, and yet three whole Congresses
/ and the long session of another have passed. and
/ nothing has been accomplished except some
minor notifications of the law in respect of the
| tax on whisky, tobacco and quinine. In a
] single Congress FORTY seventh) the Republc-
| ans, with very small majority in the House,
and a majority in the Senate only by the Read
juster votes, constituted tariff commission, re-
ceived its report, and revised the tariff in such
/ manner that the revenue receipts were cut down
$20000000 during the last past fiscal year.
and this has been the only practical
| and effective attempt yet made in this direction
| The Senator contrasted this wise and conserya-
/ tive course with the crude and abortve attempt
made by the hostile Democrats during the last
session of Congress to make sweeping and
4
gard to the inevitable effect that must result in
! closing certain branches of industry.
/ The Republican party, on the other hand
holds to the doctrine that in fixing tariff rates
the effect Of the rate proposed upon American
4 industries and upon the wages of American
| workmen should be carefully and kindly consid-
| cred. We do not think that the shutting up of
| shops or the extinguishment of industries is
| pleasant work. We have not reached the plane
| Of that cold philosophy which refuses to recoe-
nize closer relationship and higher duty to
the American workman and his family than to
| the English. do not say that our American
workman gets all the benefit he ought to enjoy
condition and that of his family is vastly better
than it would be under freetrade or tariff-fols
revenue-only policy. 1t is noticeable that even
the Mcdonald school of Democrats take great
comfort in what they call the incidental pro-
lection which tariff for revenue will afford to
our Industries and to our workmen. They adj
NIT the benefit Of protection, but insist that it