Telegram-herald., 1888-09-29
GEN. BLACKS SPEECH
floMNa PsRIo0s. floNaRY WoROs
The Democracy aske . Great fnort .ee
Coilsot LsFEs AudisEes-fn. Oiss Of
Hts Address PsesisAs snd frss
TRADE ths Barasn sf ffis stery

The Democracy last evening called oat
their marching clubs. and ~ TIE UsnSi
campaign tactics drew 0ui bis sudle8os 10
Asar General BLACK. VITO is Commissioned
HsrtmAn's Hall vas aumed nearly a. full
a. when Fred Doas.-ss spoks from lie
same stage
Space lad been reserved upon tie stage
for tbs old SOLDIERS who desired % be pres
snt. and = large number TUNED out Not
al Oi thsE. however. were Democrats. and
though FORD badges were offered 70 them
for the taking. only few were worn.
Tue speaker wss introduced BY Colonel
do Reyn ynolds, who sulosized the General as
The night man ia The ngnt place, ano told
the Ola veterans tnsl they Owed a debt Of
gratitude TO Cleveland for appointing one OF
their number 10 so Important position as
that Of Commissioner.
fhe General has q pleasing msnneT .
good command of language and bis
periods are Moving anu well rounded.
As lie arose, the audience. led by q
we'll drilled corps of claQue.s scat
tered throughout the building greeted him
with a Tremendous ovation. Cheers for the
speaker. cries OF He's all right elc..
lasted for nearly minute. xHd ss the
tumult subsidized the speaker started II again
ny dema- ding, What's the matter with the
ID .mocIsey OF GTsnd Rapids7"
The speaker introduced bis speech with q
little taffy 10 the audience and few glitter
ing seLeralitios regarding the happy pros
poets spread out beiOTe the Democratic
party. The administration. he said had
forever set al rest the fiction that the Demo-
cratic party could not be trusted with power.
When the Democracy took hold OF affairs IL
found great number Of pension claims un-
acted upon. During three years and a half
of Democratic rule $4,000 p, nsions
have been issued, being more than l6S.OOO
more than were issued under the three aud
half years Of Republican rule. This, lie
SAID, did not look Is though the Democrats
were hostile To the soldiers. For the bill 10
increase pensions the solid strength Of the
| Southern bricadiers was cast. Ia the hrst
three and q half months OF the administra-
| tion nearly eighty thousand WIDOWS,
orphans and dependent parents had
| bad their pensions increased from
| eight to twelve dollars q month. over
| thirty five millions had been paid out dur
| ing the life OF the administration. more than
| during the same same period Of the pre-
| csding Republican administration. Des-
! crbing a magnificent river flowing through
| rich fields. be said that every once in while
a sucker would pop up from the bottom and
| stick his head above the surface. 60 IL was,
| he said, with the grand stream of national
| benehcence some one would pop up and ex-
| claim, The President has vetoed q private
| pension bill" He then asserted that the
laws were bread enough 10 give a pen
sion to every one who deserved one, and
proceeded 10 denouncs those who sought TO
get private bills through as deserters and
skulkers.
The Democratic party, he claimed, were
worthy OF being kept in power, because
| there had Deen no Indian war during the
administration; because il had purified the
| public service; because there had been 10
| defslcstions because IL had rescued eighty
| three millions oi acres Of public land from
| the railroads.
| Passing on TO discuss the tariff issue, he
| prefaced his remarks by asserting that the
| Democratic party is not free trade party,
| and seized the bull. or possibly more socu-
Tately speaking the ram. by the horns,
| and defended the abolition of the duty on
WOOL, on the ground that The interests Of the
| wool rals@rs were of less importance than
| the interests of the people iD cheaper cloth
| ing. The lumber and sat Ie-uctions were
| defended on the same ground. Some
one in the audience having in
| auired what about sugar. hs
entered into a lsbored explanation, the gist
| of which was that the duty was reduced
| only % per cent by the Mills bill. because
/ il was one of the great revenue producers.
In closing be deprec stsd the alleged at
| tempt OF Republicans 10 raise tie sectionsl
| issue, and in an eloquent psrOratiOD de-
scribed The opulent North touring relic
| into the fever stricken South from whose
territory its legIons OF war had been but re-
Gently Withdrawn.
| As the General took bis seat the audience
set ups tremendous shout for Congressman
| Ford who occupied 8 seat upon the stage
| Mr.. Ford responded in a brief speech, in
which be stated that General Black bad Ia.
stitUted great reforms ia the pension office
| hotbed OF partisanship.