Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-09-10
SENATOR BEN HARRISON.
His Address Formally Opening
the Hoosier Campaign at
indianapolis.
The Speech an Eloquent and For
chile Presentation of the
Party Issues.
A Demonstration Excelling in Magnitude
Anything Seen in Indiana for
Years.
Indianapolis special. ]

| Indianapolis speciaLI
| Senator Benjamin Harrison formally opened
| the campaign in Indiana in a speech at the Park
| Theater, which was heard by 1000 people 1t
was made the occasion of a Republican demon
! stratiOn of great magnitude, surprising any
| thing of the kind witnessed here since 1880. A
| torchlight procession, composed principally of
/ Plumed Knights of Columbia and Blaine and
Logan Guards, bearing alOft banners and
! transparencies, and headed by martial bands
preceded the meeting and escorted the speaker
| to the theater. There were 1000 uniformed
| men in line and the procession was nine squares
in length. All the available space in the theater
was filled before the arrival of the clubs, who
were unable to gain admission.
Chairman New, of the Republican State Cen
| trail Committee, opened the meeting by intro
| ducing Gov. A. G. Porter as presiding officer,
and naming a score of Vice Presidents. The
/ Governor put the crowd in excellent humor by
! some happy illusions to the Presidential can
didate, which evoked great enthusiasm. After
song by the Central Blame and Logan Glee
! Club there were three cheers for Blaine and
/ three for Logan too. Senator Harrison was in
! troduced. Ills speech was a studied effort, de-
lvered in the best STYLE and holding the atten-
| ton of the hearers for an hour and three-quar
| tiers. The meeting closed with a song, Well
| Stand by Garfield's Friend" The demOnstra-
| ton was surprise to the Democrats in its pro-
| portions.
] Senator Harrison began his address by quot
! ing George w. Curtis famous epigrammatic
! description of the Democratic paTty-the hun
/ cry, thirsty, unprincpled, cowardly party,
which fell from power as a conspiracy against
! hnman rights and now attempts to sneak back
! to power as a conspiracy for plumber and
| spois." The Democrats now had generally a
/ high opinion of Curtis sagacity-an opinion not
resting so much on this quoted speech as on the
| fact that Mr.. Curtis had now become active
| associate in the conspiracy tor plumber and
| spoils. 1t had not been showed that Mr.. Cur
| It's had changed his opinion OF the Democratic
party. Mr.. Curtis and his associates had SEEM
| ingly concluded that public morality would be
| advanced by giving the Government to party
with no 10Th OH and
| These Independents, in their PLATFORM said they
| were proud Of the great record and services of
the Republican party He hoped they would
| not make the mistake of supposing that
all virtue went out of the party when they
| opened the door, or that the other party would
cease to be conspiracy for plumber and spoils"
by reason of the sanctifying power of their
presence. There was not one of these Independ-
ents who did not know, who had not in SUBJ
stance said that the Republican party was in
stinctiyely on the right side-the moral side-of
public questions. There was not one Of them
| who did not know, who had not in substance
said, that the Democratic party had an infallible
| instinct for the wrong side-the immoral side
of public questions. These Cleveland Republ-
cans affected to have discovered, since they
made up their minds to support Mr.. Cleveland,
that the Democratic and Republican parties do
not essentially differ upon questions of public
policy. Mr.. Curtis. Mr.. Schurz, and many of
their associates were understood to be civil
service refor1ners. We're they willing to have
| their sincerity judged by comparison of the
two platforms on the subject Of civil service?
v
graphs in each platform-that of the Demo-
| cratic party consisting only of six words
| and commented on the two declarations. The
one was a full, frank indoors ement Of the exist
ing evils service law; the other was evasive and
| Incomplete, and would not be crossed by re-
peal OF the present statutes. Senator VOORHEES,
| had denounced the new civil-service law and
had voted against it in the Senate. Mr.. Hen
bricks, fresh from the convention, had declared,
in substance, that he knew of no way Of testing
the honesty of the present incumbents of the
offices except by turning them out and putting
in Democrats He was sure that at least $4,000
| should go at once. Every civil-service re-
former in the country knew that this reform
which had made such cheering progress would
be turned back to its spring and the spring
sealed up if the men who framed the Demo-
cratic platform at Chicago came into power. If
clviI-service reform was minor issue, then
those who magnifed it should say so; but they
could not part company with the Republican
party on the pretense that there issue
between the parties on the subject.
The speaker then cOntrasted the records, prin-
ciples, purposes, and methods of the two par
ties, and incidentally excoriated Mr.. Schurz for
some of his recent utteranceS. He then went on
to discuss the tariff and gave brief history OF
the rise, progress, and death Of the Morrison
bill. The weight of opinion in the Democratic
party was for "a tariff for revenue only"-one in
the framing of which no account should be
taken of it's effect on American industries and
American workmen. The Republican party
held to the doctrine that in fixing tariff rates
the effect Of the rate proposed upon American
Industries and upon the wages of American
workmen should be carefully considered.
But the incapacity of a Democratic House OF
Representative, continued the speaker, did not
exhaust itself in the attempted tariff legisla-
ton. The building of a navy-for we have
practically no navy-was another question that
uncovered the utter lack of capacity, patriot
ISM or craftsmanship of a Democratic House OF
Representatives. 1t is one that involves not
only the national honor and influence, but the
safety of our seaboard cities. The highest mill
tary and naval authorities of the country have
again and again in official reports to Congress
declared that we are without navy, and that
our seacOast defenses are not worthy OF the
name. We have no guns for our ships, none fol
our coast Notifications. We have one hrst-class
making her last cruise. law OF Congress pro-
vides that when the repairs OF wooden vessel
shall equal so per cent. of her value she shall
be sold or broken up. We have eleven
wooden vessels of the second class, and
five of them will not again be re-
paired The utter helplessness and naked
ness of our country in the matter OF ships and
coast defenses is conceded by every American
and known in every foreign court IL Is SUP
ject of amaZement and mOrtlhcat1on tnaI, Wild
abundant resources, this nation should consent
to occupy so contemplate position among the
maritime nations of the world. There Is more
than one South American Government that mas
navy with which ours could not cope. IL mas
been said upon the highest authority that Chlh
has armored ships that could sail into the mar
Dor of San Francisco and put that great Guy
under contribution at pleasure. The speaker
went on to show how the attempts OF the he
publican party tending toward the beginning o.
the construction of navy had been frusuraUeo
! by Democratic action, and pointed out the ap-
Surdity OF the position taken by Mr.. voorhees,
that we should Immediately build mighty
navy that could defy the world or else continue
unprotected as
Turning to the question of pensions, the
| speaker recounted the history of the Mexican