The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-06-28

CHICAGO, June 2s.-At exactly 1850
o'clock the Rev. Alfred II. Henry OF
Chicago was presented by Chairman
Owens to offer prayer. He especially
remembered the resolutions committee
in his invocation.
At :2::25 p. IN. Mr.. Owens introduced
the permanent chairman, Mr.. Wilson,
as one of the bravest Democrats of the
nation.
As soon as the applause had SUBJ
sided Mr.. Wilson spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the convention. ! thank
you most heartily for this honor l shall
try 10 meet the duties of the high position
to which you call Inc with spirit of fair
ness AID equality that is Democracy. This
convention mas high and patriotic work
10 perform. We owe much TO our party I;
we Owe much to our country.
The mission of the Democratic party is
10 fight for the under dog. When that
party is out of power We may be sure
there is an under dog 10 fight for. ana that
The under dog Is generally the American
people. When that party Is out of power
we may be sure that some party is in con-
troll OF our government that represents a
section and not the whole country: that
stand for class and not the whole people
more definitely than by the recent conven-
ton al Minneapolis. We are not deceived
as to the tcmpter, we are not ia doubt Us TO
the purpose of our opponents. Having
taxed US for years without excise and
without mercy, they nos: propose TO disarm
US of further power 10 resist their exac-
lions
Republican success in this campaign.
when we look 10 the party pa: form. he
party candidates or the utieranccs OF the
party leaders, means ih;C the people are 10
be stripped of their franchise through
force bills in order that they may be
stripped of their substance through tariff
bills. Free government is self government.
There is no self government where the peo-
pie do not control their own cleo
tons and levy their own taxes. When
either OF these rights Is taken away or d.
mluiShed a breach is made not III the outer
defenses, but in the citidal of our freedom.
Foryears we have struggled to recover
the lost right of taXIEg ourselves. and now
we are threatened with the loss of the
great right of governing ourselves.
The loss of one follows in nee
essary succession the loss of the other
When you confer on the government the
power OF dealing out wealth YOU unchain
every evil that can prey upon and eyentu-
ally destroy free institutious-excessi
taxations, class taxation. billion dollar
congresses, corrupt civil service, de-
bauched ballot box and purchased cleo
tions.
In every Republican campaign the priv
lege OF taxing the people Will be bdrtered
for contributions TO corrupt them at the
polls, after every victory a new Mckinley
bill to repay these contributions. with
taxes wrung from the people. For every
self governing people there can
be no more momentous question
than the question of taxation. 1t is the
question, as Mr. Burke has truly said.
around which all great battles of freedom
have been fought. 1t is the question out
of which will grow all the issues OF govern
ment Until We settle this question wise
ly, permanently, justly, we build al other
reforms on foundation OF sand
We and the great party we represent are
to-day for tariff reform because it is the
only gateway to genuine Democratic gov
eminent. The distinguished leader who
presided over the Republican convention
boosted that he did not know what tariff
reform is. Who ever said that he dido
Let US hope with that charity that
endureth all things and belieyeth all
things, that he is truly as ignorant as he
vaunts himself to be. Unfortunately the
people are not so ignorant of the meaning
of protection-at least the protection which
is dealt out to them in the bill which bears
his name. They see thu meaning writ
large" to-day, in a Frustrated agriculture,
in a shackied commerce, In stricken indus
tries, in the compulsory idleness of labor,
in law mlde wealth, in the dis
content OF the workingrnen and
know by hard experience that protection
as system Of taxation is but the old
crafty scheme by which the rich compel the
poor to pay the expenses OF government
They know by hard experience that pro-
lection as system of tribute is but the
old crafty scheme by which the taxation Of
the people is made the private property of a
readjuSt this system of taxation
and to purge away this system of tribute.
It means that we have not reached the
goal Ct perfect freedom So long as any
citizen is forced by law TO pay tribute to
any other citizen and until our taxes are
proportioned to the ability and duty of the
taxpayer rather than 10 his ignorance, his
weakness and his patience.
Governor Mckinney further charges that
the Democratic party believes in taxing
ourselves. l am afraid. gentlemen, We
must admit this charge. What right or
excuse have we for taxing anybody elsef
With a continent for a country,
the instruments for its development, we
stand disgraced in the eyes of mankind If We
cannot and if we do not support our own
government We can throw that support
on other people only by beggary or by
force. II we use the one We are pauper
nation; il we use the other We
are a pirate nation. The Demo-
cratic party does not intend that we
should be either. No more does it in
tend that they shall falsely call it taxing
other people to transfer our taxes from the
possessions of those who own the property
of the country to the bellies and backs Of
those who do the work Of the country. 1t
believes that frugality Is the essential vir.
tue of free government 1t believes that
taxes should be limited to needs and levied
by plain justice and economy.
But. gentlemen, we are confronted now
by q new cry in this campaign. The Re-
publican party, says Mr.. Mckinley, now
stands for protection and reciprocity. He
was for protection alone when he framed
his bill In the house, or, rather, permitted
his benefciaries to frame it for him, and
firmly resisted all efforts Of the states man
from Maine to annex reciprocity to it. No
-~nA.r he favOra the r0ciDrn.