The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-22
FOR FREE-TRADERS
The President of the Mills Meeting Goes
Ahead of the Texan Reformer.
lie Says the Proposed Tariff Reduction Does
Not Go Far Enough for Him, and Mr..
Mills Regrets that II Is So Little.

ure Of seeing and hearing last night the man
whom they say they delight to follow in this
campaign, Roger &. Mills. the author of the
Mills bilL His coming here was announced
several weeks ago, and the local managers OF
the party then began to bestir themselves in an
effort to award him . cordial reception. They
were certainly successful, and 1t is doubtful IL
the distinguished Texan will anywhere on his
campaign tour be called upon to face a larger
indoor crowd thansthe one he addressed In Tom
linson Hall last night. Every seat was taken. and
many persons occupied the standing room
In the aisles. 1t was q pecul-
lar audience. The most conspicuous
persons occupying seats on the front row on the
stage were John E.. Sullivan. under indictment
for conspiracy to forge tally-sheets, and Ster-
ling r. Holt, an ex-confederate. who was a short
time since so:handy with a Ratchet In cho2ping
open ballot-boxes Between these two dis
tinguished lights of the local Democracy nat
Judge Claypool. who employed all the legal
ability he had in an effort to send Mr.. Sullivan
to the psnitentiary for the changing of the tally
sheets two years ago. While this and other feat
ures Of the meeting might be noticed, IL is bus
due to say that it was, generally speaking, a
fcky ntich ~ was W - us
tinctively Democratic gathering by any
neutrality-suspicious. were dotted all over
the audience. and even upon the stage.
There Was but little attempt at decoration in the
hall. The American flag hung from the stsge,
and a half dozen pictures of Cleveland and
Thurman were tackled up around the galleries
It was expected that the audience would Guide
itself In an effort to give Mr.. Mills a royal wei
come when he appeared upon the stage, but
there was nothing unusual in the demonstration
My Mill san,a NJ IN Nrpnon- Nth t~nvsrn0t
Gray and Chairman Jewett, aud at a signal from
the stage there was applause that was brief and
was not repeated.
The meeting was called to order By ChairIoar
Jewett. II had bean called, said be, in behal.
of the great popular movement for tariff reform
he pronounced 1t a movement that had for its
purpose the benefit o. sll tho people. He ther
introduced az the presiding officer Samuel L
Porter. a young man connected with q manu-
featuring firm of the CITY, who. he said, was
this year in accord with the principles of the
Democratic party. Many people crsned their
: necks 10 see who the Mr.. Porter was, and
there was considerable merriment when he WA
recognized ss q man who has been q Democrat
for az least four years. Men who know his pol.
itics say he has al ways been a Democrat. For
many years he has been a free-trader. aud ac-
cording to his own admissions supported Clsfe
land four years ago. lie is an Orangemau, il Is
said, though he represented himself to the audi.
ence as a representative lrishmau. Laooring
under the hslluciuarion that Mr.. Porter was q
recent convert 10 Democracy, the audience
applauded vigorously when he was introduced
After the applause had ceased Mr.. Porter drew
from his pocket a roll Of manuscript and read
quite a lengthy address. He said he felt he WAS
standing on strange ground. He was not pres
ent as q politician, but as a manufacturer or In
diauapolis. He said he would like to have it
understood that be was not Topping over from
the Republican party to the Democrats. He
had not left the Republican party: the Republic
an party had left him The Democratic party
had planted itself on principles he had always
held. He claimed the right to DO his own think
ing. and appeared before the audience as a man
whom no political machine could eontrol. He
was in favor % the Mills bill as a step in the
right direction. The only objection be had TO
IL was that the reduction IL made was not
enough. He would not vote for Harrison though
his character was that Of a God. The hopes Of
tho Democrats were in the future. aud Mr..
Cleveland voiced that hope. He was the
prophet Of the future. The speaker, who is thu
junior member of the Paulina Manufacturing
Company, then aunounAcd that he was engaged
in the manufacture OF Arniture There never
mad been Q time, he said. whom the faruit.e
industry needed protection. The American
manufactures could make furniture 90 TO 100
per cont cheaper than any other country in the
world. and there was therefore no country that
could compete with them. What the United
States needed most was a reciprocal treaty with
South America, who wanted TO buy American
furniture. The laboring men, he said, were be-
ginning to see that projection did not do them
any good. The tariff, he declared, had nothing
TO do with the laboring man In America but TO
increase the cost Of the necessaries of life. In
conclusion he said that as soon as an industry
was seif-sustaining he wanted 1t placed on the
free list. HIS ultra free-trade doctrine was a
surprise to q good many in the audience. but
from the frequent applause started on the stage,
seemed to meet the appreciation OF the Demo
cratic leaders.
In introducing Mr.. Mills, Mr.. Porter spoke or
him as a man whose shoes he was unworthy TO
unlatch- The speaker of the evening was given
. very satisfactory reception when he stepped
forward to begin speaking. A few unframed
fellows on the front row hurrahed for the "free-
trader and there was q generous waving OF
bandannas. The speech was practically the
same one delivered at Richmond Thursday after
noon. Occasionally Re deviated from bis regu-
lar address. but his line Of argument was the
same. In beginning he quoted from Mr. Blaine
New YORK speech, where he said this was q
compaign Of labor and that capital would take
care Of itself. The speaker then said it was for
the people 10 this year determine VIII was the
friend Of labor. The tree was julged by it's
fruit, and the Republican party was to be judged
by its past record. He then reiterated his old
statement of how the Republican party was in
power twenty-five years. and that when il be-
gan reducing taxation it took the
burden of the rich only. The party had,
he said, left the great public dsbt TO be
paid by the poor. He said he understood a dis.
tinguished Republican OF Indiana had arraigned
the President for distributing the present sur.
plus in the treasury among the bank repositories
of the country. This man forgot to tell the peo'
pie that this action of Cleveland was
made unnecessary By the refusal OF
the Republicans in Congress to reduce
taxation, and leave this surplus in the
pockets of the people, where it properly belongs.
| The Democratic party, he asserted, had always
been a friend of the poor, and the laboring
MN. It now came to the lowly cabins with q
message of peace and plenty. II
said taxation must come down on the necessa'
ries of life. 1t had passed q tariff bill and sent il
to the Senate; the Republicans did not know
what to do with it. There was a surplus now OF
Sl3l ,000, 900, increasing at the rate of 50, 900, 00C
per month, and yet If the Republican party
should come into power il would not know wha.
to DO with it. The Republicans were now afraid
to stand on the Chicago platform as Major Cal
kins would say, when the cars were in
motion" Members of the party were now claim
ing that they did not mean what they said 10
the Chicago platform. IL the Republican,
should get into power. and did not wipe out the
internal revenue, there was but one thing to do
aud that was to follow the Democrats. The
Democrats found il necessary to provide some
means for emptying the treasury; they haG
to adopt some means of getting the money out
and putting it in the hands of the people
where it rightfuliy belonged. What would be
come OF the mortgages and debts of the people
of Indiana If the process OF locking MP the
money in the treasury continued The amoun'
of employment for laboriug men depended upor
the amount OF money In circulation. Whenevel
q dollar was taken out of circulation and locket
! up In the treasury it was taken out OF TIT
pockets of the people. With the money locked
up men were unable to buy, consumption wal
-,.t,+I - -.oAr&;o, $50 -..~.o.-u- -