St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-13
TRUE TO HIS HOBBY
M,KINLBY ENDEAveRs TO DEFINE
REPUBLICAN, PRINCIPLES AND
POLICIES.
STRONG POLITICAL SPEECH
GIVEN BEFORE THE MARQUETTE
CLUB AT ITS LINCOLN DAY
BANQUET,
PROTECTION THE ONE ISSUE
Which, the Party in This Years. CAM
paign VIII Keep to the
Front.
STRONG POLITICAL SPEECH
PROTECTION THE ONE ISSUE

CHICAGO, Feb. 12-When William
Mckinley arose to speak tonight at the
banquet in the Auditorium, given by
the Marquette club in commemora ton
Of the birth Of Abraham Lincoln, 1900
men cheered the Ohioan with the
vehemence of enthusiastic admiration
They got up on chairs and the air was
filled with the flutter of handkerchiefs
and vibrating with the tunult Of voices.
Men cheered until they were exhaust
ed with the effort, and rested and
cheered again.
1t was the tenth annual banquet
given by the club, and it was intended
that there would be 1900 guests. More
than that number by three hondred
came and an overflow banquet was
necessary. The guest of honor was Mr..
Mckinley. He spoke to the toast,
abraham Lincoln" The occasion was
particularly notable as the first public
appearance of Ohio's famous son in
another state since his return from the
governorship to the position Of
private. citizen. Among those at the
speakers table besides Mr. Mckinley
were the Republican governors of Wis
consin and Pennsylvania, and the Re-
publican senators from Nebraska,
North Carolina and Maryland.
At every reference to the name Of
Mckinley or the word protection"
outbursts Of cheering followed The
address of the ex-governor was a char
acteristically magnificent piece of
oratory.
M'KINLEY'S ADDRESS.
After giving comprehensive sketch
and tribute to Lincoln, in which allu
sion is made to the principal events in
his life, Maj. Mckinley devoted him
self to a consideration of current polit
ical questions, as eXamplifled by the
speeches and writings of Mr.. Lincoln.
He said:
A profound common sense is the best gen..
JUS for craftsmanship, and there is no sub
stitute for it. Lincoln is certainly the most
sagacious and far-seeing statesman in the
annals of American history. His whole life
justifes this estimate of him. 1t is notable
that his stand on all public questions in his
earlier, as well as his later career, stamp
him as the wisest exponent of political truths
we have ever had.
Witnessing the government as we do today,
with it's debt-increasing, bond-issuing, gold
depicting, misunderstanding, low-tarif policy,
with what mighty force the words of Lincoln,
Written more IMAM nail century ago, come
to us in this hour and emergency! They
read if written for the living present, not
for the past. Why do you know, that far
back as March l, 1S43, at Wing meeting in
Springfield, Mr.. Lincoln offered series of
! resolutions relating to the tariff, which could
well be accepted here tonight? They were
then instantly and unanimously adopted, and
Mr.. Lincoln was himself appointed to pre-
pare an address to the people of the state
upon the subjects which they embraced.
For several years past the revenues of
| the government have been unequal to it's
expenditures, and consequently loan after
lean, sometimes direct and sometimes indi-
rect in form, has been resorted to. By this
means new national debt has been created
fearful to contemplate rapidity only reas-.
onably to be expected in time of war This
state of things has been produced by pre-
vailing unwillingness either to increase the
tariff or to resort to direct taxation. But the
one or the other must come.
TARIFF SYSTEMS COMPARED.
'tBy the protection system the man who
contents himself to live upon the products of
his own country pays nothing at all. Surely
our country is extensive enough and its
products abundant and varied enough to an
swer all the real wants of its people. In
short, by the protective system the burden
or revenue falls almost entirely upon the
wealthy and luxurious few, while the SUBJ
stantlal and laborins many who live at home
and upon home products, go entirely free.
BY the direct tax system none can escape.
However strictly the citizen may exclude
from his premises all foreign luxuries-fne
cloths, fine silks, rich wines golden chains
and diamond rings-stiIl for the possession
OF his house, his barn and his homespun he
is TO be perpetually haunted and harrassed
by the taxgatherer. With these views we
leave it to be determined whether we or our
opponents are the more truly democratic on
the subject
Now let me read the Lincoln platform on
1ne tarin' adopted on May II, 1860, by the
of mol
submit whether it does not express the
| sentiment of the great majority of the peo-
pie OF Illinois, and of the whole country even
better today than it did then. Here is what
it said:
Resolved. That, while providing revenue
for the support of the general government
by duties on imports, sound policy requires
such an adjustment of these imports as to
encourage the development of the industrial
interests of the whole country; and we COM
mend that policy of national exchanges which
secures to the workingmen liberal wages to
agriculture remunerative prices to mechanics
and manufacturers adequate reward for
their SKILL labor and enterprise and to the
nation commercial prosperity and indepen-
dence'
Better protection no Republican could ask
or desire; and poorer none should advocate
or accept! We are faithfully welded to the
great principle of protection by every tie of
party fealty and affection, and it Is dearer
to us now than ever before.
1t may be asked what the next Republican
u.
l can not tell you what the rates will be-
but they will measure the difference between
American and European conditions, and will
be fully adequate to protect ourselves from
the invasion of our markets by Oriental
products to the injury of American labor.
and will In no case be too low to protect and
exalt American labor and promote and in
crease American production.
WHERE THE PARTY STANDS.
No one need be in any doubt about what
| the Republican party stands for. It's own
history makes that too palpable and clear to
admit of doubt 1t stands for a reunited and
recreated nation, based upon free and honest
elections in every township, county, city dis
trict and state in this great American Union.
1t stands for the American fre-side and the
flag Of the Nation 1t stands for the Ameri-
can farm the American factory and the pros
perity of all the American people 1t stands
for reciprocity that reciprocates and which
does not yield up to another country sim
| gle days labor that belongs to the American
| workfngInan. 1t stands for International
| agreements which get as much as they give,
| upon terms of mutual advantage. 1t stands
| for an exchange Of our surplus home prod
ucts for such foreign products we consume
| but do not produce. 1t stands for the reel
proeity Of Blaine; for the reciprocity of Har-
| rison; for the restoration and extension of the
principle embodied in the reciprocity provis-