The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-04-04

n Hall Was Packed with People, and
There Was Great Enthusiasm.
Music Hall was literally packed with
men and women Saturday night. Gov.
Ladd presided. The Hon. Thomas B.
Reed was the chief speaker.
Mr.. Reed said: To think hat in this
little State of Rhode Island seems to me
to have in it something Of the grotesque
and absurd
Here is q State, small in area, but full
OF wealth, success and prosperity are
owing to the great part that their manu-
facturers have secured to them, by the
system OF protection, the markets OF the
United States. and yet there are some sim
ple-minded enough to listen to this wan
dering collection of Western and Ken
lucky Congressman, who are trying to
make you believe that the best thing for
and give her markets to England. How
human beings with 1900, or to be more
exact, 1892, years of civilization, can lay
themselves open to the suspicion that
these men nave any influence with them,
passes beyond human comprehension;
Island must do your duty, not only by
yourselves, but by the whole people OF
Rhode Island.
These Democratic orators who have
come to this State a every one of
them made their record by advocating free
coinage. but when they come here they
say not a word about 1t. Two years age
when the Democratic party was out Of
power every one OF their leaders was
shouting like mad for free silver. They
wanted to help the working man to pay
his debts with a recent dollar. The Dem
ocratic party has for thirty-two years
been telling what it would do. but what
has it doner In 1890 when the people of
| the country put the Democrats into power
/ suppose they did it because they wanted
| to give the Republicans q rest. The peo-
pie didn't want anything done, so they
The people were right, nothing. has been
| done. The Democrats marched up to the
| Recent dollar and then marched back
again temporarily.
They have tackled the tariff. They de-
| eide that they will catch the votes of the
them that they will give them free wool,
and they tell the Western farmer that
they will raise the price Of wool.
Democratic legislation works both ways
and that's why 1t never becomes u law.
They would take the tax of wool and
timber to get the men whom this would
benefit into line. Then they would take
the tariff off manufactured goods. What
does that mean? Not that the mills
would be shut down but that the wages
would have to be cut down to the level of
England and other free-trade countries.
Iyenture the assertion that the wages
Of the workingmen in this country are on
an average 20 per cent. higher than in 1880
and that every necessity of life Is to-day
IS per cent. lower than in 1850.
The great principal that drives down
prices is competition. You say that the
tariff prevents competition, but it is not
30. The tariff only Mount to a little,
and is not sufficient to cut off the com
petition, and the result is that the prices
get down.
There never was a man with brains
enough to foresee the result OF his action.
In 1916 all the wise men got together and
decided that the best thing for the coun'
try was free trade, but to-day there Is but
one free trade country in the world, and
that is Great Britain.
Ex- Gov. Campbell came here and told
you that he voted for the freedom of al
men, white and black, but he didn't tel
you that he did that while he was . howl
ing Republican. (Laughter.) There IL
not a Democrat who comes here and tells
you what he has done, but 1t turns out
that he did it while he wa a Republican
When say to you that there Is no ablel
man on either continent on the tariff Ant
economic questions han Nelson w. Aid
rich the path OF duty is marked out fol
you so plainly that the wayfarinR man
though a Democrat cannot fail to read It,
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Reeds speech
Mr.. Horn, Mr.. Mckinley and others ad-
dressed the audience. The enthusiasm
was tremendous.