The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-18

to that. Words are cheap; actions tell. He has
been your representative in the Senate OF the
United States. While there IL was his fortune
to both speak and vote for the labor Of this
country. lApplsuse.l One cf the first meas
ures Of that character, q measure that Was In
dorsed and recommended by the labor organiza-
tions of this country, was q bill TO create q
bureau of labor statistics: he voted and spoke
fcs liz. as / have said, and helped make it a law.
He also assisted in the same manner
IN securing the legislation prohibiting the I'M
portation into this country of contract labor
acknowledgements measure Endorsed and
ecommended by the labor organizations of this
country. Another measure which he both voted
aud spoke for was that known as the "srbitra-
sion bill q bill by which it was proposed TO
provide for the creation OF boards OF arbitration
10 settle all disputes between capital and labor
coming within the purv1ew OF the Statutes.
[Applausel. Another bill followed, Endorsed by
the labor organizations Of this country. which
received mis- vote and his voice in support of 1t.
It WAS entitled 1.-The convict and alien labor
statute" or bill, rather, for it never became q
statute, as / shall shortly point out. That bill
sought to prohibit the employment of either
convict or alien labor In the construction Of pub
lie buildings o. public works in the United
States. Another bill Endorsed and recommended
by the labor organizations OF this country was
that by which It was sought to prohibit
the acquisition by alien owners of large
landed estates in this country. Harrison sup
ported that Another measure Endorsed by all
the labor organizations in this country, and op-
posed By the Democracy every where, was that
known as the blair educational bill" Our
Democratic friends are always opposed to that
which is calculated to shed light where ignorance
prevails. lApplause.] In short, the record OF
Ben Harrison shows that In both field aud forum
he has ever. on all occasions, been the friend,
and not the enemy. OF the labor of this land.
Applause. he could not be other
wise. for. notwithstanding the fact, as our
Democratic friends put 1t, that he is the grand
son of his grandfather, he never sought to rise
in this worl a except by virtue OF his own merit,
and by virtue of his own exertions. lap
plause.
What is the record Of Mr. Cleveland as the
frisnd OF laborl lCries of 'Goipg ishing."I He
has got a record. / want here and now to put
it in contrast with the record of General Hsrri-
SOD, which l have presented TO you. l Go this
more particularly because / see, according to
the newspapers. that We have a lot
Indiana going up aud down the highways aud
bywsys. claiming to be the special representa-
tives of labor, engaged in carrying forward this
assault upon General Harrison's record. l
know these mon and have during the last ten
Campaigns in Ohio. There is not one of them
who ever did an honest days work in mis- life.
lApplause.l There IS not one of them who is
not a fraud Of the first water. Applause.
There is not ore of them who is not a Democrat
dyed in the wool lapplausel, and
ready TO support any Democrat, no matter
even If it be Grover Cleveland. Laughter and
applause Mr.. Cleveland has made q record on
tnL9 J AO aAC NJ l. tiuCu
Of the United States What Is it2 1 called
your attention to the fact that General Harri-
son had voted AID spoken for the labor and ar
b~itration bill. That measure passed the House
and passed the Senate, and was then vetoed by
non-action on the part OF Grover Cleveland.
He was not so brave when it came to the Veto
ing OF q measure asked for By the
labor orsanizstions of this country
as be has shown himself to be on
so many occasions when some poor old crippled
soldier was at bis mercy. [ApplauseI He did
not DO this directly, out by indirection, in allow
ing it to fail for the want Of his signature. An
other measure / called your attention to that
received the support OF Harrison, was the con-
Wet and alien labor law, or bill. Thar also.
after it had passed the House and had pas Sod
the Senate unanimously, was vetoed by the same
kind of non-actlon. Two measures called for by
the labor of this country, two measures that
met their approval. and In the securing
of which they were greatly interested, failad
for the want OF approving action by this repre-
sentative of the Democratic party in whose be-
half these met are tramping down grass all over
,he State o fIndIana Laughter aud arplause.l
But Mr.. Cleveland made q record before he
became President-not q very long one, but long
enough He was Governor OF the State OF New
York, and / hold in my hand q circular letter
issued by the laboring organizations OF this
country, in which they point out that be has not
been the friend of labor and specifies eleven dif-
fsrent statutes enacted by the General
Assembly OF the State OF New York which were
vetoed by him while Governor as proof that he
is not such friend of labor. / will not under
take TO read al of them, but one of the specif-
cations is that he vetoed q law prohibiting the
employment of child labor in the factories and
otherwise, and another Is that he vetoed the bill
which provided that 10 the State Of New York
the street railways should not be allowed to
charge more than D cents fare. That was In the
interests OF laborers who are compelled 10 live
out in the suburbs of that great city, and in
consequence have q distance TO travel. Another
bill be vetoed was one providing that railroad
employees should not be compelled to work more
than ten hours a day. Another was a bill that
provided that the laboring men should have an
equal right with the contractor TO procure a
mechanics lien for security OF his wages upon
the building where he had bestowed bis lAbor.
OF that character are the whole eleven.
Ihavs read enough to give you an idea of his
record as he madeit while Governor, from which
you can Judge whether or DOT he is a friend of
labor to De preferred TO Benjamin Harrison
on that ground. But he has got still
sheriff. Laughter he made a record there,
q record that shows that he is the friend of Ia
Dor only when he Is himself the lsborer. Laugh
ter and applause According TO his own sworn
statement he rendered during tho year COM
menciug on the lst OF Oct. 1871, and ending on
the Goth day OF Sept. 1872, S63 days of personal
service. Cries of Good" and laughter I
once knew an old Scotchman who told me about
his trip over, and il doing so he remarked that
it was a very long passage. occupying six
weeks in the month Of August. Laughter.
/ thought the old man a littls bit mixed. /
did not think that possible. But / am prepared
TO believe rev that it was llaughterl, for If
Cleveland could put in SOB days out of 800, why
couldn't the old man be six weeks in August!
Laughter and applause. Another thing, we
find il cost that county Sl3, 900 more, according
to his charges, than IL did under any Of his
predecessors or any OF his SUCCESSORS. We find,
also, that this great friend aud champion of
labor was disallowed, by the supervisors of that
county. items for which he claimed that he
ought TO be reimbursed, amounting To more
than g, 600 1t is because of such a record as
that / say that be seems 10 be the friend Of
labor only when he is himself the laborer.
In continuing the Governor said issues were
always more important than men, and he had
come to indianapolis to talk about them rather
than men. If he should 90 on az he had started
some one would think he did not like Cleveland.
Really, he thought 90 little OF him that be had
no time to waste upon him now, or any other
time. The people went into the fight thinking
they had at least one issue. When Cleve-
land wrote his famous message the Republicans
thought they had an Issue, Cleveland thought
so, too, aud so did all England. Everything
went along smoothly Until Oregon. Vermont
and Minis were heard from; then the Democrats
began 10 dodge. Now they claim to want but q
poor little five per cent. reduction. He
then read Senator Vests letter in which tho
Senator said Cleveland had challenged a fight
of determination on the tariff. Senator Vest
had claimed in the Senate last Friday that the
letter was a private one and not intended for
publication. That being the case, it should be
entitled to all the more credence at this
time. IL WAS becauRa tha Marty