Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-16
A REPLY TO SHERMAN
By Wayne MacVeagh, Who Tells an
Audience in Philadelphia
WHY HE is NOW A DEMOCRAT.
He Will Vote for Cleveland Because lie
Thinks as Grover Does.
SARCASTIC FILINGS AT POLITICIANS

| largesI political meetings OF tHe CduP"iSn
was held in the Academy of Music tonight
under the auspices of the Young Mems
Democratic Association of this city, who
invited Wayne MacVeagh, formerly Attor-
ney General under President Garield's adj
ministration, to address the public on Sen
ator Sherman's recent speech, and to ex-
| plain his reasons for abandoning the Re-
publican party.
| Mr.. MacVeagh's recent letter, announc-
| ing that he would vote for Grover Cleve-
land, created a sensation that had not been
forgotten. and, in consequence, the great
auditorium was insufficient to accommodate
the thousands of ticket holders who applied
for admission tonight, SO that many were
turned away. The audience was decidedly
Democratic in its sympsthies and received
the speaker with great ent husiasm.
What the Orator Had to Say.
| The orator of the evening was introduced
| by Samuel Gustave Thompson, a we'll
! known lawyer and President of the Young
| Mems Democratic Association. Mr.. Mac
Veagh began by saying:
'LADIEs AND GENTLEMEN-Your kind
| welcome is another proof of the generosity
of the American people. As you possibly
| have observed 1 have been for the last ten,
days the subject of very wide and varied
| comment. and desire to avail myself of
| this, the earliest opportunity, to return my
| heartfelt thanks for the character of the
| comment, alike from those who are in
accord with the opinions expressed, and
| those who are strenuous opponents of them.
| The only serious fault-fnding which has
come to my notice was from lobbyists, and
| with them 1 was never able to get along
very we'll. Thew think it was the fault of
my temper, but think it was their fault of
! occupation.
Martin-par noble fratrum-have also had
themselves introduced, in order to inform
the public that they did not think very
| highly either of my political consistency or
of my political influence. Such opinions
from such sources are to me
the greatest possible eulogv, for
the agencies such men mean by politics are
happily for me as wide as the poles asunder.
L never sold my own vote: I never was a
party, directly or indirectly, to buying
ANYBODY else's vote. How, then, could the
Magees, or Martins of politics think well of
me?
"Some of my most friendly political op-
ponents, however, have been mistaken in
their illusions to my past political conduct,
and I wish to dispose, once for all, SO un-
important question. My coming of age
happened to coincide with the birth of the
Republican party, so that I have never
been anything but a Republican, and I
have never felt until now at liberty to vote
for any one but Republican for political
Office.
Always Heretofore a Republican.
sit is true that was opposed to the at
I'll
with that exception, do not believe that
there was any more stalwart supporter of the
Republican party than 1 was. L have had
no other serious differences with the Re
publican party, but, of course, I have al
ways held my citizenship as far more
precious thing than my partisanship, and 1
have never pretended to approve any policy
or any candidate whose influence upon the
country seemed to me to be evident, but 1
have watched with pain and alarm the
steady growth of the corrupt use of money
in our politics, and have been constantly
hoping that the Republican party
would at least turn its face
toward lower duties upon imports
and against other forms of Congressional
bounties, in accordance with the teachings
of so many of its greatest and wisest leaders,
and thus gradually diminish the tempta-
tions to that awful traffic, hateful alike to
OOU anu dll HOOu ucl, Tile duu SELL
ing of votes.
'It was because of that hope and the very
strong reluctance I felt to sever my connec-
tions with the party which had conferred
upon me so many and so undeserved honors,
and because Of my cordial regard and re-
spect for President Harrison, and of my alb
solute faith in the pledge of the platform
and in his pledge in respect to the reform
of the civil service.
The Purchasing Power of Money.
Cali my hopes, however, were disap-
pointed. and from that day to this the con-
vlction has been steadily growing upon my
mind that the general tendency of the Re
publican party was not only inimcal to the
best interests OF the country, but, unless
checked, was sure to result not only in max
ing the poor poorer, but in making the
rich more selfish and more corrupt and
therefore less patriotic. As soon as the
canvass of 1888 was oyer rumors began to
circulate that the election had been
bought, and that the gentlemen who
collected the money, as we'll as those who
paid it, were determined to exact such re-
compense as had been promised them, and
the revelations which have occurred from
time to time have strengthened the con-
viction in my mind that unhappily there
was only too much truth in these rumors.
"It was because 1 could not approve of
these things that found myself unable to
vote second time for President Harrison,
and felt it my duty to announce the con-
victions entertained and it is with equal
pride and pleasure that intend to vote Tor
the gentleman T hope and believe will be
the next President of the United States,
Grover Cleveland" Cheers.
A Reply to Senator Sherman.
Mr.. MacVeagh next replied to the speech
of Senator Sherman, made in the same place
one week ago. He said he could not see
how any man in his senses thought it wise
to imfllct upon the poor the burdens of the
Mckinley bill, or to debauch voters by
offering them pensions, or to impoverish
the taxpayer to buy vast masses of silver
for which there was no use, or to insult
small, weak sister republic like
Chile, by sending such a diplomat
as Patrick Egan, or to threaten her with
war without waiting to translate her
apology for the wrong done. Referring to
Senator Sherman's speech on the Mckinley
bill, he said, no one knew better than the
Senator that the cordage trust was an
illegal monopoly, plundering the people in
utter contempt of law. He took Senator |
Sherman to task for the stand he took on
the silver question to-day, as being opposed
to the views he expressed in 1891.
On the tariff question Mr.. MacVeagh said |
that less than II per cent of the laborers of |
Pennsylvania could secure employment in |
the protected industries, while the other IS |
per cent had to pay bounty on almost
everything they ate and wore. The rich |
paid substantially nothing, but on
the contrary realized immense profits