The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-29
WILSON'S GREAT SPEECH.
The Great Tariff Reform Sets the DeIegat.
Wild with Enthusiasm.

The Great Tariff Reform Sets the Delegates
Wild with Enthusiasm.
The committee on permanent organiza-
ton then reported William L. Wilson Of
Virginia as permanent chairman, s. Pc
Sheerin OF Indiana for perm anent secre>
tary, and a list of assistants and vice -pres-'
idents and secretaries by states. On mo-
tion of the Hon. Don NJ. Dickinson, COM
mittee of FIVE was delegated himself be-
ing named by the chair as the head of the
committed to notify the permanent
officers and escort them to the platform.
AT II :25 Mr.. Owens introduced the perma-
nent chairman, Wilson, as zone Of the
bravest democrats of the nation, the
Hon. W. L. Wilson of West Virginia"
Mr.. Wilson said:
GENTLEMEN OF THE CoNvENTIoN-Ithank
you most heartily forth honor. / shall try 10
meet the duties of the high position 10 which
you call me with a spirit OF fairness and
equality that is democracy.
This convention has a high aud patriotic
work TO perform. We owe much TO our party;
we owe much to our country The mission of
the democratic party is to fight for the under
dog. When that party is out of power we may
be sure there is an under dog to fight for, and
pie.
When that party is out of power, we may be-
sure that some party is IN control of our gov
ernment that represents a section and not the
whole country; that stands for q class and not
TIE whole people.
Never was this truth brought home to ua
more defantly than by the recent coventiOn az
Minneapolis. We are not deceived as to the
temper, we are not in doubt TO the purpose
of our opponents Having taxed US for years
Wi wit
propose TO disarIn us OF further power to resist
their exGctions. Republican success in this
campaign, when we look to the party platform.
the party candidates OF the utteranoes of the
party leaders, means that the people are to be
stripped of their franchise through force bills,
in order that they may be stripped of their subs
stance through tariff bills. Free government,
is selfgovernment There as no sslf-gOvernment
when the people do not control their own cleo
tions and make their own taxes
When either of those rights is taken
away or diminished breach is
made, not in the outer defenses. but in the cita-
del OF our freedom, For years we have been
struggling to recover the lost right of taxing
ourselves and now we are threatened with the
greater loss of the right of governing ourselves
The loss Of the one follows in necessary success
sion the loss OF the other. When you confer
on government the power of dealing out wealth
you unchain every evil that can prey upon and
eventually destroy free nstitutiOns-eKcessivs
taxation, class taxation, billion-dollsr con-
crosses, corrupt civil service, q debaucheds
ballot box and purchased elections In every
campaign the privilege Of taxing the peopls
will be bartered for contributions to corrupt
them at the polls; after every victory q new
Mckinley bill to repay those contributions
with taxes wrung from the people.
For every self-governing people there can be,
no more momentous question than the Ques-
tion Of taxation. It is the question, az Mr..
Burke truly said, around which all the great
battles of freedom have been fought Ii il the.
question out OF which grow all the iesues Of
government. Until settle this question:
wisely, justly, we build all other reforms on e
foundation of sand.
We, and the great party we represent, ara
today for tariff reform because IL is the only
gateway to genuine democratic government.
The distinguished leader who presided over
the republican convention boasted that he doea
not know what tariff reform is. Whoever said
that he did? Let US hope, with that charity
that endureth all things and believeth all thngs,s
that he is truly as ignorant as he
vsunts himself to Le. Unfortunately
the people are not 80 ignorant of the meaning
of protection, at least OF the protection which
is dealt out 10 them in the bill that bears his
name. They see that meaning writ large to-
day in prostrated agriculture. In a shackled
commerce, in the stricken industries, in the
compulsory idleness of labor, in law msda
wealth, in the discomfort Of the wOrkingman
and the despair of the farmer. They know by
hard experience that protection, as system OF
taAduOns Is out tne oiu CRAFTY ecueme " NnlC0
the rich compel the poor 10 pay she expenses
of government They know by hard experi<
ence that protection, as system of tribute. is
but the OLD crafty scheme by which the power
OF taxation of the people Is made the private
properly OF few of the people.
Tariff reform means to readjust this system Of
taxation aud 10 purge away this system Of
tribute. Ii means that we have not reached the
goal of perfect freedom so long any citizen
is forced by law 10 pey tribute TO any other
citizen and until our taxes are proportioned 10
the ability and duty OF the taxpayer rather
than to his ignorance, his weakness aud bis
patience.
Governor Mckinley further charges that thu
democratic party believes IN taxing ourselves
/ am afraid, gentlemen. We must admit thia
charge. What right or excuse have we for tax
ing anybody else? With. "A continent for q
country. with a freedom and intelligence as the
instruments for its development we stand dis
graced in the eyes OF mankind il we cannos
and IL we do not sapport our own goyernment
Continued on Sixth Page