Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-10-24
O'Meara and Gardner,

our townsman, Charles Fl. Gardner, ad-
dressed large meeting upon the political
issues of the campaign, at the Concordia
Opera house last Saturday evening. Be-
fore the time for the speaking, the Young
Mems Democratic club paraded the streets
and made creditable display, consid-
cradle percentage of those in the process
sion, however. being rather too young for
voters. Mr.. O'Meara opened the meeting.
and we believe it was his first appearance
before a Watertown audience. Raised
almost within the borders of our city,
there was more than ordinary curiosity
felt to hear him, Hedwelt almost wholly
upon the questions growing out of the
tariff and their relation to protection, and
although il our judgment illogical and
untenable in his positions, yet he must be
credited with treating his subject in fair,
candid manner, with feeling, evidently,
of being in the right. Mr.. O'Meara is
very slow, thoughtful and deliberate
speaker, rather too much 20 for q stump
orator. Mr.. O. Meara thoroughly believes
that in free wool the hope of the Nation
rests, and he seemed almost to favor an
edict to be issued against farmer raising
sheep, whether he wanted to or not. It
looked as if Mr.. ON. must have had
falling out with a ram when a boy and
since then had sworn vengeance against
ali sheep-kind. Free lumber was also
favored by him. He drew dark picture
Of the way our forests are stripped OF tim
Der, and concluded that it were better
that Canada supply our lumber rather
than have such ruthless destruction 90
on. Mr.. ON. must remember, no doubt,
many of the boys of bis acquaintance in
the town of Emmett who found steady
employment during the winter months
cutting logs in the pineries of Wisconsin
at fair wages. Free lumber would COM
pei these young men togo over to Canada
to find employment at lesa than three
fourths the wages obtained in the Wis
consin pineries. But would lumber be
cheaper? At first it probably would be,
but place monopoly of the lumber bust
ness with Canada and close up the man
ufacture of it in Wisconsin, and who could
guarantee cheap lumberrery long?
Mr.. Gsrdner's speech WAS rather more
general in its character, and as an orator
ical effort altogether different from Mr..
O'Meara's. Mr.. G.. fires the heart and
arouses the feelings, while Mr.. O'Meara
appeals more to the understanding. Mr..
G. spoke of the danger to the country
that was foretold by the Republicans in
case Cleveland was elected and asked if
anything very serious had occurred to the
Nation. Now, the answer to this ia that
the Democracy has no. had full sway. the
seDate being Republican and possessed OF
the power to thwart any bad legislation.
He paid Cleveland high tribute for his
bravery in committing his party to Free
Trade, or 10 other words "Tariff Reform"
asserting that one-half of the Democrats
were too cowardly to assume the offensive
on the subject. Mr.. Gardner admitted
that Cleveland may have made mistakes
in dealing with pensions, vetoing some
deserving ones and signing some that
should never have been allowed. When
it came to dealing with that plague spot
of the country, according to Democratic
eyes-Pennsylvania-Mr. Gardner spared
xosthnr noronorofo
ing the state as a lump of monopolistic
corruption, where the laborer is ground
down equally by the Democratic coal
baron Scott and the Republican iron-king
Carnegie. Just how men can be prevent
ed from accommodating wealth and attain.
ing to more riches than some of their fel-
lows, was not stated, and it is not gener-
ally believed that reasonable solution of
the matter can be presented. In every
place, Watertown being no exception,
some men are weather. than others and
they are not confined to any one party,
Democratic nabobs not being scarce by
any means. Itwoud bea very nice thing
to have the wealth of the coal-barons,
iron-kings and hard heart d lumbermen
more evenly distributed, but it appears to
be impossible to do it. 1:s'
We cannot review all the points pr e.
scented by the speakers. From what lit
tie we know of the tariff their arguments
were based on false premises, but as Mr..
G. said we can differ about these things
without calling each other names. Messrs.
O'Meara and Gardner were very fair all
through, abused no one and uttered no
word of dispa ragement towards Harrison
and Morton, claiming them both to be
honorable men. No email portion of the
audience were Republicans, and we think
all were well entertained. We thank Mr..
Gardner for his friendly allusion to The
REPUBLICAN in his speech.
Chinese Entertainment.
Wednesday evening, October 81. you
have an opportunity by visiting the Opera
house to take grand excursion to the