Huntsville gazette., 1888-10-20
THURMAN In INDIANA.
The Old Roman Meets an Immense
Gathering at Shelbyville,
Ana Makes an Earnest Appeal for the Re-
Election of Grover Cleveland and
n Continued Fra of Good
Governments

| SHELBYvILLE, Ind, Oct 16-At least
tfty thousand people did honor to the
| "Old Roman" here yesterday. OF course,
Shelby County of itself dId not furnish
| this great concourse. They came from
Marion, and Vigo, and Rush, and
Johnson and Bartholomew The Illino is
border sent a contingent, and kentucky
also contributed her share from Louis
| vile and Covington. The Thurman Club
came from Columbus; the DuckT orths
from Cincinnati, and there were scores
OF Indiana campaign clubs from all over
the State. There we're also a large num-
Der of Frances Cleveland cltibs, COM
| posed Of girls, which formed perhaps
the most picturesque feature Of the day.
Every man carried q bandana handker-
chief, and every woman bandana ufn7
brella, which latter proved a decided
utility, as it rained steadily throughout
| the morning. The rain had no eff ect on
| the Democrats, however, and when Judge
Ihurnan stepped uptr thS platform st
| the fair ground he saw a vast surglng
crowd in front of him. Judge 0. S.
| Glessner introduced Judge Thurman,
who spoke as follows:
| MY FRIENDS: Before I commence the brief
| speech that shall try to make to you to-day. l
| want to make an explanation | want 10 say to
| you that have been compelled to decline shak-
| ing hands with my friends, whom, under other
| circumstances it would hare given me great
! pleasure to take by the hand. But have b5en
| on the stump so long; and receiving so many
delegations, that this arm Of mine IS so sore as
| to make it impossible for me to shake hands
with you 1t would cause me more suffering
| than could bear, and more than any of you
would wish to nfiict upon me. shall speak to
| you very briefly, because, first, there are SO
many other speakers here whom yOt desire
| to hear, that it would be inexcusable
| in me to monopolize your time. /
| am an anti-monopolist lgreat cheeringl from
| principle, and therefore on the stump l never
take the time that belongs to other men. Now.
| my friends, / wish to say to you in the utmost
/ sincerity that am a happy man to-day. I am
| happy to meet this magnificent audience Of the
| interrified Democracy OF the noble State of
Indiana. | am happy to stand in this goodly
| city of Shelbyville, where my dearly beloved
| friend. Thomas A. Hendricks (applause), lived
| so long and honoraby [ am happy to see
around me so many Of your distinguished
| friends, and especially to meet with Scer noble
| Governor, who is such an honor to your State
| and the grand cause OF Democracy. LAp-
| plause.l 1 am thrice happy to see all around
me the signs of grand victory in this State.
A victory in Indiana means the election of
| Grover Cleveland to be the next President OF
the United States. lApplads6.
Now, my friends, four years ago (here the
speaker drew forth his bandana, which was
| greeted with prolonged applause), four years
| ago I had the honor to speak at a number of
meetings in the State of Indiana. was advo-
eating the election OF Grover Cleveland to be
| President of the United States. Well all his
| opponents now are the same as those who op-
posed him then, and wherever went heard of
their gloomy predictions Of what would befall
| the country in the event Of Clevelands cleo
ton. Everywhere they said that all the mills
and factories and furnaces of the United States
would be shut down because they could not
| live Under the Administrations Of Grover Cleve-
| land. Everywhere they talked about the pay
! fnent of the rebel debt and penSoning the rebel
| soldiers, and the Lord only knows what other
evils their vivid imaginations conjured up
to frighten the people and pre-
vent their voting for Grover Clet5lard
for President; bat the people didn't believe
their sad predictions, and they elected that
grand man to the presidential chair, and he
! has been President for q little over three years
and half; and what do we now hear? Why,
/ from these very same Republican orators we
| hear it declared that the United States never
| was as prosperous as 1t is to-day, All their
predictions of ruin to the business Of The cotir
| try: all their predictions OF the payment of the
rebel debt: all their predictions of the pension
| ing of the rebel soldiers and that the mills and
| factories Of the country would shut down. have
gone for nothing, and have only to be mention
ed to be ridiculed
Now, my friends, there never was President
who took his seat under more trying circum-
stances than did Cleveland on the 4th ot Match,
1885, The Democratic party had been out of
power for nearly quarter of century OF
course, there were many Democrats who
thought that when we got Democratic Admin
| tstration every Democrat in the land ought to
! have good office. OF course there were others
who wanted no office, but who had their own
| peculiar opinions to how the Government
| should be conducted and to meet and satisfy
| the wishes Of the people; to satisfy the wishes
of those who had elected him President that
man. Cleveland, had the hardest task that was
| ever intrusted to a President And now, how
has he performed that task? You learn q
| happy and complete answer to that question,
| in the fact that after three and half years Of
| his administration the Democratic convention
| at St. Louis renomnated him by q unanimous
vote, and that nomination has been ratified by
| the Democracy of the whole country from
| Maine to Mexico with the same sort Of unan-
| unity. No second-rate man ever renom-
| mated for the presidency of the United States
| by unanimous vote. will change that and say
| no second-rate man was ever nominated for the
presidency OF the United States the second
| time The fact that Cleveland has so conduct
| ed nlfnSci1, that MS Administration mas Deen
| so clean, so upright. so patriotic, that the
whole Democratic party, from one end OF the
| Republic to the other said: Let us give him
! another term He has done well by the powers
| that have been conferred up him: let us take
| him again, for we know he will do well in an
| other term y
| Let me say one more thing: No dishonest
| man; no Second-rate man; nobody but great
| man; nobody but upright industrious,
| courageous man, ever yet was nominated in
this way, and, therefore, the answer to what
may be said against Grover Cleveland is the
verdict of the American people in his behalf.
| [Great applause.l
| have such a cold that you see that it is al
| most impossible for me to speak My throat
is all choked up, but my heart is not choked up.
| II beats well; it beats with the fullest degree
| of emotion at the kind welcome that you have
| given me and at the solicitude and interest you
manifest in favor Of that party to which have
! belonged from my youth up and to which in
| tend TO belong until / am laid in my mother
| earth. Applause If L had time to do il.
| would like 10 say u few words upon a subject
| that interests you so much, and that is
4; talked OF so much this year, the question
of the tariff, as it is called.
must contine what have to say upon that sub
iect to very few remarks, and leave it TO those