The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-04
that the Republican party has done moth.
ing for the railroad m en-

HARRIs0S's WORK FOR RAILROAD NES.
He said he knew that President Harri.
son was the first President who had called
the attention of Congress TO the great num-
Der Of lives yearly los: in the ranks of rail.
road men. and to recommend a law imposing
upon all railroad companies a safety
car-couDler. In accordance with this REQ
ommendation of President Harrison bill
had been drafted. and had passed the
House and Is now pending m the Senate.
The reason II was not passed % the senate,
he said, was because the railroad men had
requested that lt be not passed until
amended. The Dill provided for the -sp-
polntment OF commission TO select q
safety car-coupier for common use an all
railroads. but no stipulation was made for
practical railroad emD!oye 10 DO on that
commission.
AT meeting held in Chicago of the eight
railroad organizations an amendment bad
been drawn MP and WOULD be submitted TO
the Senate. If Republican next year the
speaker declared the bill would be passed
without dissenting voice and would 10
signed by President Harrison after March
4. 1885. Applause.
Last year. continued the speaker. you
came TO the Indiana State Legislature TO
ask for certain legislation. but Won didn't
get II. Under the law IN force the railroad
companies were not responsible for the
lives of employees lost through the negli-
ploye definition was too broad and
susceptible 10 too much abuse on
the part of the railroad companies
and you wanted IL defined so that co-em-
ployes should mean those associated to-
gether in their work, as an engineer
and a fireman on the same train are. That
was all you asked bill was framed aud
was introduced by a Democrat EphTIsm
lnman. 1t passed the House and went TO
the Senate and was referred 20 the commit
tee on dor and labor statistics a commit
tee. one would think. that should have taken
a gre { In terest IN the bill The committee
came back with two reports, one signed 10y
two members fayOring the passage OF the
bill. and the other signed BY three
members, asking that IL be re-
ferred 10 the committee on judiciary
At that time IL was asserted that three
fourths OF the members of the judiciary
committee were hired By aud IN the pay OF
railroad corporations, yet. notwithstand-
| ing this fact, the bill was referred 10 that
committee. lon oil know the result.
When IL came back from the judiciary
/ committee the railroad mems co-employe
and liability dill was 60 emasculated
and amended that its friends had to vote
against IL and its enemies voted for II.
Now / understand that lately the
| author of this bill has issued a circular
| charging the Republicans with having de-
| feated the bill In the face of this 4 now
make the charge that Epbraim lnman, the
author of the DILL. Is himself responsible
| for its defeat"
Mr.. Shockney next took up tho insurance
| measure which the railroad men tried TO
| get through tho Legislature. and spoke OF lts
failure. He turned from Democratic legis-
lation to that of the Republican party. and
told how. though il had been IN the MINOR
| ity for so many years in the state. yet
1t bad ever earnestly tried to assist
all measure OF the railroad men
with all the means in ITS power.
But he said that all that it had done in
the past would be eeipsed BY what it
al 10 In ffta md fffr M INF
from that past. He was interrupted by
tremendous cheering. lie spoke with par
tioular emphasis about the securing OF au-
tomato coupling on freight, as well as
salvos of applause from the railroad men
In the house.
WAGES THEN AND NOW.
"In 1880 and previous 20 that time. my
| friends" said he. 1.-The scale of wages was
| something like this: Engineers got about
| SEQ month, conductors about so. brake
men 81 day and. firemen about S35 per
month. What are you getting nowi 1
am told that engineers get from SIPS
| to $50 q month, conductors from 500 to
| Sl25, brakemen from $50 to S75 and firemen
from $50 TO SIS. In England, to-day, am
| informed that the most skillful Of engi-
| neers and conductors do not receive over
| $50 per month. Do you men before me want
TO go back to those days of 1850. or do you
want TO vote fer party whose
| direct assertion Is that il proposes 10 open
| this country 10 tho labor OF Europef Do
| you want those Englisnmen 10 come over
here and run your engines Tor you at 500
| month"; L don't think So
We'll, guess not" yelled a man In the
| audience, and the crowd gave one OF those
| Them s-my- sentiments" cheers.
| The man who is first in this country"
said the speaker. lis the man who rolls his
sleeves MP TO the elbow. throws open his
| shirt collar, and works for an honest living.
and the Republican party Is the one
which gives him the best chance &C do
that" He then alluded to how the Demo
| cratic party was trying to make love TO
| the old soldier and particularly one who
| has como over TO their side. he alluded 10
how the party vituperized Lincoln when
| alive and now just began to call him the
greatest martyr of tho age. saying that the
| Democrats never saw good in any man I'M
til he had either Topped TO their ranks OF
| was dead. For instance" said be. that
party used TO say some pretty mean things
about a certain recent turn-coat Now they
| laud him TO the skies; they say that he 10
all wool and a yard wide. and that he
stands ten feet in his socks feet. L al
Jude TO Judge Gresham At the men,
| ton of that name the room was
| filed with derisive laughter He asked
his audience If IL was not
soul-sickening sight TO see a Democrat
hugging a negro and calling him brother"
and particularly when that Democrat was
| Bynum. In naming over some of the fore
| moet names OF the Republican party those
| of Lincoln. Grant, Garfield and Harrison
| provoked the widest enthusiasm.
WHAT CLEVELAND DID.
Then he asked: What did Grover
| Cleveland do while he was In Office from
1895 to 1881" Vetoed pension bills"
yelled a voice from the back of the house.
Went fishing on Decoration day. said AL
other one from box on the left. Re
turned the rebel flags" came another from
the pit, until further answers were drowned
in the storm of applause. Dit. ShocKney
ended his remarks by the prediction that,
| with every man doing his duty on next
Tuesday, Indiana would 90 for the ma
.tIonal and State ticket b. fully eight
| thousand. And" said he. 'if you viii
! come down 10 the State-house after next
| January will let you cit right beside the
| Lieutenant governor" He was enthusi-
astically cheered, and then there was
unanimous call for Charles l.. Henry. The
candidate for Congress stepped 10 tie front
Of the stage and waited Tor the cheering 10
cease.
"Gentiemen-I believe that General Har-
rison will he reelected and that Indiana
will be found In the Republican column"
was his first sentence, and such storm OF
cheering and waving OF flags aud hats and
hand clapping grew and swelled, and
that he was unable 10 proceed for some lit
- 81 Il n