The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-22

basis or American liberty but that which makez
the vote of one man to count for AS much as any
otner mans vote and that the vote of the poor.
esf drayman who drives along the streets OF Ia
0lanapohs shall count for as much as the vote of
uroVer Clevelandf As Senator Sherman has
salc' Wherever a ~gerrymander has been made
the people nave reached out their hands for the
throat OF the party that has perpetrated it. Ev-
cry man reels thar our liberties are as nothing
whenever one mans vote can coupt for twice as
much as arother's. | spoke today To farmers
Republican farmers and Democratic farmers.
friends and neighbors. men who ara borroHers
and lenders to each other. Will the Democratic
farmer bear 1t that his neigh boris vote shall not
be upon an equality with his own7 Go into onr
shops where Democratic workmen and Repub-
lican workmsn are side by side. They have con.
fdence in each other and respect for
each others rights. They are EQUALS.
Will the Democratic mechanic haya
his fellow toiier given but half a vote. while his
vote counts as one and a halfl ] believe that,
throughout Indiana, the sentiment among all
men, who understand the question of this in
famous ~gerrymander, is that it should be re.
buked.
What is one of the burning questions in which
the laboring men of Indiana are Interested II
is the matter of convict labor. How is it tina
labor of penitentIaries, competing with free and
honest labor, is sold out at 50 cents a day and
prison manufactures disposed of at a much lower
price than the articles manufactured by freq
workmenf Look at the legislation ia Indiana
in this matter. In 1883 a bill concerning
this matter was introduced in the Legislature.
What became of it, National politics werd
discussed, week after week, but this bill, in a
legislature both branches of which were Demo
cratic. was postponed and the Legisla.
ture adjourned, after appointing a committee
to report two years later. When the Legis.
lature of 1885 met / called attention to the bill.
asking them to consider it. The House again
was interested in national politics. An extra
session was called. One hundred days passed,
and at the end Of that time the bill was again
referred to a COMMITTEES, TO report two years
hence. LAUGHTER What does that showl
Either that the Democratic party was utterly
insincere In its professions of love for the labor
ing man, or that it had not the capacity to
frame a bill to correct the evil. / predict if that
bill comes before another Democratic Legis-
lature, it will again be referred to q committee
instructed to report two years hence. In thirty
one out of thirty eight States there are laws
protecting honest labor against convict labor,
but the State Of Indiana furnishes no such pro-
lection.
If anything makes a city great it is the homes
of workingmen, homes owned by them. 1t is
better for a community to have fifty families
each living in a thousand-dollar home than to
have that $50, 600 in one house occupied by one
family. II is a most important thing TO protect
the homestead and the family. | recommended
to the Legislature the passage of n homestead
bill TO save such homes to laboring men, and get
that Democratic Legislature pretending to be the
friend OF the wOrklngman would not even take
the bill up" Applause.
The meeting then closed. the great audience
filing slowly out. many remaining behind to get
a good look at Senator Sherman. while others,
two hundred or more, shook hands with him.
He was taken at the close of the meeting to
tie residence of Major Holstein. where he re-
manned until 4.30 o'clock this morning, when he
took the train for Marysville, o., where he will
speak this afternoon.