The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-31
OTHER SPEAKERS.
Congressman Cobb Makes n Powerful Ad-
dress,

dress.
The Hon. Thomas r. Cobb was then intro
duced and spoke for about forty minutes. He
delivered very logical address which was well
received. He said:
"YOu know my views upon the great polit-
ical questions of the day. We are in the midst
of peace yet not so prosperous we would
like to be. We have no political excitement
now, yet you have turned out in great numbers
to-day for the purpose of quietly listening to
such arguments as may be presented. You
have come here from the hill-tops and the
valleys-have come with minds open and ready
to receive arguments with reference to the fu-
ture of your country and with reference ts those
things which may benefit you. want no off ce
and hope never shall. l intend to pursue the
even tenor of my way now as a private cit zen
have studied with great care and thorough
ness those questions that are of interest to you
and to me, and am here to talk plainly and
truthfully concerning them.
To-day the tariff is the greatest question that
arises for the consideration of the American
people. We have witnessed its operations and
have seen that by it the poor man has been
made poorer and the rich man richer. We
were told by republican politicians and stump
speakers last fall that in case the republican
party-and | alude to it in no partisan
nation much good would follow
Now, one Harrison of our own state was elected
president Has it brought about prosperity or
increase in wages? They uttered the direful
prophecy that. in case of Grover Cleveland's
election, depression in business and hard times
would be the result. From the mouth of every
republican speaker came the promise of I'M
bounded prosperity, in the eventofa victory for
republicanism. Have the promises been carried
out? ask every intelligent man within hearing
Of bav baaa he'll
sacred? My friends, in my Judgment the fact
that the republican party succeeded in electing
Gen. Harrison, who was known to be high
protectionist, was a signal that wages were to
be lowered and that the prices of your
farm products were TO be reduced.
And such has been the result. Do you now
believe that the demagogical orators who
mouthed in behalf of republication last fall
told you the truth? Don't you know they de-
ceived you? You expected to profit by the re-
suits of republican legislation, but you have
not done so. The Carnegies down East lied to
You. They said the price of wages would go
up, but you have already heard that the wages
of the Carnegie employees have been reduced,
and that they are now protesting by means of a
strike. This tariff is one OF the main causes.
any friends God made this country, and He
made you and me. He intended in His divine
wisdom that you and | should be free to enjoy
all the profits OF our labor, save enough to
economically administer our government
" Il
/ shall render tribute to my fellow-man. The
tribute unto Caesar shall be the necessary tax
for CPsar's government, and the tribute that
owe my fellOw-man is equality OF rights. 1t Is
an outrage that a tax should be levied upon
YOU to make me rich 1t takes time TO effect a
reform, but already more than twenty-four
years have elapsed since this tariff was first put
in operation. The consequence has been that
it has torn from each year a certain portion of
your earnings and put them into the pockets of
a. L. 4Iov,, oh fs xvan
lation of Gods laws and violation of true po-
itical economy.
''The main argument for the tariff is that it is
a blessing-it makes things cheaper. This is
the veriest nonsense. With equal absurdity re-
publicans claim that everything which is good
comes from their legislation. They claim-or
would seem to-that every invention due TO
mechanical genius and by which certain
things have been cheapened, is a result of the
tariff
Here the speaker gave a resume of the inven.
tons of the country, and explained that they
were due not to the tariff but to the handiwork
of skillfu artisans.
Mr.. Cobb closed with pointed and lucid ex-
PLANTATION of the working and the nefarious
suits of the present tariff system.
Judge Robinson of Owen county followed
Mr.. Cobb, and, having explained the fact that
'he was nothing but a scaawag of a lawyer"
said: Looking into the faces OF so many farm
ers, it occurs to me that this must be prin-
Il
you long, but wish TO say at least. how-de do.
I am glad to enjoy this most excellent political
speech to which you have listened. What
happy thought to call together these people
TO take council for mutual benefit The heat
of the campaign is passed. Our passions are
fed. The smoke of the battle is gone. Re-
publicans as well as democrats have the oppor-
tunity to ask the question, what has this all been
worth to us? We fought in this great political
campaign. We marched under the banner.
IL - l,,, II -
protection. We carried high the old.republic-
an standard. We won the tiercely fought battle.
What has it been worth TO us? What has il
been worth TO me and to you? and you? and
you? BY il has my wife been better clothed or
my children better clad and fed? Am / taxed
with fewer hours of labor? Are the neces-
saries of life cheaper to me? Is the market for
the products of my labor rendered better?
1t is the great law of labor since the early dawn
Of the world that by the sweat ofthy face thou
shalt eat bread. Does this great law rest more
easily upon my shoulders to-day than before
Harrison's advent into office?
Every nottingham in the country to-day
has occasion to ask these questions.
Ii he goes TO the store to buy the necessaries of
life be gets the answer that not one iota are
prices decreased. If he goes to his employer
to get the fruits of his labor he finds that not
one penny is his wages increased. III he takes
the product of his farm TO market he must sell
il at the same old price. All around the fact
confronts him that in no earthly way has his
condition been bettered. In fact, the prices
prevailing for his labor and his product he
finds to be lower almost than ever within his
recollection. The republican party boosted
that in the alchemy of its politics it had dis
covered some mysterious something whereby
you who labor should obtain wealth withouttoil
But to-day the faisity of that boast is very
apparent. We still have to work, still have TO
toll for the bread we eat. They point TO the
products Of human toil-to the products Of
human industry, to the accomplishments of
master minds-to schools and colleges and pub
lie structures of surprising magnihcence, and
tell you, if they tell you the truth, that your
father and your brothers aud you have been
made to slave until your farms are wasted and
you are ready TO die. They have made you do
this to pay for these. The republican party
owes much Of its success TO the word 'protec-
ton In want, in trouble, or in danger, what