The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-25
TO OIL CITE PEOPLE.
Speech to RepreseT t.tsives of the Pc
trOIemm Industry end Others.

The Oil City delegation was introduced
by the Hon. Amos Steife. and the Hon. W.
]. HuIiings delivered the congratulatory
address. Major Mckinley, in responding.
| said:
My Fellow-citizens of Oil City, Ladies
/ and Gentlemen-Thfs is, indeed, a very
| great honor and tribute to a patriotic and
| noble cause. 1 shall never forget the pic
| ture before me as long 4 live, and /
| shall cherish in memory this magnificent
| assemblage representing every occupation
| and every calling in life men and women,
| first voters and veterans, and these young
ladies' l heartily indorse. what. your
! spokesman has said about the Intelligence
| and beauty of the young ladies Of Oil City.
/ Great cheering)
My fellow citizens. what could be more
| beautiful or more inspiring than TO have
| these young ladies. representing every
State of the American Union-that glorious,
unbroken Union, that neVer-t to-be- broken
| Union, that indestructible Union of indie
| structible States-here on this lawn to-day
| to testify their devotion to the principles
! and purposes ana aspirations of this great
| Union of States? What glorious Union we
| have. 1t represents more than any other
! nation of the world and the best aspira-
! tfons of mankind everywhere. This Union
! in a little more than one hundred years
! has done more for the human than
! any other nation of the world, and it has
! only entered on its career and progress.
! our hearts to stand up in every crisis of
! the future as we shave stood up in every
| ought to love it; we ought to forever love
! it for what it has done for us. (Renewed
| applause.)
II am especially glad, my fellow-citizens.
! to meet this large and representative dele
! cation from your enterprising city. L con-
| gratulate you on the wonderful develop
| ment and advancement of your local
| terial resources. unknown and undeveoped
! until touched by the magic wand of Amer
| ican skill and invention both of which
! established and wise industrial system. We
| have had many marvellous changes in the
| economy of our homes since the close of
| the rebellion, but / recall none that have
/
| those of our fuel and light. nor the growth
! of any industry that has been so rapid
/ in many respects and so beneficial that
! in which Oil City is so prominent and con-
| spicious. Great applause) You come from
| the great oil district Of PENNSYLVANIA and
| know better than | can tell you the amaz-
| ing growth of Your industry.
| DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY.
Il remember when a boy TO have heard
that there were creeks in your State whose
surfaces would light up at night if by
! chance the torches of passing fishing par
ties should drop into them, as was some
/ times the case. On the borders of one of
| those creeks has since been developed the
most remarkable industry in your
State and a great industry
! in other States, an industry not
yet forty years old. Since Professor
/ Silliman began his explorations and the
| first wells were drilled in 1857, not far from
your city, the industry was Of slow rrowth
until after the war and then it sprane into
such prominence that there was an oil
fever all over the country, and 1 remem-
Der the disease sometimes very fatal
TO investors. Great laughter and applause
You probably know more about that than
L do. (RenaWed laughter) BY 1876 the an
nual product of the country had reached
| ten million barrels and the magnitude of
the. the interest a was so great that expansion
| ly predicted. But this product has since
increased to thirty and l believe in 1885 to
more than forty million barrels per an
mum.
I could not undertake to enumerate the
variety OF uses of petroleum. Not onlv is it
! now so universal as the fluid for light but
| it is an important fuel in manufacturing.
and it's products in very MANY resnecfs
are now articles of trade and commerce
No more striking exhibit was seen at the
worlds fair in Chicago than the exhibit of
! petroleum. The wild speculation in 1886
has given place to the, greet. steady. pros
porous and remuneratite business interests
of 1896, which promise in some form or
| another 10 be most important branch of
| one of our greatest American industries
OH City ! take it, Mr.. Chairman, has
| had a most interesting and somewhat ro-
| mantle history as the principal market of
! the Pennsylvania oil regions, and. for that
| matter, for all the States producing OIL and
| has made wonderful progress since pc
troleum was first shipped to you by RATS
/ f1atboats, until now when YOU have n
great trade by the railroads and pine line:
| but [ am glad to know that your oil re-
! by no means your only industries, but that
you have gone on developing American
| productive enterprises until your boiler
| other shops have capital of 81. .66S, ,000 en-
| ploying abut $500 hands and paying an av-
erage Of 5000 per day for labor in all your
| various industries. 1App -ause) Such thrift
| in a city of II 600 inhabitants is indeed to
| be commended, but did you ever reflect that
| this is just what We have or did have ali
| over the United States?
THE SYSTEM HE FAVORs.
THE great men who founded Pennsyl-
vania and have guarded her interests since
very properly turned their attention to the
establishment and encouragement of manu-
facture with such marked success that the
great keystone State has become not only
the life of industry, but the commonwealth
of prosperous traders and farmers and con-
| tented homes (Great applause and cries
| of Hurrah for Pennsylvania,D The sys-
tenn / would favor for the country is the
system of the fathers system which
/ came in with the government, system
under which we have had the highest de-
gree of prosperity. which seeks the same
/ growth in population the same increase in
| wealth, the same dlHuslon OF proserIty eV-
| everywhere that you have enjoved in Penn
sylvania. (Appause)
IF you will but glance at the census map
| showing the proportion OF improved and
| unimproved lands in the United States, if
/ YOU will take into calculation our marvel
| known / think you viii agree with me
| that we ought to have a distinct and pro-
| nounced Industrial and commercial policy.
| genuinely American and thoroughly patri-
otic. Great appause) FACTORIES snould
1
| the factories increase. mines increase; and
when both increase the home market for
| the farmer is improved and his prices are
| better Great applause and cries of That's
right!D
Let US not be disturbed by overprodue-
ton. but rather take means of preventing
! The underconsumptior of American prod
| ucts by preserving and enlarglng our home
market and extending our foreign markets
heyond the sea. (Appiause) Let Us con-
rinue the policy Of Washington, Hamil ton.
| Jefferson. Lincoln Grant. Stevens, of your
| own State (applausel, and Cameron. Blaine
| and Garfield and the scores OF other distin-
| euished statesmen whose great services
| made this the greatest and most prosperous
country of the world. Equal credit could
| perhaps be accorded to others than the il
| iustrious names / have mentioned but
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