Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-10-19

that Gen. HARRISON ShOulder6Q his muSket TO
hunt and shoot down the labor strikers in
Indianapolis in 1877, and that he favored the
immigration of Chinese labor to compete with
American labor. There was never a greater
SANDER perpetrated upon public man. And
we have never heard that Mr.. Tucker retract-
ed or denied the falsehoods. S. Ta1ley Vir-
ginian.
Nor haye we ever heard ''that Mr..
Tucker retracted or denied the false J.
hoods" if falsehoods they were. He
would shoulder pretty heavy job If he
undertook to do so. They are not mere
campaign roorbacks." One "slander," as
our contemporary holds it to be, is to be
found in a resolution adopted by an infa-
entail organization of workingmen assem-
Dled at Indianapolis, the home of Gen.
Harrison. On the 7th Of last August the
Indiana State Federation of Trades held
its annual session at Indianapolis. 1t
adopted a preamble and The following
resolutions
Res0lued, That we cannot support the can
didates of the Republican party for President
and Vice-President, because both of them are
wanting III sympathy for the laboring classes
This was shown by General Harrison in the
memorable strike of 1877, when he volunteered
to command company of soldiers to shoot
laboring men down, after having refused to
attempt settlement by peaceful means For
four days service as captain of said company
he received and receipted for twenty silver
dollars, which was as much blood money as
the 'thirty pieces of silver" for which Judas
Iscariot betrayed the Savior of mankind. It
has been shown by Morton, in his career as a
Wall-street money-shark, and as a sharer in
the unholy gains of many greedy corporations
that have cruelty oppressed their employees.
In trying to get possession of the single on
which was inscribed ''Shoes made and repair
ed by Oliver P. Norton" offering large sum
for it that he might destroy the evidence of
his humble occupation. Morton has shown
himself ashamed of the condition to which he
was born, thus sacrificing all claim to the re-
spect and support of the honest laborers of
the land who have no bushes for their en-
ployment.
Resoloed, That in voting on fourteen differ
ent occasions against measures that were pro-
posed in the Senate of the United States for
the restriction of Chinese cheap labor, and in
his oft-repeated private avowals of willing
dCoS tudb CuO udGuTdllZuliOu ldWo 5uOulu D0
extended SO as to give Cinnamon the right to
become citizens, Harrison has given the
strongest possible proofs of his utter disregard
of the interests and welfare of American
workingmen.
Resolved. That for reasons here specified
and for the further fact that these Republican
candidates in their habits, thoughts sympa-
thies and associations are of the class that
would inaugurate an aristocracy on the ruins
of our free government.
Res0Ioed, That organized labor in other
States is cordially invited to cooperate with
us in the enforcement of the sentiments and
objects herein expressed.
For Mr.. Tucker to undertake to deny,
and charge to be ISLANDER" and "false-
hood" a resolution adopted by one of the
most prominent State Labor organizations
in the Union, with reference to an occa-
sion in which many of the men who voted
for that resolution we're themselves actors,
would be an audacious enterprise in which
he would not be likely to meet with sue
cess. Especially as the members Of the
Federation since the adoption of the reso-
luton have reiterated its statements, some
of them making the reiteration under the
solemnity of an oath before Notary Pub
lie. Taking it from jury point of view,
where would Mr.. Tucker stand il he at
tempted to 'deny" or ''retract" the
charges made by this Influential body of
workingmen? The State Federation Of
Trades of Indiana was not in politics. 1t
was not trying to help the Democratic can
didates. Many of its members favored for
the Presidency, Judge Gresham, Republi-
can of the highest standing, and they favor
ed him because be had shown himself on
several occasions to be friend of the
wOrkingmen-the same kind of friend that
Allen q. Thurman Was-a man who bad
given them practical aid. Many of the
men who voted for these resolutions bad
been in Chicago as members of delega-
ton seeking tie nomination of Judge
Gresham. How would Mr.. Tucker appear
before a jury putting the simple denial OF
Gen. Harrison, witness more deeply in
terested than any other man in the world,
against the deliberate assertions, and in
some cases supplemented by sworn state
ments,of large body OF respectable work.
ingmen? How would Mr.. Tucker appear
here in Virginia, thousand miles away.
denying such corroborative evidence as
that given 10y Grand Secretary and Treas
urer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen. MI. Eugene Debs? On the
evening of August 18th. at Terre Haute,
Indiana, Mr.. Debs said in an interview,
and afterwards repeated in speech. this:
81 know Harrison's railroad record in 1877
very well, for l was at Indianapoli at that
period, and | propose to tell the people of
Indiana in public speech soon what | know
about it. Harrison captained a company of
Ill men organized to shoot down our men.
Not content with that, Harrison prosecuted
and convicted seven workingmen during that
period, and they were sentenced to various
terms in prison. Our committeeman, Mark
Miller, a Republican, was one of these men land
his sentence was for three weeks. during which
time we furnished him food in prison. At
that time Ex-Governor Porter and Ex- Con-
gresham John Z. Lamb were working to get
these men out of prison in opposition to Har-
rlson's movements, and that is why we are
under obligations to those gentlemen"
And Mr. Tucker, however willing he
might be to oblige the Virginian, would
have no better success before jury in
acqaitting Gen. Harrison of having favor
ed 1.-The immigration of Chinese labor to
compete with American labor Unless,
indeed, he could persuade the presiding
judge to rule out the Cong ressional Re-
cord as inadmjSsible evidence.
On the 9th of March, 1882, the Senate
passed bill Ito execute certain treaty
stipulations with the Chinese" which
afterward passed the House and was
vetoed by President Arthur April IA, 1892.
This bill provided that the coming of Chi
nese lAtorers to the United States should
be suspended for twenty years. The prIn-
cipal ground of the veto was that the