The Indianapolis journal., 1894-10-09
He Tells His Constituents that Under
Free Trade They Can Ship and Sell
Wherever They Please.
HOME MARKETS FORGOTTEN
Says Nothing About Pauper Prod
ucts That Would Come Here.
Complete Text of the West Virginian's
Speech at the London Dinner, Which
He Claims Was Garbled.

w. Va, OcI c.-Ile
Democrats of the Second congressional dis
trict turned out il force to-day to welcome
home from England their Representative.
the Hon. William L. Wilson, chairman of
the ways and means committee and author
of the House tariff bill. A special train
and two brass bands met the distinguished
tariff reformer at Harper's Ferry at 1
o'clock this afternoon and brought him
to this city. On arrival here there was
parade and Mr.. Wilson was escorted to the
courthouse, where the welcoming speeches
were made. There was no lack of en-
thusiasm and the addresses were vigorous
ly applauded.
Mr.. Wilson made lengthy speech. He
began his address with touching refer
ence to the great popular demonstration
which had greeted him upon his return and
thanked his fellow-citizens and his friends
and neighbors for the unanimitY with which
they had taken part in his welcome. Re-
ferring to political matters. Mr.. Wilson
said ne should not be able to take up in
any orderly and satisfactory manner the
discussion of the public issues of the day
because he had been rushed from ship
board to train and from train to the plat
form with scarcely any chance for thought.
I'VE have reached" said he, that stage
in the development of our country when
we are compelled to have larger and larger
markets for our surplus products, and when
such markets, through foreign trade, are
only the safety valves for the health and
the prosperity of the American laborer
in the field and in the factory
Mr.. Wilson referred to the struggle for
lower federal taxation as a wonderful and
inspiring popular revolution and pledged
the Democracy, as the party of the people,
to go on in the combat. II for one" said
he ''do not believe it is to come until the
results secured are fully measured up to
the ardor and the enthusiasm OF the people.
On the one side lie good government, hon.
! est, economical government, freed industry
large and expanding markets for the
products of American labor and a general
dawning of an era of individual prosperity
On the other side lie corrupt government 1nesTd
ton by law on the markets in which we
are to sell and limitations by law for
duce. Those are the two systems now at
sslie before the American people. and. as
l have said before, giving somewhat
local application TO what am going 10 say
to-day, the question for the people of Jeffer-
son county is more markets for wheat and
for the mechanics is more markets Tor
manufactured goods.
FALSE LOGIC REGARDING WHEAT.
IF there is one thing to which ] gave
more attention than another during my
brief absence from this country. it was to
the condition of the wheat market of the
old world. When 1 inquired why it was that
wheat has gone down to price much iower
than it has ever sold before in the history
Of at least modern England and America,
the answer there is a universal glut
and a production beyond a profitable de-
mand; that not only is the United States
increasing her surplus export of wheat, and
Russia increasing her surplus export OF
wheat but Argentina is coming forward
and is now third I'm quantity exported to
European markets. L cannot BUT recall the
facts and / have stated 1t again and again
before the people of this country, that the
American tax on the woods of Argentina
made them give up their sheep raising and
go into competition with you in the produc-
ton of wheat. say Ii is for you to-day a
question of markets-a question of consum-
ers, the world over, for the products you
produce. l believe. so far as the great
cereals are concerned, we produce enough
10 feed population twice as large as our
own. / believe far staple manufac-
lures are concerned we produce enough to
supply a population as large as our
own. The question is where are we
to get these markets? Upon the. one system
we have been holding up for thirty years
tariff walls TO keep other people from COM
ing into competition with US in home
market already gutted. We have now be-
gun to tear down tariff walls to let US
out with our products to compete with the
rest Of the world In all the markets of the
while was in London about two weeks
ago / was honored, very Unexpectedly to
myself with an invitation by the Chamber
of Commerce to be it's guest at public
dinner. l was surpriSed-I was almost sorry
IN one sense to receive such an invitation
because was seeking rest and knew then
well as know to-day that what I would
say on that occasion would be perverted
and falsified before the American people,
and yet L did not think i need be afraid
IN talk IN Tho npOnlp of Inn60n n G r foll al
TO the people of West Virginia. So I talked
to them just what L say to you to-day, that
in the past We had been holding UP our tar
iff TO keep them out Of the American mar
tariff to let US out TO theirs and all other
markets of the world. and / said to them
that not only in the great products Of agri-
ton, beef and meat products, but in the
products of our manufactures they might
henceforth find us competing with all in all
the markets that they sought
Thirty years ago we began to shut our
selves in from all the markets of the world:
thirty years ago we called the American
merchant in from of the seas and surren-
dered the oceans to England and other ma
tions TO traverse them with their ships
When, last Friday morning, In a fierce g9le.
when / was off the banks OF Newfound-
land on one of those great ocean ships
which seemed almost to be able to DEFY the
fury of the storm, and yet was tossed
about like a cork upon the waters I spied
off in fog few fishing schooners and I
felt the men who could venture out in
such weather In their little fishing boats
were the who could yet restore the
American merchant marine upon the seas
and carry our flag in safety through to ell
the ports OF the world"
Mr.. Wilson continued his tariff argyll
ment for fully an hour and was succeeded
by Mr.. Myers of Pennsylvania and Hon
j. t. McGraw. II was O'Clock when the
and speaking was continued until 1890 at
night