San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-07
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
The Last Gun of the Congressional
Campaign--Judge Ellis Waves
the Bloody Shirt for
the BurbonS.

10 report the meeting OF last night, IL
which he was the chief actor, re-
quest insertion of this letter.
Mr.. Messmer reached this place yes
yerday afternoon and was met at the
depot by Capt. SAMSON. On being in.
troduced to some of the leading pro
tectionists here, he was informed that
Judge Ellis insisted on dividing time
with him. This Mr.. Messmef de-
clined on learning that Judge Ellis re-
fused to confine himself to the tariff
issue and that Sayers and several free
trade speakers had spoken without in
terruption by the protectionists. He
said it was unfair under these circum-
stances to put his half time again st
two or three times and half, that it
would take him at least an hour and a
half to do even scant justice to the
subject, and that Ellis inten ton was
to distract attention from the main
question by sectional issues, and that
he, Messmer, would enter into no dis
cussion, the evident design of which
was to arouse the old sectional preju-
dices. The result justified Mr.. Mess
mer's judgment.
Mr.. Messmer's speech here last year
in opposition to the prohibition
amendment had prepared our people
to expect good speech and they were
not disappointed. When Capt. San
som introduced him at 7:30, every
| available seat in the courtroom, which
had been provided with chairs by
the courtesy of Sheriff Baylor for the
occasion, was filled and scores were
standing i'll the aisles and on the
stairway. Evidently tired and some
what hOarse from his two weeks in
cessant work in this campaign, Mr..
Messmer was more than usually de-
liberate in his opening sentinces, but
his voice soon recovered its clearness,
and in five minutes he was pouring
out facts, figures, arguments, illustra-
lions and anecdotes with that marvel
lous rapidity and clearness of utter
ance which is so natural to him. For
one hour and three quarters he held
his audience in the closest attention
while he discoursed of protection
versus free trade" There was no
side tracking him. 1t was a straight |
connected argument all through in |
favor of protection as the true Ameri- |
can policy, and particularly the policy |
of the new South, of Texas and of this |
district. He was frequently inter-
rupted by applause and his speech |
throughout was unsullied by single |
personality, or an appeal to partisan
prejudice or sectional animosity. The |
speech was logical, convincing and |
being earnestly delivered and
aptly illustrated produced a
marked impression. There was no
avoiding his conclusion that protec-
ton was the true American policy
and that Mills bill aimed death
blow at the policy.
Leaving the stand he had reached |
the stairway and had partly descend
ed when Judge Ellis advanced from
the rear of the room with a formida-
BILE array Of documents in his hand
and proceeded to reply. Listening
long enough to be certain that the
self elected advocate Of free trade was
speaking to the subject OF the tariff.
Mr.. Messmer retraced his steps and
seated himself beside the speakers
stand, being loudly cheered as he adj
vanced. Judge Ellis attempted to set
forth three things as disproving the pO-
sitiOns assumed by Mr.. Massmer. First
that the Mills bill was not free
trade measure. For this assertion he
aduced no particle of evidence; and
as Mr.. VIM. NIessmer had shown from
Mr.. Mills own lips that he regarded
protection as the impersOnatiOn of
all political heresies,n and had cited
authority as to the bill
and the presidents free trade mes
sage to show their free trade charac-
ter, the burden of proof was upon the
Judge but no proof was forthcoming.
His second point was that Plumb
and Allison were on record as show
ing that the high protection tariff of
1867 had reduced the price of wool.
AS one of Mr.. Messmer's fundamen-
tai pOstulates was that the COM
petitions of home production an
der judiciOus protection tariff
always lowered prices to a liv-
ing schedule, the judges objection
was merely cOrObOrative of Mr..
Messmer's argument and cIinched it.
The third point Of Mr.. Ellis was
high protection tariff was destructive
of wool manufacture, as certain for
eign woods necessary to mix with our
home woods were shut out by a high |
tariff and manufacture of WOODEN fab
RIGS curtailed. AS Mr.. Messmer had
asserted through his
speech that the policy of protection
only extended to the exclusion of
such foreign products as come into
competition with our hone products;
and included the free importation of
all that we could not produce this ob-
lection of his free trade opponent fell
to the ground.
Having made these objections