Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-09-19
Hons. Roger Q. Mills, Of Texas, and W. L
Wilson of W. Va, in Richmond.
AN IMMENSE AUDIENCE AND VERY ABLE
SPEECHES.


SPEECHES.
In the Opera. House on Broad Street in
Richmond last Friday night, an immense
audience had the pleasure of hearing two
very able speeches delivered by Hon.
Roger @. Mills, of Texas, Chairman of the
committee that reported the Mills Bill, and
W. l.. Wilson of Jefferson county, w. Va,
also a member of that committee. The Rich
mond Dispatch says
nThe house was crammed; there was no
vacant seat, and hundreds who sought for
so much as standing room peered in at the
doorways and finding there was no chance
for them turned away.
Inside all was brightness and enthusi-
asm."
Hon. w. L. Wilson, who spoke first, was
introduced in his usual fslicitous style by
Gov. Fitz Lee, who, in the course of his Re.
marks, said:-
W.don't mind telling you that after
careful consideration have concluded not
to vote for Harrison and Morton. Laugh
ar and applause. Among five or six
two or three. One is that when there was
on amendment proposed to the Revised
tatutes to allow ex- Confederates to hold
fices in the army and navy Harrison voted
against it.
In 1882, when a bill was offered which
contemplated giving the producer of tobacco
the privilege of manipulating 100 pounds of
it for his own use, he voted against that
too. So far as I have ever heard, while in
Congress Mr.. Harrison never originated or
supported any measure for the relief of the
laboring-man, and in the aforementioned
labor troubles in Indiana he placed himself
at the head of company of ITO men and
said he would order the strikers back to
work, and if they did not return he would
shoot them to the ground.
1t has been my duty, said the Governor,
to use the military power in this statei put
did it to preserve the peace. Never did
we deal with the question of wages We
said: That is question for you to settle;
the military are to be employed simply to
preserve the peace.
In Indiana, however, said the Governor,
when the Journal offered reward OF 81 ,OO0
to any one who would come forward and
say he heard Harrison use the language at
tributed to him, number of workingmen
responded and made the statement and
claimed the reward, and after that (the
Governor was iuformed) the announcement
of the reward was taken down. Name after
name, however, had been presented to
prove that Mr.. Harrison had said that one
dollar day, that two meals a day were
enough for any workingman."
EXTRACT FROM Mr.. WILSON'S SPEECH.
The following is an extract from Mr..
Wilson's speech as reported in the Dis
patch.:-
"Here the speaker proceeded to explain
the difference between tariff for revenue
and tariff for protection, He gave an in
stance in cheviot CLOTH, which cost S1.25
per yard, to which cost was added tax OF
$1.05.
If the Government is obliged to have
this money, if it is compelled to resort to
taxation as merciess as this, we will pay it
because it is tariff for revenue and the
people will provide an adequate revenue,
but if some man iu Rhode Island wants to
make cheviot and comes down to Washing
ton and says, 81 can't make it for less than
Sc. SO a yard" and the Government says
I'll put rate on importatiOns so that no
cloth shall come in and underseli you, that
is tariff for protection. Applause
TIE REMEDY.
Now, 10 the name of God, asked Mr..
Wilson, can't we remedy this?
Can't we relieve the people?
Can't Ee give them cheaper necessaries
of lifes
That was the problefa thai the Demo
Gratis sought to meet and which resulted in
the Mills hill, which has beeu in the Re-
publican Senate for two months.
Here Mr.. Wilson stopped to pay com
pliment to Mr.. Mills, saying that he didn't
believe "a better Democrat had trodden
our soil since old Thomas Jefferson was
laid to rest.' [Great applause']
Continuing, said Mr.. Wilson, lit is idle
talk about high wages unless constant en-
ployment go along with them. 1t is better
for the workmeu to get moderate wage
and to have regular and constant employ
ment,' and hence be argned that it is the
duty of the Government to meet this cues
ton of over-production. With revised
tariff our trade can find markets in other
lands; we will have more general prosperity
here, and the labofing- will have steadi-
er work and more comforts.
The question, Mr.. Wilson said, is, Who
does this tax protect? Does it protect the
American laboring-man? He argued that
it does not, and quoted from statistical "a
ports to spbstantiate his position. Take
down the census records and you will find
that of the twenty million workingmen in
this country only about one twentieth of
them are engaged in these protected indus
tries. The report of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics will show that nearly all of the
strikes and lock-outs occur in these social
cd ind, 70 inf
of machinery in the manufactures and
workshops, he said, are exactly in the line
of protected industries The introduction
of contract labor to take the places Of
American citizens and other evils imposed
upon our laboring people were characteriz-
ed as against the great idea of the dedica-
ton of this republic that sail men are free
and equal"
PROTECTIVE TARIFF.
ga protective tariff" said the speaker,
enhances the profits of capital only and
does not increase the pay which our honest
workmen receive for their work. Here is
an instance of how it operates: A laborer
goes to manufacturer and asks for EN-
ployment. Ths latter replies: "Well, 1
have vacant place in my Factory aud ]
think you can fill it. How much do you
want?" The poor man with a family to
support looks over the matter and thinks
to himself: Il ought to get $40 per day in
proportion to my employers profits on my
labor, but suppose will have to work for
less" and turning to the manufacturer,
says: 81 will take $3 per day. cannot
possibly support my family in the style
that American people should GO in on less
than that price" 4 will pot give that"
says the manufacturer. 81 can send over
into Canada and get plenty of men for 81
per day." Want staring him and hts family
in the face this poor man has TO accept the
same for which the Canadian would work.
At the end Of Ihs week Rhen he has earned
$12 and is about to be paid off the laborer
aal al L ILL,