The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-09-22


great war against workingmen of 1877.
The company contains about one hundred
active Republicans, and they should call
with other delegations to do honor to their
distinguished captain. But is it not a
little strange that in the war of the rebellion
Mr.. Harrison permitted sixty-nine regi-
ments to pass his door before he joined the
Seventieth Indiana; but when it came to
war against workingmen he Joined Com
pany c, of the First Regiment, and was
the leading spirit in all that conflict This
energy and activity may be explained away
when we remember all this time he had q
big fee from one of the roads involved in
the strike. His company once organized
and armed, Gen. Harrison proudly march
ed them on the streets, and finally quartered
them at the arsenal. The News of the 9th
says:
-Four companies of volunteers, under the
respective commands of Gen. Benz. Harrison,
Col. N. R. Ruckle, Major ]. ]. Palmer and
Captain Harry Adams, marched into camp
a; the United States arsenal this morning.
They are armed with the new breechloading
rife, a most formidable and efficient weapon.
HE TAKES PAY FOR HIS SERVICES.
"The city under this policy was soon
filled with soldiery. Over thousand vol
unteers were raised here, but notwithstand-
ing this menace of armed forces and re-
peated threats of coercion, the difficulty
ended, as the men said it should, by arbi-
tration, and Gen. Harrison at the close re-
ceipted to the State of Indiana for $40, or
four days pay, while his men receipted for
S235. 80, or at the rate of 53 cents per day
each. But it is coolly claimed by Gen.
Harrison's friends that this money was
turned over to some permanent militia COM
pany. So much the worse Right here
let me ask if Mr.. Harrison had one spark
of sympathy for the families of the strikers,
as is claimed, why did he not quietly hunt
out the most needy of their number and
donate this militia money to them? Why
not have invested that money in biscuits
and potatoes rather than in bullets and
powder? 1t would have done the strikers
more good. Yet to this his clients might
have objected, for we must not forget that
Mr.. Harrison was drawing big pay from
the o. and NJ. Railroad Company at one
and the same time he was getting his SIS
per day from the State of Indiana. Double
pay demands double energy.
awe will now direct our attention to Mr..
Harrison in the role of arbitrator. He was
a member of the Citizens Committee Sc
lected to arbitrate the differences between
the roads and their employees. The jury
or committee met in the old Council Cham
Der of Indianapolis on July 26. Observe
that on July "a Gen. Harrison had enlisted
on the side of the 'Piukerton policy and
had been drawing pay from the state at the
rate Of S. per day for two days. He had
already drilled and armed Company G, and
had them quartered at the arsenal. Note,
too, that in February preceding he had
entered the employ of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi Company, which was involved in
the strike, and then had their gold in his
pocket. Do you grasp the situation? He
had somehow slipped on the jury which
was to try his own clients cause. Now it
has gone into history that Mr.. Harrison's
speech at that conference meeting was very
arrogant-very dictatorial towards the
strikers committee which was invited to
be present The newspaper reports of just
what he said ere very meagre. The espeech
will never be fully known.
SOME HISTORICAL EXPRESSIONS.
"For more light we are compelled to look
to other sources-to men and members of
the committee who were there. Early after
the nomination of Gen. Harrison it was
rumored and stated on the streets that he
used such expressions as these That 81
day was enough for workingman; that if
he were governor or sheriff he would force
the men to time at the point of the bayonet;
that if necessary he would shoot them down,
or expressions of like import, and perhaps
others of similar nature.
After citing several instances of Gen.
Harrison's harsh prosecution of arrested
strikers, in refutation of the statements that
he was a friend to the unfortunate men,
Mr.. Bailey thus continues II have ar
raigned Benjamin Harrison at the bar of
public opinion. have recited record in
which the truth, unadorned, broad-based as
a pyramid, convicts him in the minds of
men of inhumanity to his
fellow man, than which in the whole cat
alogue of mans mental and moral infrmities
there is nothing that SO intensifes abhor-
renee. Inhumanity is blind to destitution,
it is deaf to the walls of the oppressed.
Mans inhumanity to man has designed and
set in operation every instrument, from the
thumbscrew to the fagot, and Gen. Benja-
min Harrison, in clamoring for bayonets
and bullets to suppress railroad employees
in the city of indianapolis in 1877, when
they were demanding sufficient pay for
their toll to dispel darkness from their
humble homes and drive gaunt hunger
away and lift the burden of despair from
dependent wives and children, did that
which burned into the memory of the vic
Tins impressions of his brutal cruelty as in
effaceable as the imprint of Jehovah's hand
upon the hills and valleys of the earth.
have recited record bristling with facts
which must sting the consciousness Of
like the lash of scorpions.
NO WORD OF SYMPATHY FOR THE
OPPRESSED.
II have painted no fancy sketch.
have not drawn upon my imagination to
make case against Gen. Harrison. l
have given yeu testimony like Alpine
scenery, where Hills peep DER hills, and
Alps on Alps arise / have given you
The statement of living men-truths as i'm
as the pillars of Gods throne
have placed Gen. Harrison in attitudes
chosen by himself. We see
him first in the picture of swollen,
pompous arrogance, vengeful as an
lutccrat, denouncing workingmen driv-
IN to desperation by oppression and
bidding them as if they were chattel slaves
% return to their tasks. We have seen
him counselling armed force and threaten
ing vengeance if his words of terror were
lisregarded. We have heard his fife at
uned voice calling men to arms, and have
seen him in battle array tramping up and
lown the streets of Indianapolis trigged out
N sword and cap and shoulder straps at
.he head of an armed force impatiently
waiting orders to make the streets red
u n