Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-08-25
By the Brilliant Old Judge in His HOmsly,
Clsan-Cut FOrcibls Style.
The GREATEST BURDEN OF LABOR
b This Sslf-Sams Tariff, Taking Money
From Labor and Giving It to
Monopoly.
A SPEECH THAT ALL SHOULD READ.
The FallaCiss Of the Republican Leaders Put
Under an Electric Light---The Tariff
Question Put So Plainly That
Child May Understand It.

The following is the speech Of Judge
Thurman at Port Huron, Mich. Judge
Thurman was introduced by J. G. O'Neill,
Esq, in a few complimentary words, as
the old Roman of America, which provoked
loud and loug-continued applause. After
the crowd had Quoted down Mr.. Thurman
spoke as follows:
1t is not necessary for me before pro-
coed to that subject 1.-THE tariff to speak
of the President of the United States
very few words. / defy any man who
has regard for the truth tosay that
Grover Cleveland has not made q
good President OF the United States. APP
plsuse. A brave, intelligent, level
headed noble man, he has had u clean and
upright and a successful administration.
Applause, and a voice, "Hurrah for
Cleveland Four years sgo he was
elected. In the conyass that preceded his
election his opponents predicted all man
ner of evils in case be should succeed.
He did succeed, and pray what has be-
come of their predictions? Where Is the
ruin that was to follow the election of
Grover Cleveland? Where is the disgrace
that was TO follow his election? On the
contrary, the country has been more quiet,
more peaceable, more prosperous than 1t
has been for many years that have gone
by. Applause. Now, know the man;
| know him well; l tell you, my fellow
citizens, that 8 more upright and wise
man do not believe dwells within the
limits of the United States. Applause
And he has a noble band OF counsslors
around him, and not least among them is
the distinguished citizen of your own
State, Mr.. Dickinson. Great applause
Cleveland knows not only how TO rule
himself within the limits OF the Constitu
ton, but be knows full we'll how to CHOOSE
good constitutional advisers. Applause
THE TARIFF PROBLEM.
Now, my friends, having said this much
about the administration, let me proceed
to that question to which have alluded,
commonly called the tariff question. /
presume there is not 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 clear and pre-
else detipitiou of what tariff is. A tariff.
nv friends, is nothing in the world but
tax; tax levied by the general Govern
ment upon every article Of commerce that
enters into the United States, and that
is intended for sale within her borders,
and which incidentally raises the price
and therefore becomes u tax or burden up
on every article of domestic manu-
facture of like nature with those which
pay the tariff tax. Now, we have at this
moment, according to the last advices /
have seen, about $115, DOC, 900, called sur.
plus revenue-that is, taxes collected from
the people beyond the necessities of the
Government. These dollars, $l15 600, 600,
are lying perfectly idle in the vault of the
Treasury of the United States-Of no ser
vice to any human being, drawing no in
terest, earning no profits, but taken from
the pockets of the people where they prop
erly belong, and where, if they were now
found, thousands and tens Of thousands,
and hundreds of thousands of the people of
the United States would put them to good
use and improve tDeir condition and pros
perity.
Now the Democratic party says this is q
wrong condition of affairs; that that money
ought not to be like the talents of the man
we are told Of in the Scriptures, buried in
the ground; that this is very poor use to
make of the money Of the people; and,
therefore, the Democratic party says that
this surplus revenue which is produced in
the main by these tariff taxes. ought to be
reduced, and that the taxes should be re-
duced 80 thst this surplus will not continue
TO accumulate. Applause Our oppo-
ueuts, on the other hand, say it is better to
let the surplus accumulate; II is better to
take the money from the pockets Of the
people; il is better to pile it no in the
vaults of the Treasury although il does no
good whatsoever and 1t is a great harm; il
IS better to do that than to touch the tariff
laws OF the United States We say, on the
contrary, to relieve an over-taxed people is
to reduce the taxes; we say that the way to
treat people honestly, fairly and wisely
is to take no more taxes ont of their peck
cts than the government actually needs for
its expenditures. Applause
THE ISSUE MADE UP.
The issue then is fairly made up be
tween us; il is between high taxation on
the one hand and reasonable taxation on
The other. 1t is between taking the money
of the people ont Of their own control, out
Of their own pockets, and burying it in
the cellar of the Treasury Department, or
il is between leaving the money where it
belongs, in the pockets of the people, to
be used by them as their wants require
aud a. their intelligence and honesty direct
Here q gentleman on the platform raised
an umbrella to keep the sun from the
speakers face, but was unable to do so
Judge Thurman-Well, never mind; the
sun never hurt Q Democrat anyway.
Laughter and applause
Now. my friends, in the long politicsl
life that have led, have heard great
many false pretences preached to the peo-
pie. A great many intended to deceive
and delude them, bat in all my life have
never witnessed such andscity as l have
noticed this year on the part of the advo-
Gates of high protective tariff; never be-
fore. And there seems to be q singular
disregard of the truth that has suddenly
afflicted them. / do not intend to call
people hard names. have all my life en-
deavored to keep 8 civil tongue in my
head, and mean 20 keep it as long as
live, but I do say that some people some
times seem to lose their senses 80 that they
cannot see the truth and often unfortu-
nately cannot speak it Laughter and
applause
Now, Just think of it for one moment.
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