The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-10


Egyptian obelisk, said to be more than 1000
years old with inscriptions upon it which
showed the state of the civilization OF the world
ct time when Egypt contained nearly all the
civilization that there was in it. have seen In
Central Park, in New York, another obelisk-I
do not know how DID, but old enough for any
purpose that you can make OF il. And now I
have to say to my Republican friends. who have
given me this new baptism, thatf can only
live as long one Of these obelisks shall GER
tainly live to zee all the enemies of Democracy
buried beneath centuries of dust. WE'LL my
friends, this troubles me not, for / am engaged
on business too serious to be troubled by Quips,
however sharp, or witticisms. however pungeut
Il come here TO speak to you, my friends in
New Jersey, In serious. yea, sober manner, as
TO American citizens, IN year OF great moment
TO You and to the country. come here at the
request OF your central committee. and come
willingly, because there is no part Of this whole
continent In which / would rather meet my
Democratic friends than in this same State OF
New Jersey. What was done by our forsfath-
ers in the war that achieved our independence
at Trenton, at Princeton aud at Monmouth
Those things are fresh In my recollection, and
as they made my youthful blood stir within me
and boil with devotion. SO, to-day. in this old
oeelisk, the recollection of them sets the
heart In motion. l am therefore glad
to DO with you tonight. Cheers and waving
OF bandanas.] am afraid you are forgetting
my new baptism. / never yet saw an obelisk
that bad bandanna. Cheers. Now, there
dress you tonight There are scme iu my heart
that l would like TO speak to you about. |
should Ike to speak to You OF the history OF this
great Democratic party TO which / have belonged
from my youth uo 1 would like TO speak to
you of that party founded by Thomas Jefferson
and consolidated ard maintained by Andrew
Jackson, and whose intarest and welfare have
been so much promoted by Grover Cleveland. /
would like to remind you that there is not one
of land now within the limits OF the United
States beyond the original thirteen colonies
that was not obtained by Demo
cratic administration. I would like to
mind you that the thirteen colonies which
achieved their independence were a compare
lively narrow strip of land lying along the At
lauuc shore bounded en- the west by the Allie
gheny noun tains. and that now this Republic Of
ours extends from ocean 10 ocean, and is one of
the largest and IL is the most intelligent and
believe, the most powerful of all the nations on
the earth. Great Applause l would like to
show to you. or rather, TO recall to your recollsc
ton, the fact that whenever the contest has
been batween the rights Of the people and those
who would control their rights, the Democratic
party has stood oy the people unfiinching, de-
termioed, and not 10 be moved. l would like TO
recall 20 your memory such facts az these: that
the removal of the property qualification, and
the religious test, and all that impaired the free
right or the people to vote, was sne result OF
Democratic legislation, inaugurated by the
Democratic party. j would like to call your at
tention TO the fact that when the spirit OF
know-nothingsm arose in this land and threat
ened TO disfranchise every foreigu-born citizen
and TO put Gown all the people Of q particular
church, the Democracy came TO the rescue OF
liberty and religion and said this thing shall
not be. / would like 20 remind you that in
the good old days of Democratic ascendency.
administered; that the expenses of General
JacAsonis administration. for instance, in the
course OF year, did not exceed one fourth Of
the expenses that have been entailed on this
country one year since the close Of the rebol-
lion would Ike to further state to you that
this Democratic party is 6 party that has never
laid down to die; that IL is naturally the party
of free institutions, aud that just long as
free&em exists in America the Democratic party
will exist. [Great applause. There il no way
OF destroying 1t, except by despotism. and
long as itsxists despotism IS impossible in this
land, for that party will not endure IL.
Vow, my friends, passing from these gener-
al observations, allow me to come to some OF
campaign; for have doubt you want to hear
about that. And. frat OF all, because it 10 most
discussed and attracts public attention the most,
let me say something upon the tariff question,
so-called. Our opponents are endeavoriug to
alarm the whole country by the cry of free
trade. They are saying that the Mills bill. IS it
Is called. the tariff bill introduced by Mr.. Mills
and which passed the House OF Repre-
s.otativss, IS a freetrads measure.
Why. my friends, they must have
OF the American people who talk in that man
DER. Why, what 10 free tradel Free trade is
the unrestricted intercourse between nations,
in which there are custom-houses, no duties.
and no taxes paid on the goods imported for
SALE That il free trade. You have an illussra-
ton OF free trade In the United States. There
are thirty odd States in the Union, thirty eight,
Is it not. MIR. McPhersonl There are thiitys
eight States in the Union. Between these
States there is free trade. When goods are
taken from New Jersey, from this great manu-
featuring and fourishing city Of Newark, into
New York, you pay no duties, and the New
, Yorker pay pays 10 du'i. w on them. II you
MIA, it is exactly the same thing
Between those thirty-eight States, and between
them and the Territories that belong to the
United States there is free trade But there il
no such thing as free trade between the United
States and foreign countries. and nobody in this
country advocates such freei trade. Great ap-
plauss, and cries Of hurrsh for Thurmsn!l My
friends, you mean very well, / know, but
would rather have your attention than your
cheers. i say that between the United States
and foreign couu tries there is no such free trade
Ia pplause, and firing of bombs. which greatly
interrupted Mr.. Thurman There is no free
trade, properly called, except that free trade to
which have alluded, and which exists between
the different parts Of the United States. That
Is the only example of free trade We have here.
When a man talks about the Mills bill free
trade, either he talks without wisdom, or he
talks with intent to deceive-the oas or the 9TH
er. Either he is an ignoramus, or he is . rascal
the one or the other.
Now. my friends. what absurdity it Is to
call that bill free-trade bill. The present rate
or duty under the existing tariff is forty-seven
and q fraction per cont; that 10 to say, upon
every article Of dutiabe goods brought into the
United States tax 10 levied OF forty-seve and
fraction per cent. Now, this Mills bill ro-
duces this rate of taxation to ~ per cent, or
thereabouts The reduction is less than per
cent on thiS taxation, aud yet this reduction Is
called freetrade Ii still leaves the tariff at
from 40 to ~ per cent, or more than twice as
much as it ever was before the late civil war,
Ieheers, and yet il is talked about rs free
trade bill, why, my friends, il is simply absurd;
but as | have said, this tax-and
when / say tax / say it advsedly,
for tariff is nothing in the world but
a tnx-tbis tax is a tax upon all goods brought
into the United States for sale to the people, or
nearly all OF them. There are some few
articles on the free list, but nearly all the srt
cles consumed by the people of the United
States that are imported into this country have
to pay this tariff. or this tax the average Of
which Is AZ per cent and upwards. Now, my
friends, who pays that taxi Who pays it'll That
10 the question. Why, in the first place, the
importer Of the goods pays it when he takes
them in New York, at the custom-h house, as
whatever other port he brings his goods to. He
must pay il before he can take the goods out of
the custom house. OF course, when he sells
them to the Wholesale merchant he must add on
the amount of this tax to the original
cost of the goods, and sell them at
price just so much increased,
else he will be losing money, and he could not
carry on his business He adds the duty to the