Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-01-12
MACvEAGH'S MANLY SPEECH.

Az the Democratic caucliS at Spring
field. Tuesday night. Hon. Franklin
Macvcagh spoke us follows:
II would take language ! am hopeless
of employing tn express adequately my
sense Of the very distinguished and OK
ccptional honor which the Democratic
party of Illinois has done me by nomi.
Mating mo In convention us Its cnndi.
date for the United States Scnatorship:
through your cordial action. gentlemen
Of the Legislature. In voting for mo In
the joint sessions Of the two Houses:
nor can hope to make fully understood
my appreciation of the personal kind.
ness / have received at the hands of
many thousands Of the members Of our
party. No one was ever more gcner-
ously nominated. and none ever made
"a campaign under more attractive ana
agreeable conditions.
And II Is great qualification to mo to
be associated, by the Partially OF my
fellow.citizens. with the aim of the
Democratic party To lift the selection
of United States Senators into the
hands of the people. and with It's patri.
p,ic effort To conserve the dignity ana
usefulness of the Senate itself, ana To
preserve to Il that touch with the peo-
pie and that fidelity To the policies of
the people which are so necessary To Its
enjoyment of the public confidence ana
esteem.
n. l., a 81. tn In Ian mol M
Democrats We're defeated. This seems
to me to he misleading. Something
happened undoubtedly. But what II
was Il less clear At this distance. and
with time To think over what occurred,
I am inclined to thing 1t was n cloud
burst-the same sudden, Overwhelming
Hood the same piled-up wrcckaGe--
and, II you will permit me to say SO
the same unscicnrliic inconscpuencc
and I therefore permit myself 10 bclley,
the same unllkelihood of recurrence.
Most assuredly In my Judgment tn
great policy Of the Democratic party
the policy of tariff reform--was not de
featcd. Its defenders, II you choos"
were defeated, partly because they go
themselves confused with Its enemies
The reform was not defeated. TIM
may seem "A nice distinction. hut II II
the real distinction of the situation
Even now some of the wiser Leaders
among the Republicans are eager Il
find way To preserve rs much OF on
legislation as they can without seemihi
10 abandon their theory that high COS
living Is blessing To the MASSES of tn
people-or their theory that n nation
can sell its surplus for something tx
ccpt the surplus Of other nations-o
their theory that the greatness OF M
zion consists In Its provincialism, AM
that the nations of this rather SINAI
earth are at their best when they reJec
all intercourse with each other, or thei
theory that China Is the type or civ
illz.d life. But these leaders, If III
Republican party remains In power
will not prevail. They have tried %
fore 10 moderate the greed OF prote'
lion. and have always failed. The
will fail again. And though the pee
plc have not meant TO vote FOR hig
protection now any more than they Ill
In ISIS. they will, II the Republican
remain In power get high protectio
now rs they got 1t In 1855. And
rests, therefore, still with Us to pr'
serve this great reform. You can -
reform, my friends, only through r.
formers.
And the sooner we bring about III
fullest measure of this reform the be
ter II viii be for the business OF VI
nation, for there Is no other road
commercial and manufacturing peac
There never, believe me, will be Il NM
settlement Of the tariff question in ia
country while the spirit Of America
institutions and the Independence, Il
enterprise. and the splendid aggre
slyencss of the American character ~
largely defeated by the economic ma
rowDess, the class selilshness, and u