Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-02
RICH BY TAXATION.
Mr. Oglesby Tells the People What
He Knows About That Scheme.
A Handful OF Listeners Coaxed futo
the Court House square 20 list en- 10
Protection PIatitudes-.-Ev Every body
clad When the sideshow was Over.

clad When the Sideshow was Over.
1t might have been thought from the
talk beforehand and from the prepare.
tions made that Uncle Dick Oglesby
would have had very warm reception
here yesterday and that for hours before
his appearance the streets would have
been lined with anxious people and the
farmers wagons would have blocked the
way. Instead there was not a ripple of
comment or excitement. The streets
were as usual, and the expected hurrying
to and fro did not materialize 1t was
not because the speaker was an Indifferent
one, for Uncle Dick is wheel horse and
war horse, but yesterday he was hors du
combat. He was in his element though
abusing the democrsts-and from re
publican standpoint his speech was very
able one. He has told the same story so
often that there is a probability he has
begun to believe it, intelligent as Uncle
Dick is. But the people knew what to
expect. They knew they would be told
that they were blessed by having at
Washington set of men who knew how
to tax them; and they knew that when
Oglesby told them that the greater the
taxes the greater the prosperity that they
were expected to believe it. They could
believe it or leave it alone as they
pleased, and so they remained away and
thought the matter over.
From the Harper house to the court
house square, Bleuer's band marched
down the street. The usual number of
small boys followed There was
not grown man accompanying
it. Some time afterwsrd came Mr..
Oglesby leaning on the arm OF Mr.. J..
l.. Haas. These were followed by cor
poral's gusrd-there might have been fif-
teen in the procession They walked
slowly down the sidewalk. Their tones
were inaudible. There was no enthnsi-
asm. Not cheer. nor banner, nor g
tramping of feet. nor hurrying along of
the usual crowds upon such occasions,
nothing. Like at the burial of Sir John
More, mot drum was heard nor a
funeral note" and in this melancholy
state the square was reached.
The speaker was introduced by Mr.. J.
l.. Haas. He stepped to the front of the
platform, a lighted cigar in hand, and to
man less timid it would have been a
trying moment. Instead of 'sea of up
turned faces" there met his gaze the SUI
dience-sturdy yeOmen. the bone and
siuew, the stalwsrt forms, the OronZed
faces, the horny hands, the sturdy me-
chanics, the thrifty housewife, the pro-
fessions. the schools, the leaders of men,
the glass of fashion and the mold of
formT-hardly. There were some $50
persons, counting men, women and
children. A little later there may have
been more, perhaps a few hundred. and
many of them were democrats, curious to
know what new twist would be given to
the tariff aud how the explanation would
explain.
THE SPEECH.
MIR. Oglesby in his pleasant entertain,
ing way. told his hearers that he had no
personal ambition to serve In appearing
before them. He wanted to encourage
the young men to do as their elders did
and stick by the republican party He adj
verified to the formation of this govern
ment. How the old world thought the
people were good enough, but not wise
enough to govern themselves. and that
America had proven the contrary. He
had nothing against any government in
the world, but he thought none of them
could compare with our own in progress
and splendor. While our government is
the strongest yet no one can tell who will
be our next president two years hence
This nation belongs to nobody. Il is in
the hands of the people as a whole.
He congratulated Rock Island county
and its people generally. He spoke
OF Its prosperity, the value and beauty
OF the Mississippi river, the advantages to
be gained by the Hennepin canal some
thing that had been fought for fifty years.
1t was thing that nobody ever thought
of doing and never would again. 1t would
cheaper our iron and coal and other pro-
ducts of that nature. He congratu>
lated Murphy upon its success and men-
toned the name of Gest in a half hearted
way. He launched out upon the beau,
ties OF the government under the republit
can party and asked was there any one
before him who could say there was any
thing wrong anywhere. And if not, why
should there be any change and why
should Gest be changed for democrat,
For thirty years the republicans had been
running the government and are running
it today.
CHANGING over the little gathering be-
fore taking up the tariff, the speaker
must have felt either amused or mortified.
However, he made the best of the situa-
ton. He said when he was here once
before, he thought he would be obliged to
come again as the turnout at that time
was 30 small, but today il was the same.
The good republicans, he thought, must
have all staid at home, and the few on
the ground were convinced of the truth
of the remark. 1t seems that good ana