The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-31
SENATOR VOORHEES, SPEAKS.
A Mastery Arraignment of the Party of
Protection and Monopoly.

A Mastery Arraignment of the Party of
Protection and Monopoly.
Mr.. Andrew Humphrey was chairman of the
meeting and he introduced Senator Voorhees,,
who was greeted with storm of applause. The
senator spoke for one hour and fifty minutes,
fairly holding his audience spell-bound. In
substance he said:
"a government that taxes one class of its
citizens to enrich another class, does not de-
serve 10 exist on the face Of the EARTH and will
not long exist unless the laboring. producing
people consent to become slaves. We are trav-
cling fast toward that condition, and IN many
respects We have reached 1t.
Forty years ago but one man in the United
States was supposed TO be worth S5,000,000 He
was John Jacob Astor. Now there are thou
sands worth more than that sum; large num-
Der worth more than SJ0.OOO.000, and many
worth more than S100,000,000. The owners of
these vast fortunes do no physical work; they
contrive, they scheme they plan, they
legislate all the work on to you.
You labor, toll, sweat and groan. You
eat your bread in the sweat of
your faces but the trouble is that the million
aires eat their bread also in the sweat Of your
faces not in the sweat OF their own. Ii is from
your sweat and toll also that they build their
Rilded and more than royal palaces, and fur
uish them with more than oriental splendOr,
luxury and magniheence. You pay for all. IL
is the old, cid story which has been enacted in
every age and cline by caste, privilege and pro-
tected ariEtocracy feeding and hourishing at
the hands of the weary, tOiling masses. Ii is
the old and infamous claim that In all coun-
tries and amongst all races from the beginning
of human history titled and privileged few
are rightfully born, booted and spurred to
mount and ride the bridled and saddled,
burthen-bearing, tax-paying, sunburnt home
Epnn millions.
THAT claim is here in our midst now W it'll
sll it's worst and most brutal arrogance. A
little while ago il was like the stOrm-cloud
when il first appears no larger than a mans
hand. Now it darkens the whole heavens and
brings gloom and terror TO the impoverished
fresides of Iaboring men, women and children
from one ocean to the other. You have heard
OF the perilous ridge of battle. The free insti-
tutions Of this government, and all your rights
10 equality and protection from spoliation and
plumber by law are this hour on the perilOus
ridge where the line is drawn between a gov
eminent OF the people and an open, av0wed
plufocracy, government by the naked power
OF money, a government by the dukes,
ears and lords Of enormous estates
and vast millions. The hour has almost
struck for such government to be
proclaimed. The signs Of its near approach
are on all sides, and as plain TO the thinking
mind as the stars OF g clear night to the naked
eye. The money power has crept into the bal
lct-bOK. and It's leDrous faint IS rapidly
spreading through every branch of the public
service. An apple may look fair and enticing
on It's stem in The orchard, but if there is Il
canker worm at its core 1t is only question of
time when IL will shrivel. wilt and fall to the
ground in decay and rOttenness. There is no
outward change in the form and structure OF
our beautiful and glorious government as vet,
but when the largest contributors 10 corruption
funds get the highest official positions when men
advocate and urge the purchase OF voters in
s'bIocks of Ave" and lose no caste in the cOun-
els of their party; and when partisan reasons
dictate dishonest rulings IN the courts you
NAV be sure that a canker worm is at the core
and that the fruit brought forth by the wisdom
and blood OF your fathers Is perishing in your
very sight.
Money piled mp mountain high in the hands
OF monopolies, corporations, trusts, and under
the control OF those who do not believe in the
principles Of self government or the rule of the
plain people IS indeed at this crisis OF Ameri-
can history the root of all evil, and it will de-
strOy the American republic from turret to
foUDdation-stone unless the people, in their
might and power, while it is not yet too late
arise and take the satanic spirit of plutocracy
by the throat, strangle ii to death. and deliver
the country from It's dangerous presence and
accused power.
Tine present high protective tariff is simply
q huge, complicated, far-reaching close-search-
ing. insatiate, grasping and oppressive instru-
mentality of the plut0cracy for the consOlida-
flon of wealth and the power of wealth in the
hands of the few at the expense of the many
il is a vast machine, put in motion by unjust
and dishonest laws, 70 take hard-earned money
ont of your pockets and place il to the credit of
those who toll not, neither do they spin, but who
in bank accounts and dazzling riches, outshine
Solomon IN his greatest glory. The war was
the opportunity for the beginning of the
money power, and the establishment of the
present tariff was one of its first movements
Under the plea of military necessity the aver
age duties on all goods, wares and merchandise
imported into this country for sale were more
than doubled by the Morrill, tariff and you
have had these increased rates to pay ever
since. II any one should come into your
midst saying that the importer or the merchant
who sells TO you, or any else except your
selves pays the duty on the article you buy,
don't fail to remind him that the three new in.
asylums in Indiana are about finished and
that there is room in one of them for him. but
no room before an intelligent people. What
a marvellous feat in legislation it would be
If we could make the citizens of foreign
countries pay our taxes and furnish the re-
sources necessary for the support of our gov
ernmenti On the contrary. the tariff is a sys-
TEN Of taxation by which the wants OF man
kind are levied on, and q species OF toll is
taken on the things most vital to the existence
Of the human race. If there was no consumer
for 40 article, that article would never be man
ufactgred, imported nor sold. There would be
10 tax gathered in from that source, but If .