The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-21
THE DEMOCRACY.
Hon. Roger Q. Mills Discusses the Tariff Is
sue at Richmond.

sue ut Richmond.
RICHMOND, Sept. 20.-Ths demonstration here
to-day on the occasion of the appearance Of Hon.
Roger c. Mills, the Democratic leader of the
House OF Representatives, was sbundantly graf
flying to the local Democracy. Although there
had been no provision for a parade. so many
clubs and organizations came in from the coun-
try, even from points SO far away as Eaton, o..
that their bands and banners necessitated a pro-
cession; so with Mr.. Mills at their head they
marched out. after dinner, to Glen Miller, o
beautiful grove in the edge of the city. where an
assemblage Of several thousand surrounded the
speakers stand. Mr.. Mills. upon arriving this
morning. was so wearisd by his illness and jour-
ney that he retired at once to his room and re-
manned secluded until time for the meeting, in
order to regain strength for the effort. Judge
Abbott presided at the meeting, and, after songs
from o glee club. introduced the speaker of the
day.
Mr.. Mills. on rising. was greeted with q ring
ing round OF cheers. and at once began his
speech. He pitched his voice in q high key, and
was easily heard by those even in the outskirts
of the assemblsce. He quoted at the beginning
from Mr.. Blnine's New York speech. that ''capi-
tai was able to take care OF itself; that the ques-
ton in this campaign was one of ~labor-labor
from the skin to tie core, aud from the core
back to the skin again" Mr.. Mills said he
would accept that definition. and he proposed to
show that the Democratic party was now. as it
always had been, the true friend Of labor aud
Of the laboring man, Q proposition which
evoked the first outburst OF general applause.
BY way Of proof. he cited the enormous taxation
imposed by the Republican party during and
alter the war, until the income began 10 be be-
called attention to the fact that when the Re-
publicans began 10 reduce the burden they did
not take the taxes OF the poor, but direstly of
the rich. The income tax, for instance, which
was one affecting but q few of the people Of the
country, and they all well-to-do, was among tho
first removed by the Republican party 10 its
haste 10 favor the rich, while protesting to be
the friend OF the toiling masses. In the sam
line was<their treatment of the tax on railroads
and other wealthy corporations. They were all
relieved OF taxation, as he sarcastIcally said,
because the Republican party was so deeply con-
cerned for the welfase OF the lsboring people.
On the other hand. the Democratic proposed to
remove the tax from tho clothing OF the poor,
from the implements Of labor, wherewith the
laborers earn their subsistence, and from other
articles which go to make up the present enor-
nous taxation or labor. 70 gather an unneces-
sAry surplus. This effort met uniform opposi-
ton from the Republicans, and yet Mr.. Blaine
would have the people believe that this is q cam
paign In which the question 10 one of labor, and
that the Republicans are the only friends of la
borers. 1t was, indeed. q question of labor. but
| the true friends o: labor were found in the Dem
ocratic party. Dir. Mills was emphatic in his
declaration that the Democrats Did not propose
to give the Nation free whisky, that It was IN
derstood thar if an attempt was made to remove
the tax on whisky the Democrats we're ready to
fight 1t out on that line If it took all summer
and tho fall.
Continuing his proof Of the proposition with
which he began, Mr.. Mills denied that the Demo
Gratis favored free trade, and quoted the very
small reduction Of the tariff as proposed by the
Mills bill. "Why,"said he, I'VE propose to reduce
the tariff from AZ Der cent to 424. That IL no
more free trade than the reform made by o
hard drinker was total abstinence when he re-
duced has drains from AZ aday TO 42!.' Mr.. Mills
went on with different articles enumerated in his
bill, On which there was a reduction Of the tariff,
70 show how IN each case the protection which
the Republicans insist on did not protect the
workman, and that in every case the benefit of
the protection went to the manufaeturer-ths
master, and not the man.
Mr.. Mills then passed to the discussion Of the
Democratic policy, on what he said was the
most important of the tariff bill, namely, the
free list. Let Us sse,' said be, "what sort of
a Dill we have presented. 1t is very moderate.
We have reduced the average taxation from
S47.l0 on tie 800 to S42 90 on the 800, . little
less than FIVE dollars on a hundred on imported
goods. They are going about the country and
saying this is free trade. that it will ruin the
whole country. A fve-dollar reduction in taxa
tiou on the necessaries OF life, still leaving these
people TO pay over $40 on the hundred of taxa
TONS that free tradel IL it is l would like to
know what they mean by protection" Laughter.
He then took up the iron scheddle, stating thai
the Mills bill made a reduction Of $3.50 on the
500 worth of iron and steel He compared the
labor cost Of iron in England and the United
States. Our high priced labor only amounts
to S1.5O q ton; suppose theirs is 10 cents o ton
then il we made a duty OF 20 cents on pig-iron
that would cover the difference between Eng
land and the United States, then the cost oil
transportation from Liverpool would be 81 q
ton, which would be an ample margin for profit
We reduce the duty on pigiron only 62 cents,
leaving il So. That is for labor. We left these
pig-iron manufacturers So a ton, which they tell
ne they want for their ~laoorers, aud yet they
only pay their laborers 81. % o. il. Why the
devil don't they pay the balance of it?D "
Il will repeat q question that l have asked
from Boston to Chicago. A duty of s6.72 is or
that ton of piR-iron, and 1 say that Sc. Y wen
right down into the pocket of the iron-owner
and it is there yet. Now. let any laborine man
any friend of Harrison and Morton, any Repub
lican, tell me how | can assist the laborer to get
that $6.7 out OF the pockets OF the manufsct
urer and put it into his. / will vote for Harrison
and Morton-and free whisky"
Dir. Mills then took MP blankets, and asserted
that the tariff went into the pocket of the manu-
~facturer, the laborer receiving no benefit from
it. He gave q list OF articles placed on the FIRE,
list by his bill. and said the reason for admittinI
raw material free was TO enable q reduction o
duty in the finished product. He declared tina
this policy would enable American manufac tur
ers TO enter the markets Of the world and suc
cessfully compete with the older nations.
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