The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-10-17


| OF gloves in this country. The largest in the
country is Mr.. Daniel NJ. JudsOn; the other,
next largest to him, | forget his name, sat next
TO him. These two men were democrats. The
| republicans had announced that they had lett
| their party on this question. The third was
the next largest manufacturer in this country
and republican. These three men sat upon
that platform that night and informed me that
] they favored this Mills bill, although by the
very terms of that bill there was reduction of
i 10 per cent. upon gloves. Notwithstanding
this. they said to me: at is fair and right; the
! tariff is too high 1t ought to be reduced.
| There is no reason why it should not be re-
duced. 1t will not hurt our industries to
i reduce 1t, and we favor this measure; and we
/ favor President Cleveland because he had the
honesty and courage TO recommend it Ire
mendous applause.
Another article placed upon the free list is
the article of lumber. The tariff upon 1t is not
very high. but, nevertheless. whatever ii is the
democratic party thinks it should be taken off.
My friends, how will it injure the material inter-
ests of this country? Our forests are disap-
| pearing fast. Will it not aid every poor man
who desires TO build house? VIII il not
/ facilitate building? Will it not increase every
where the interests OF our country! GU
masons, you carpenters, you plasterers, you
/ labOnngmen everywhere why should you
| object to having free lumber? There isn't any
J earthly reason why you should. lt is in your
/ interest this bill is framed. liz give you cheap
| your interest in every respect? | assume some
of the lumber kings of Michigan possibly may
object TO it, but don't see why honest common
people of the whole country ought to object TO
| 1T lApplause.l
| tits said that the bill will affect wages.
| deny it. In the first place the tariff has but
little effect upon wages. This has been DEM
onstrated over and over again, and make the
| point right here that the wOrkingmen of this
country are not indebted either to the tariff or
to any political party for the present high rate
OF wages they enjoy. In the first place the
| present high rate of wages in maintained be-
cause our wOrkmen are more intelligent than
those across the water; because on an average
| they turn out more work per day than the
others; because they take more inter-
est In their work, because they
are identified with our free institutions;
because by reason of their intelligent labor
they are entitled TO more wages and they de-
! serve them. But there is another reason, my
friends, and you know what 1t is, especially in
many industries of our country. What has
given the laboring men their high rate of wages
which they now enjoy? 1t is because of the
labor organization which laboring men have
formed. Immense applause. And permit
me to suggest that these very labor organiza-
lions have been maintained for many years. and
met the persistent and violent opposition, in
many instances, of the very men who now 20
around the country wanting high protective
tariff in order to protect the poor workingmen
in their employ; lGreat applause:
Wages don't depend on the tariff; they differ
in this country. There is much difference
between the different states in this country
upon the question of wages as there is between
this country and England. To-day the laborer
in the state of Oregon by one days work can
earn barrel of flour. In the state OF New
York il requires two days work TO earn
first-class barrel of flour. That shows that
wages differ in this country where there is free
trade between the several states just much
as they differ between other countries and
ours. Therefore, my friends, the great law OF
supply and demand regulates this question to
a great extent. 1t has been well stated that
when you find two workingmen after one boss
wages are low, and when you find two bosses
after one workingman wages are high, aud that
is the whole of it. lApplause.l That is the
whole of itoprinciple, theory and practice
the democratic party, my friends, entered
upon no crusade TO reduce the wages of work
lngmen. 20 wherever you please; see our
democratic audiences as they gather together.
More than One-half OF them, as you will find,
OF the Iaborng men in nearly every section OF
the country belong to the democratic party.
Applause. They are members OF the demo-
cratic party; and that party would be the last
one in the world that would take any course to
injure its own mefnbers. lCheers. manu-
facturer who never lost an opportunity to cut
down the wages of his men whenever he had a
chance, called up one of his men the other day
and said to him: pat, are you going to vote
for Cleveland and Thurman well" he
says, IL think l WILL" Don't you know, if
duced?" NO." he said, Il don't believe it;
and if you thought that wages would be re-
duced you would vote for them too" IGreat
laughter and cheering
If the republican party had desired to do
something for the real protection of the labor
ing men, why did they assume the position
which they did assume few years ago upon
what was known the Chinese question?
Applause and laughter. You have not for
gotten the fact that when the bill was
passed, it was mainly by democratic votes,
with the aid of few patriotic
republicans. You recollect that bill was for
the exclusion of Chinese immigration for a
period of twenty years. You recollect that it
was the last republican president of the United
States that vetoed that just and proper meas
ure. [Applause.l The other day democrat
from the state OF Pennsylvana-Mr Scott
excluding the Chinese. The bill was intro
duced into the lower house of congress, and
without moments hesitation il promptly
passed that democratic body. lCheers.l 1t
went to the republican senate They hesitated,
halted, referred it to a committee, debated Il,
and finally, with much reluctance, passed it.
I'm my humble judgment nothing but the
exigencies OF the campaign end the record OF
some of their candidates induced them to pass
this measure. Prolonged cheering and cries
OF hit him again.
Workingmen, | call your attention to this
fact, that when that bill came into the execu-
tive mansion there was no hesitation, there
was no faltering, but it promptly received the
signature of your friend, Grover Cleveland.
Applause 1t is said that we are disturbing
the business interests of this country by the
presentation OF this question. Laughter My
friends, you know the predictions OF disaster
which they made four years ago. l need not
relterate them now. You recoliect
what they were. Disturb the interests
of the country by mere discussion
of the tariff question: 1t is nonsense. When
was the last time the business interests of the
country were greatly disturbed? When was
the last great financial panic OF this country?
If l recollect right, it was IN the year OF 1878.
1t was when we had a republican lower house
of congress. 1t was when they had repub-
lican U. 5. senate. 1t was when they had re-
publican president; and il was when they had
a high protective tariff. IApplause.l Neither
the craftsmanship OF the republican party nor
the effect OF their tarid was sufficient to pre-
vent this great panic which we had IN 1875
/ know they accuse the president of lack
OF patriotism. You hear it upon every hand.
l know they quote day after day in their news
papers forged extracts from English papers say
ing they take o great interest in Grover Cleve-
land. great many of them have
been shown to be forgeries, and it
forgerics. Talk about President Cleveland
being friend and tool of England Why, my
friends, he is an American boy lCheers and
laughter born in this country, Identified
with the institutions of this country. Every
pulsation OF his heart is American. lie is
American, every inch of hum Pro-
longed cheeringl-and the republicans
know It. lie sought to settle by
honorable arbitration the difficulty
with ENGLAND and Canada upon the fisheries