Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-28
A DEMOCRATIC DAY
Among the Changers at the Great
Interstate Exhibition at
Williams Grove.
C. T. BLACK AND BALLOT REFORM
he Says That it Must Go Right Hand in
Hand With All the other
Necessary Legislation.
A CIRCULAR ISSUED ATTACKING RH0NE.
C. +. BLACK AND BALLOT REFORM
CIRCULAR ISSUED ATTACKING RHONE.
Candidate Deamater will Address the Horny Handed
TOilers To- Day.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPArcH.I

This was designated Democratic Day at the
interstate picnic exhibition, and about II,
600 people, including about 5000 who are
dwelling in the grove and at the farm houses
in the vicinity, honored 1t with their pres
enee. The grangers on the ground were
very much grieved by the discovery early in
the dav of document issued by the Repub-
lican State Committee, and extensively cir
culated in the grove, with the caption,
democrat Rhone severely rebuked for his
partisan efforts to lead the grangers into
the Democratic free trade camp"
This was followed by extracts from the re-
marks Of several grangers, some of whom
criticized the action of the Worthy Master
of the State Grange for counseling, as an in
dividual, the grangers to vote for Pattison,
as he had stood by them while Delamster
had done the reverse, while other simply de-
clared their fealty to the Republican candi-
date for Governor.
THE CHANGERS DIsPLEAsED.
Manager Thomas expressed his dissatis-
faction with the circulating of the campaign
document, and denominated it as very im-
polite The Republicans, he thought, had
a good card in the failure of the Democratic
candidate for Governor to attend the picnic
after be had promised him to be present,
but this movement had neutralized the
party advantages which the alleged de-
linquency of Pattison would have given his
political opponents.
Other prominent grangers were equally
displeased with the distribution of the at
tack on their leader. Mr.. Rhone, in open
ing the speaking meeting in the auditorium
this morning, characterized the scheme as
short-sighted and discourteous, in view of
the position he held in the grange, and his
audience appeared to agree with him.
The flow of political oratory to-day was
profuse, and it was almost entirely confined
to the Democrats The talk to the grsngers
was opened by Chauncey f. Black, Demo-
cratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor,
who, after paying a warm tribute to Victor
E. Pioller who died this morning, dwelt on
the inequalities Of State taxation and gave
facts and figures, as furnished by ex-Auditor
General Niles, to sustain his position. He
touched on the defeat of the meat inspection
bill SO earnestly pressed in the House by
grange influence, and asked his audience
to find out for itself who prevented its
passage.
SOME STRONG LANGUAGE.
Men guilty of this work should not be
elected, in his opinion no lawyer would de-
clare the act unconstitutional on his
conscience, but nevertheless it had been so
decided by the Federal Courts, because a
great monopoly had paid for the decision by
contributions to a corrupt fund. The grange
he said, was practical protest against the
wrong done agriculture by State tax laws: |
The grievance of the farmers,was of 40 years
standing. The presence of grangers here
was intended to accomplish a necessary re-
vision of this obnoxious legislation.
But this object would not be attained so
long as the people were without secret
ballot which could not be had under the ex-
listing constitution. The grangers were
interested not merely in ballot, but in tax
reform, but the latter could not be reached
with the two houses of the legislature divided
on the subject. The Senate had shown itself
to be against the grangers, but coustitu-
tional convention being a single body, it
would be impossible to make a shuttlecock
of an equalization tax measure, as had been
done in the Legislature. Mr. Black sug-
gested the incorporation into the State Con-
stitution of section like this:
MR.. BLACKS IDEA.
But the sum of all taxes on real estate within
the limits of the Commonwealth, including
those levied by the State and all other authori-
ties, shall not be greater than the sum of all
the taxes levied by said authorities upon all
other descriptions of property unless the ascer-
tanned vaiae of such real estate shall at the |
time of the levy exceed the ascertained value |
of all other descriptions of property. The |
Legislature shall enforce this provision by ap-
propriate legislation, and all existing acts of |
the Legislature contrary to this section shall |
be void after the adjournment of the first Gen
eral Assembly subsequent to the Adoption of
this constitution.
nj NJ
with evident satisfaction. Mortimer f. |
Whitehead, National Grange Lecturer, said |
the farmers were making their power felt. |
The Farmers Alliance, which was particu- |
larly showing its influence in the South, |
was largely founded on grange principles, |
and political parties were realizing the |
necessity of complying with the demands of |
farmers in constructing their platforms. |
Congress was never so favorable as now to |
legislation calculated to benefit agriculture. |
The sub-treasury scheme he disapproved. |
Independent political action on the part of |
grangers was urged as their plain duty.
A NUMBER OF ORATORS.
In the afternoon Manager Thomas, ac- |
companled by United States Senator Faulk- I
ner, of West Virginia, ex-Lieuteuant Gov |
ernor Black, ex-Congressman Beltzhoover, |
candidate for Congress in this district, |
Worthy Master Rhone, Senator Brown, of |
York, Colonel Lloyd, Democratic candidate |
for Senator in this district, Mr.. Whitehead,
Representative Wherrv, who Is a candidate |
Tor re- collection, Representative Shillito, OF |
York, and ex-Representatives Neely, of |
Adams and Woodruff. of Cambria, were in |
the auditorium.
Mr.. Wherry expressed desire to discuss |
the question of State taxation, but was un-
able TO speak because of severe hoarseness. |
Senator Faulkner referred to the prostrated |
condition of the agricultural interests of the |
country and ascribed it to unfriendly legis- |
lation. He proposed to talk to his listeners as |
an American citizen, not as partisan. The |
distinguished chairman of the Ways and |
Means Committee of the lower House of
Congress had admitted that the agricultural |
interests were in a deplorable condition. 1t |
was humlliating fact to admit that the |
flag representing the sovereignty OF the |
United States is seldom seen beyond the |
ports of this country.
HAND IN HAND.
A history of the decadence of American |
commerce was given to show that agricultl |
ure was great sufferer by it, commerce and |
agriculture being twin sisters. After pre-
senting facts to show how greatly man ufact- |
urers had prospered and farmers suffered.
he remarked that when protection went be- |
Yond certain point it oppressed the peo-
pie. He claimed that farmers sustained |
grievous burdens under the present tariff |
laws and said the proposed bill would |
largely increase them. A reference to the
reduction of the public debt S210, 900 900 |
under Cleveland's administration was ap-
plauded. Under Harrison's administra-
ton the debt was also being cut down ma