The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-07-19
MILES ON THE TARIFF
His Talk at Tammany's Centennial Gel
ebration of the Declaration OF
Independence.
A Clear and Vigorous Exposition of the
Principles of the Bill Which Has
Made Him Famous.

The following is the full text of the
speech delivered by Roger O. Mills at the
centennial celebration of the Declaration
of Independence by the Columbian Or
der, held under the auspices of Tam
many Hall:
FELLOW CITIZESsi-0n this day, memo=
Fable in the history of our country and of
your society, it will not De deemed inap-
propriate briefly to recur to some of the
fundamental principles upon which our
republican form of government was es-
tablished. to preserve the purity of which
your society was organized. The deelar-
alton which you have heard read in your
presence to-day proclaimed the great fun
damental truth that all men are created
equal, and the governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the gov
erned. [Applause.] 1t would have been
easy to say that the separate states were
to be governed by all the others if that
was meant. But it was meant that each
state should have self-government and
what they aptly call in Ireland home rule.
What is liberty? 1t is the right to do as
we please so long as we do not injure an
other. That includes the right to person
al, political, civil, and religious liberty;
that includes the right to go when we
please, to come back when we please, and
TO eat what we please-[npplausel- land to
laughter There were those who wanted
to make government here that was notsa
free government, but they were defeated,
and the government that was established
was bound by a constitution that ex-
pressed all the power Of the government
and left to the people the exercise of all
the powers that were not surrendered by
that constitution. 1t won the jealous love
of liberty in the bosom of Thomas Jeffer-
son, and put the bill of rights in the con-
stitution and secured to the people the
rights that were theirs and not surrend-
cred. The men who wanted to establish a
powerful concentrated government were
defeated, and the appearance of the alien
and seditiOn laws, within ten years, showed
how necessary was the precautlon of Jef=
this the Democratic party has been the
guardian of personal, political, CIVIL and
religious liberty, and has jealousy guard
ed the liberties of the people,
Who was it that brayed the onslaughts
Of the Know-Nothtng party and meyer left
the field until the dead body of the foe was
stretched upon the field? The Democratic
party depends upon the people. When q
member of the Tammany Society, William
J.. Marcy, was Secretary of State, he bold
ly defended the right of every man who
has declared his intentions to become a
citizen to be protected by the flag of our
country, 1t was he who sustained Com
modOre InQraham in his demand for the
freedom of Martin Roster, and to give him
the protection of the American flag and
secured his release from the very center of
the Austrian feet. When has the Repuh.
lican party done an act like thatf We've
got no navy. We've got no ships, and the
Republican party is responsible for the
legislation that prevents US from building
the ships. The Republicans persist in re-
iterating the falsehood that we propose to
inaugurate free trade, The fact is, that
the Republican party got mp tariff COM
mission to settle the tariff question. They
said that the politicians could not settle
oil lrb ho1 Hpin q
hundred years. So the Republicans got
up tariff commission, and they were all
protectionists. They went over the whole
country and took testimony and they
finally proposed reduction on the aver
age of from 20 to 25 per cent They said
that would not hurt anybody, but that
such reduction would be beneficial to
manufactures, laborer, and everybody
else. [Applause.l And now they say we
are a free trade party, when we propose
they did-[laughterl-and they say we
must go on and add to this surplus, for
which we have no need. 1t is a surplus
which is perpetual menace and a temp,
tatiOn To extravaganee, and the result OF
it is already seen by the propositions that
Republicans are making in Congress for
various jobs, and to augment the taxes so
that they can get more of what they call
fat" Laughter.
Under these circumstances President
SICfCidAu WIObC a ulSSSstSC. his pIOSFcSS
to a second triumphal march to Washing,
ton was assured without it, but he be-
lieved it was his duty to write it, and he
did write it in the performance OF hts
duty, [Applause.l He called upon Con
cult every interest; the interest of the
farmers, the laborers, the producers, the
manufacturers-the interests of all. Un-
der these directions bill has been pre-
pared that proposes to reduce the surplus
\, rrrin H.,
So, coo, 600 taken off of internal revenue
taxes. Nobody will object to that on the
Republican side. Now, to accomplish this
reduction we have put some things on the
free list What are they? Let us see
whether this part of the bill will hurt any-
body. We began with lumber. We pro
pose to let the people have lumber SO
much cheaper to build their houses and
their barns with and use in their manu-
factures. We believe that this will not
only not hurt anybody, but that it will ben
eht the people. 1t may keep some boo
die" out of the pockets of the men who
are interested in taxing all the people in or
der that they may be made richs but it viii