Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-16

. say one word against any man high IN
,ffice, whether he be political opponent
,r not, nor to find fault with any indi-
gidual on account of political utilization.
It was his intention to discuss the ques-
ions of the hour in candid manner, and
20 confine himself strictly to facts and
figures.
The question before US. Mr.. Scodeld
continued, is an economic question, one
that comes very near to every heart and
in the land; one that is of |
interest to every man, woman and child
In this country. There are numerous
platforms before the people of the coun'
try in this campaign, and all perhaps
planks that are worthy of peru.
sal and discussion. The speaker pro-
posed on this occasion, however, to stand
on the democratic platform and to speak
of it as compared only with the republican
platform, these two being the ones
likely to command the most atten-
ton in the present campaign, and on one
or the other of which the next president
and vice of the United States would be
elected The democratic platform had
been charged as free trade document.
This accusation places the democratic
party in very improper and unjust light
before the people, and the speaker took
the privilege of denying the assertion,
aud to affirm that in its present position
before the people, the democratic party
is party of retrenchment. He
quoted from Blaine's statement that
the republican party was the friend
OF labor and that the democratic
party oppressed labor The speaker be-
lieved the best way to discover the policy
of the democratic party was to Invest-
gate it; to investigate the Mills bill, Pres
ident Clevelend's message and the general
record of the democratic party and it
would be found that as party, it never
had been party of free trade. Further
more we have never lived at any time in
this country under government of free
trade, and Mr.. Scofield challenged any
one to turn to the page of history disclose
ing the instance wherein the democratic
party, in all the opportunities that it had
in the past while in power, had exer-
cised the free trade idea.
President Clevelsnd's annual message
last December, which gave rise to the
present tariff bill, had not the least ioia
of tendency toward free trade, and any
intelligent person who will take the
trouble TO read the sections of it which re-
fer to the tariff question will accord to
President Cleveland the desire to dc
almost exactly what James G. Blaine says
Is the idea of the republican partv-to
| protect American labor and American in
| dustries. That message as stated gave
rise to the Mills bill, which is incorporat-
ed in the ST. Louis platform; and it is the
same platform in fact that was declared
by the republican party of "a. That il
to reduce the-ariff by such retrenchments
as will reduce the taxes without injuring
labor or the productive interests of this
country. In this regard the dem ocratiC
platform of today and the republican
platform of four years ago are identicsll1
the same-not particle of difference cal
be detected. Both acknowledge that tn
government is deriving unnecessary rev
enue. 1t was upon that question
that James G. Blaine asked tn
people of the United States t
elevate him to the presidency;
was upon that same platform-tha
the tax payers be relieved-that Mr.. "
Fl. Gest was elected to congress in SO
The Mills bill is the direct representatio
of that platform, and if Mr.. Gest failed
exercise his obedience to the pledge h
nude before the people who elected hir
to congress and did not cast his vote fc
the Mills bill, representing as it did an
does the pledges he bound himself to flu
fill, he violated those pledges and vote
against the adoption of measures
, pledged himself to sustain.
E Then Mr.. Scofield entered INTO di
! cussion and dissection of the Mills bi
: 1t had it's derivation, he said in the di
1 coveries made by President Clevelar
S that we, as people. are annually &C
t lecting more in excess of the actual nece
9 sites for the maintenance of go
n eminent than is necessary-betwe
e Sl2,000.000 and $15, 100000 mo
# monthly than the government cou
r possibly use for legitimate pit
Il poses. Grover Cleveland has ss
d that unnecessary taxation is unjust tax
e ton; that the unused and entirely unne
d essary surplus laying idle in the tressu
& should remain in the pockets Of the PIT
pie; that the government is L
,r business Institution run for prof
lie This position on the part of the preside
II ought to commend itself to all fair min
r ed thinking people. He compared
he situation for illustration to that of a Ct
W be a necessity for 100000 taxation
al defraying municipal expenses. 1t mig
at be found that from the sources fro
it which that 800, 900 was derived 500
I'd 600 was annually derived-one hundr
in thousand in excess of the actual deman
to and the mayor and common coun
an instead Of retrenchIng to that ext
en- by reducing the taxation to the amo,
to actually needed, would allow the surDl
a money to accumulate in the city treasl
he and lay there idly. coming annually fir
.ly the pockets of the people and increasi
o. continually without remedy. Mr.. Scot
ad asked if in the event of such condit
ID. of things, if the people being advi
ras and having knowledge of the situat
of would not CRY out for reform and in
lev nunciation of the mayor and city coun
re. men, if changes were not made and
of unnecessary taxation reduced. The sa
of that is true of the city government