The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-12
THE TARIFF DISCUSSED.
THE JOINT DEBATE BETWEEN
BOB AND ALF
Continued Before a Large Audience
at Observation-Disclosures Points
Of the Speeches.
ESPECIAL TO THE APpEAL.l

We reached Cleveland today. Thou
sands were in waiting for US, and the
two candidates aud others OF the patty
were escorted 10 the town, while these
who gathered to meet us vociferously
called for Bob and ALI. Bob is in fine
trim and getting stronger in his de-
bate every day against the pounding
logic of All. The candidates spoke
today to an assembly of over 5000 aud
by far the finest gathering that
has met them yet. A beau
tiful incident occurred today
when the little children presented
him with superb boquet OF flowers.
1t wac at the end of his speech, and
he had closed. Rising to his feet, he
reached forward, took the little child
by the hand, and uttered ia volume
of feeling the sentence which l have
placed at the end OF this report.
ALF's SPEECH
today was principally on the tariff,
and was uttered with a plain vieT to
head off Bob in that question. He
also attacked the revenue system, and
said the Democrats had not My pro
posed TO reform, but were going to
wipe it ont of exis.eDcs. He taid
that the cap tai Of the country was
locked up on account OF this lack of
confidence, end said that twenty
years OF Republican rule in this
country has marked the golden
age Of the American Republic
The stsgnation Of business, he said,
would continue until the Republican
party was in power. He took Bob's
position today on the penitentiary
lease system and said that the Demo-
Gratis held that this was heritage
given the Republican party. He said
that the Republican party voted for
the system. The living feature was
in it and was Incorporated in the act
of the Legislature Of 1877.
of the penitentisry lease at any cost"
was his sta ement. On prohibition he
claimed that his party was the first to
lead off in the fact OF submitting to
the vote of the people by constitu-
tional amendment. On the Blair bill
he said that if all the children in the
State who could neither read nor write
were to take hands they would make
line OF innocents 400 miles long or 100
miles longer than those who could read
and write.
then rose in the midst of the widest
cheers. He devoted his speech priDci-
pally to the tariff, and on this great
question l have thought it we'll to give
you literally what he says, as follows:
The Republican party boasts that it is
the champion Of the protection to
labor. Let US see if this
is true; let US see if the
practical workings of the present
system of tariff brings this re-
suit. Tariff is tax. The Republican
system is 43 per cent average upon an
immense number Of articles used by
the common people, and then we in
vestiga,e further and we fad the COM
mon articles that the common
people used taxed more high
ly than the luxuies of the
rich. Now, go far as l am concerned,
am rot free trader and never Was.
The Democratic patty is not free
trade party, but we are for tariff
which is necessary to brir G US reve-
nue. and TO meet the expenses of the
government, to pay the interest on
the national debt and at
the same time give prote sion
to the labor AMI our indus
tries. In short, the Democratic view
of the tariff question is this. A tariff
sufficient to meet The expenses of the
government economically admins.
tered, and to cover the difference be-
tween the price of American labor and
foreign labor. / just want to say one
thing now on the Blair bill that you
have heard go much of. Why,
my fellow citizsns, there is
no such thing as the B air bill = it has
not be- ONE a law. The Republican
Senate voted for resolution applying
the surplus to the payment of the ma
tional debt, ard when it did that
strangled it to death, and my brother
is hold ng up 10 you corpse aud
is swearing it is alive. 1t has
always been the policy Of the Dem.
oCratic party to foster and maintain
public education. What has my hon.
orable competitor got to say about
that $4,000 in gold that Isham G.
H2Esis turned over to the State, after
he'had carried it in safety throughout
the war? He talks about the num-
bers of little children who can't
read nor write. As he closed
his speech, upon being handed
flowers by the children he said: COB,
the little children, this is the sweetest
tribute of all, for if there is anything
beautiful it is beautiful child in its
innocence. May the spirit of God
hover eternally over the lives OF these
little ones, and may they grow up in
the world 10 beautify its homes with
the happiness and with the light of
their little faces and to lift the world
still higher toward goodness and
toward God"