National Republican., 1888-05-17
"1nE STATESMAN FRoM ERIE"
Mr.. Dal?ell Goes for the Great Anti
Monopolist Free Trader.

unCaSlnesS on one sue anu Ol ndTuly-COH-
cealed eagerness for the fun to begin on the
other. 1t began when Mr. Dalzell, of Penn
sylvania, rose to correct, as he said, some
gross misstatomcnts that had been made on
the floor respecting the products of his dis
trict, and the illogical, inconsequentlal, and
absurd conclusions sought to be drawn from
those statements, and resent the impudcnt
intrusion into the private affairs of certain
of his constituents. He said he found his
text in the very extraordinary scrced read
last Friday by the gentleman representing
the Erie district Of Pennsylvania. He said
extraordinary because, for one reason, the
gentleman saw IT therein TO class himself
with statesmen, and at the same time to
characterize as u demagogue with his
mouth filed with catch-words aud Bour-
bon every man of that very large and re-
spectacle class who did not believe that
political economy was an exact science
and the gentleman from Erie (Mr.
Scott) statesman. The American
people might safely he left to
ascertain who was the "dcmagoguc with his
mouth filled with catch words" As to the
gentlcman's reflections upon the views OF
Hamilton, whoever gave him his informa-
tion had played upon his credulity. lie did
not propose to discuss the propositions of
constitutional law to which the gentleman
held. lie preferred not to measure swords
with him in that arena. But when the gem
tlCman left the departments of statesman
ship, and which involved history, phloso-
ply, and quotation, and went at once to the
description Of the pending bill, he did not
find so much fault with him. When his
uttcrances on that subject were examined 1t
was found that the STATESMAN from Erie''
was the scf-rctaincd foe Of monopolics and
trusts and the great enthusiastic champion
of the wage worker and the industrial
laborer. The gentleman asserted that the
proposition that the manulaclory gave u
home market for the farmer, to Use his Gle
giant language, "was falacy and fraud"
and he illustrated his position by giving
the case Of a farmer near Brad
dock in his (Mr. Dal2elrs) district.
lie had lived for twenty years in sight of
Broddock, and had looked upon the Edgar
Thomson Steel Works ever since they had
been erected. The illustration given by the
gentleman contained not line orletter con-
sistent with the truth. He could not by any
possibility have selected case that would
more efrectually refute his theory. The
| farmer near Braddock was no longer com
| PEELED TO raise wheat and submit to the
| domination of Mark Lane in London. The
| teeming population Of the steel works fur
| nished the farmers market for products
| they could never have sold before-a mar
| ket for garden truck, vegetables. butter,
| milk, and other things.
If the statesman from Eric did not know
| that he was grossly ignorant. If he did not
| know it, 1t was because of moral strabismus.
| Ills illustration of the struggles of the
| farmer was sublimely grotesque. The
farmer near Braddock who paid 800 an
acre for his land had long since sold it for
| 81 GOO an acre. The gentleman had pictured
| that farmer groanng because he had to pay
| 3 $40 cents pound for steel beam; but
| what the farmer wanted with the steel beam
the statesman from Erie did not say.
| Laughter on the Republican sde.l And II
he did want it perhaps he had little left
out of the g, 00O he had gotten for the last
| acre he had sold He had seen Draddocli
| grow from struggling country village into
| busy town, ana all owing to the enterprise
of Andrew Carnegie. 1t had streets aud a
| public library and homes owing to the birth
| of the great manufactory.
| Mr., Scott. The proceeds of which were
| plundered out of the American people
| Democratic applauscl, and contribute as a
| part of the plunder to secure the $500, 000
that he puts in his pocket in one year.
| Mr.. Dalzell Ironically. | did not know
that had treated the gentleman so badly.
hope he will keep his temper. Continu-
ing, Mr.. Dalzell said that Mr. Scott In his
1
$3.50, when he had already signed report
from the committee of ways and means
stating II at S3l.
Mr.. Scott. What are your own figures on
the price of steel rails9
| Mr. Dalzcll again adiured the gentleman
to keep his temper and proceeded to declare
| that Mr.. Scott in his speech had suppressed
important items such as spiegeleisen, &C.,
| which went to swell the cost of steel rails
He had known that the SIS given as the
| price Of Bessemer pig represented Sl5.60 in
labor and he had deliberately left that out
Mr.. Scott, There is Sc duty on pig iron
and $17 duty on steel rails. Does the gen
tleman forget that?
Mr.. Dalzell | don't forget that.
Mr.. Scott. You had better remember II
when you are misrepresenting and mis-
| stating facts.
Continuing, Mr.. Dalzell maintained that
Mr.. Scott contradicted himself. With re-
I spect to his figures upon the earnings of coal
miners, he (Mr. Dalzell) said he had been in
formed to-day by an intelligent and honest
miner that II any such wages were paid they
were exceptional; that, If they were paid at
all, they were paid at Scott Haven in store
orders upon the truck stores kept in viola
tion of the laws of Pennsylvania, SO that the
employer could rob his employes-[applausC
on the Republican sidel-and by forcing
them to sign an ironclad agreement.
Having shown that the figures applying
to his (Dalzell's) district were wrong, Ii,
would not pursue the gentleman further
In his other figures he had resorted to the
fallacious policy of disproving the facts OF
historysby the percentage method. But hI
would not leave the gentleman smartine
under words of criticism. lie had words oi
praise, too. His heart bounded as he heard
the gentleman denouncc monopolies and
abuse the indefensible trusts. He congratu
| 1nfn hnpnminu a oh n
labor, but he congratulated more the great
army of labor upon the accession to IT.
ranks of the statesman from Erie. The in
defensible trusts realized that their destroyer
was near at hand. What labor had gained
and monopoly lost by the conversion of the
statesman from Erie 1t would be difficult for
any one not living In western Penn
sylyania adequately to appreciate. Turning
for the moment to the autobiography of the
gentleman he read from the Congressiona
Directory as follows SIN 1850 in the Goa
and shipping business, owning and running
several vessels on the lakes. Subsequently
becoming largely interested In manufacture
Of iron and the mining Of coal, us well ms IN
the construction and operation of railroads
either as president or director of various
lines, aggregatng over $4,000 miles of com
pleted road the greatest number of miles o
railroad probably which any one individual
was ever an officer and director of" Thnl
of that for labor champion [great laughter
on the Republican sidel, and for the oppo
nent of monopolies and indefensible trusts
In conclusion Mr., Dalzell said There viii
be much JOY among the miners at Scot
Haven; there will be tears of gratitude OF
many a rough check, and the sweet incens,
of thanksgiving from the poverty stricken
homes of Scott Haven when the news ar
rives that the statesman from Erie is III
longer their oppressor but has become thei
champion. And think of the CONSERVATION
among the hosts of monopoly and tn
naughty partners In the trusts. | woul,
have the historian Of the future choose TO
his most dramatic epoch the statesman frOn
Erie when like some medieval knight ella,
in iron, and with his flying pennon bearin!