The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-10-30
DR.. shaw on the Stump.

Hon. Frank 7. Shaw, the Democratic NOM
inee for Congress, has been making some eff
fective speeches this week. On Tuesday he
and Thomas c. Weeks addressed large mass
meeting at Towsontown. The following is
report of DR.. Shaw's speech, as published in
the Baltimore Sun:
SIT ought not be a difficult task here in
Maryland, where the Democratic party has
had control for almost twenty years, 10 con-
vince any one that the application of Demo
cratic principles to the administration of gov
eminent is best for any people. Every Dem
ocrat may point with pride to the record his
party has here made. Our state debt is less
than that of most other states, our state assets
exceed our liabilities, and our state tax is only
49, cents on the 500, more than half Of which
is applied to the support of our public schools.
Our credit is unsurpassed at home and abroad,
and our bonds, the evidence of our indebted-
ness, command premium in the markets of
the world. And during all these years we
have kept pace with the civilization of the age,
and provided at great expense for the care of
the insane, the blind, the deaf and mute, as
well as the criminal classes of society. Mil
lions of dollars have been collected and dis
bursed, not one cent of which has been stolen.
Whilst the executive branch of our state gov
eminent has thus been faithful to its trust,
the legislative arm has not been idle, and the
demands of labor have received their just re-
eognition. We have enacted laws exempting
the tools of the mechanic and the wages of
the laboring man from execution, so that he
may not be hopelessly ruined when misfortune
overtakes him. We have wiped from our
statute books the old law making it conspiracy
for labor to combine for its protection, and
have legalized labor organizations. Only
last winter a Democratic Legislature at An
napolis said to the street car companies of
Baltimore, You must shorten by five hours
the days labor of your conductors and drivers
or forfeit your franchises to the state and it
was done. We have established bureau of
labor statistics. and placed at its head com
petent chief to look after the interests of
labor, and report the result to the law making
power. The Democratic party of Maryland,
seeing labor staggering under the burden
placed upon its broad and willing shoulders
by organized greed and monopoly, was among
the first to come to its relief The demands
of labor never received any recognition at the
hands of the Republican party during its long
tenure of power, although frequently appealed
to by the working classes. But within one
week after the assembling of the Forty ninth
Congress, in which Democrats were largely in
the majority, on motion Of Mr.. O'Neil, of
Missouri, who is a mechanic and a Democrat,
the rules of the House were amended and a
committee on labor created and made one of
the standing committees of the House. Com
posed, as this committee now is, of mechanics
and those who have been Endorsed by the
labor organizations of the country, it insures
prompt, careful and intelligent consideration
of all questions affecting the rights of labor
which may from time to time'be presented to
Congress.
son the 22d day of April last President
Cleveland, by special message to Congress,
clearly outlines the policy of the Democratic
party on this important question, and recog-
nizes the right of the laboring classes to leg
isative care in the following language: THE
laboring man, bearing in his hand an lndis-
pensable contribution to our growth and pro-
gress, may well insist with manly courage and
as right upon the same recognition from
those who make our laws as is accorded to
any other citizen having valuable interest in
charge, and his reasonable demands should be
met in such spirit of appreciation and fair
ness as to induce a contented and patriotic
CO operation in the achievement of grand
national destiny
"Although unsatisfactory relations between
labor and capital have long existed, it has
been left for Democratic President of the
United States to be the first among those who
have recently filled that high office to take
official notice of the same, for the purpose of
establishing a better accord between these
mutually dependent interests
SAT the last session of Congress five dis
tinct bills were passed by the Democratic
House for the relief of the laboring classes
from certain unjust competitions and discrim-
nations to which they are now subjected, but
were not enacted into laws because they failed
to receive the approval of the Republican
Senate.
sWhilst much has been accomplished by
the present administration for our national
welfare, much remains yet to be done. No
reasonable man. however, would expect the
abuses which crept into our system of govern
ment during twenty-five years of mal-admin-
istration to be eradicated and corrected in
twenty months. Such work of renovation
and reform of systems and policies and false
constructions and corrupt practices Cannot be
more than inaugurated during theterm OF one
administration. The demoralizing influence
of intestine war has so impaired the moral
standards of the people that reform, whilst
beginning with the present, can only hope to
find its perfect work with succeeding gen
Grafton"
Dr. Shaw gave the facts and figures to show
the decrease in the total expenditures of the
national government under Democratic ad-
minstration. Economy and reform have
been instituted in the several departments OF
the nationel government. In concluding, he
said
.sSinee the Democratic administration came
into power it has reduced the national debt
almost two million dollars per week. This
steady reduction, looking to the early extinct
ton of the debt, will remove causes of heart
burnings and jealousies between different
classes and sections, and tend strongly to
consolidate and animate the patriotism of the
masses of the people. With honesty, economy
and efficiency in every branch. of the public
service, with the nations purse strings in the
hands of Democratic House of Representa-
tives, the people will not long cry in vain for
relief from excessive governmental consump-
tion."
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