Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-08-30

press. 1t is not necessary for me before
proceed to that subject to speak of the
President of the United States and his adj
ministration more than a very few words.
truth to say that Grow er Cleveland has not
made good President of the United
States. [Cheers.l A brave, intelligent,
level-headed, noble man, he has had
clean, an upright and successful
Administration. loud cheers.l Four
years ago he was elected. In the canvass
that preceded his election his opponents
predicted all manner Of evils in case he
should succeed. He did succeed, and pray
what has become of their predictionsa
Laughter and applause.1 Where is the ruin
that was to follow the election of Grover
Cleveland? Where is the disgrace that
was to follow his electiona On the con-
trary, the country has been more quiet,
more peaceable, more prosperous than it
has been for many years that have gone by.
Now, know the man, know him well, and
tell you, my fellow-citizens, that a more
upright and wise man do not believe
dwells within the limits of the United
States-Gloud cheers land he has noble
band of councillors around him, and not
the least among them is the distinguished
citizen of your own State, Mr.. Dickinson.
IApplause.l Cleveland knows not only
how to govern himself in the limits of the
constitution, but he knows full well how to
choose good constitutional advisors.
ICheers.l Having said this much about the
Administration, let me proceed to that
question to which I alluded in opening,
which is commonly called the tariff ques-
tion.
/ presume there is not a person within
the sound Of my voice who does not know
what is meant by the tariff, and yet it may
aid us to-day If give a clear and precise
definition of what tariff is. A tariff, my
friends, is nothing in the world but tax
upon every article of commerce that comes
into the United States and that is intended
for sale within our borders, which instant
ly raises the price Of the articles, and
therefore becomes tax or burden upon
the people for every article Of domestic
manufacture of the like nature with those
which pay the tariff tax. Now, we have
at this moment, according to the last ad-
vices have seen, about Sis OOO, 900 in the
NationalTreasury,c called surplus revenue
that is, taxes collected from the people be-
yond the necessities of the Government.
Those Sis. 000, 900 are lying partly idle in
the vaults Of the Treasury OF the United
States, Of no service to any human being,
drawing no interest, earning no profit, but
taken from the pockets of the people,
where they properly belong, and where, If
they were now found, thousands and ten
of thousands and hundreds of thousands Of
the people of the United States would
put them to good use and improve their
condition and prosperity Applause. The
Democratic party says that this Is
wrong condition of affairs-that that money
ought not to be, like the talent of the men we
are told Of in the Scripture, buried in the
ground; that that is a very poor use to
make of the money of the people; and,
v,ovfxy hat
this surplus revenue, which Is produced in
the main by this tariff tax, ought to be re-
duced that the tax should be reduced so
that the surplus will not continue to accu-
mulate. Our opponents, on the other
hand, say it is better to let the surplus ac-
cumulate; it is better to take the money
from the pockets Of our people; it is better
to pile it up in the vaults Of the
Treasury Department, although 1t does
great harm; it is better to do
that than to touch the tariff laws of the
country We say, on the contrary, that the
way to relieve the overtaxed people Is to
reduce the tax; that the way to treat .
people honestly, fairly and wisely is to
take NO more taxes out OF their pockets
than the Government actually needs Tor
expenditure. (Cries Of 'Nood," That's
right" and applause.l The issue, then,
IA clearly made up between US. It is be-
tween hiRh taxation on the one hand and
reasonable taxation on the other. 1t 10 be-
tween taking the money OF the people OF
their own control, out Of their own pock-
ets. and burying it in the cellars OF the
Treasury Department. or leaving 1t where
it belongs-in the pockets OF the people, TO
bo used a. their wants, their require
ments, their intelligence and interest OIL
rect Now, my friends, In the long poiiti-
1nH heard great