Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10
H. G. DAVIS.

He Speaks for an Hour, Presenting Some
Valuable Information.
Senator Davis began his address by say
ing that the signs all pointed to a glorious
Democratic victory at Incorporating cleo
ton, and reminded his hearers that good
government always followed a Democratic
triumph. Referring to Secretary Walker,
who was to follow him, the Senator said he
made no p~retensiOns to OratOry. Brutus
was to come after him. He was a plain
man, and talked right along without any
p~retentions to the fine flights of elOquence
that so tickled the popular ear.
His aim was to instruct, rather than
amuse, and he hoped in the course of his
remarks to present some valuable infor-
nation. He referred to the candidates
now before the people, and said they were
worthy of the suffragcs of the voters, and
he self sure they would be elected. But
the speaker said he proposed to talk more
of the principles Of the party than men.
Men come and 60, but the principles Of the
Democratic P"rty ware eternal; they were
here all the time.
He voiced the trueism that in politics,
rs in business, we ought to profit by past
experience. 1t has been the boast
of the Republicans for years that they
had achieved many and great things since
the war-that they had brought the coun-
try to great perfection in wealth and pop
ulatiOn. The Speaker said these boasts
were empty ones, and he proposed, by in
d~isputable facts and figures to prove
THE TRUTH OF HIS ASSERTION.
The subjects he would touch upon in do
ing this were the tariff, railroads. labor,
population, capital, and the Capitalization
of power in Washington rs against home
government by the people.
From the earliest days of the government
down to the present time the Democratic
party had been the friend of the people. Al
the outset, the politicians divided on this
issue, Jefferson maintaining the cause OF
the people, while Hamilton and his fol-
lowers stood for the idea of q strong gov
eminent. This distinction is fully as
strong now as one hundred years ago, the
Democrats still maintaining their.Original
principles, while the Republicans adhered
to the idea of Capitalization.
The Senator then took up the idea that
the country had always been most pros
erous under Democratic rule, and com
pared first the Democratic States with
those in which Republicans held sway,
and then the sixteen Southern States with
the sixteen Northern and Western States
which are reliably Republican, the facts
illustrating the claim to the satisfaction
of all but the most prejudiced hearers.
Following out his argument, the speak
er took up the railroad mileage,
and pointed out that in the
decade between 1850 and 1860, with the
Democrats in power, it jumped from 5000
miles to 80. 900 miles, or 231 per cent.
while from 1870 to 1880, under Republi,
can rule, it only increased from 81, 900
miles to 90, 900 miles, or &c per cent. He
said that last year 500, 0O0, 900 were col
lected from the whole country and
paid over to 4 part of the country Us
pension money. He didn't complain OF
that; on the contrary, he thought it was
right, but it ought to increase the wealth
of the North faster than that Ofthe South.
On the contrary, with this aux
Hilary aid against her, the South
kept even with the North in the
accumulation of wealth. The increase of
manufactures showed the same thing. The
low tariff of 1850 to 1860 did more to in
crease the manufactures of the land than
did the high tariff of 1870 to 1880.
II TARIFF.
In broaching this subject, Senator Davis
said he was not a free trader, and was not
looking in that direction. He had no
sympathy with it whatever. Applause.
None of the Democratic Presidents had
been favorable to it. He recited the cir
cumStanceS under which the Democratic
tariff plank of 1884 was drawn up, at
Chicago, and said the resulting resolution
was known to every Democrat, and every
Democrat was proud of il, and would
stand. by it [Applause. There was
very little difference between
the two parties on the subject,
although Republicans constantly
boaSted of their superior u~tterances. He
read both resolutions, and said the aver
age voter could not tell which was Demo-
cratic and which Republican. The matter
was left TO the audience, and they seemed
to be about equally divided. The welfare
Of the country was safe in Democratic
hands. Grover Cleveland's position on
the tariff was just what Thomas Jefferson's
had been. As long as the Government
had to raise $500, OOO, 600 annually, there
would be no abolition of the tariff laws.
The Senator said that we of West Yir-
ginia were particularly interested in iron,
lumber, wool and coal. Under the late
Democratic tariff all these articles were
better protected than under the high Re
publican tariff. Take nails as an example.
Before the var the duty on them was two
cents per pound, now it was n and one
fourth cents.
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
Taking up this topic of present interest
Sanafor naviS maintained that A. 49,