The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-17
Several Times i'm His Speech He Had
to Be Prompted by AIonxo
Greene Smith.
GREETED BY LARGE AUDIENCE
HE is MORE OF A CURIO THAN THE
POPOCRATIC NEBRAsKAN.
The Address rs a Whole Smacked
Greatly of a Latter-Day Bry-
anesque Harangue.

very hlUQ dllCuliDH QuElu6 THIS lOuS du-
dress" said David Bennett HILL. of New
York. in his Tomlinson Hall speech, last
night. "and thankin you for all the cour-
tesies 1 have received since l have been
In this portion Of the State OF Illinois,
I simply want you now to rally together
and with a long pull and a strong pull
and a pull all together. victory will perch
upon our banners"
At another time the brilliant New York
er confused Presidents Harrison and Me-
Kinley. making the astounding declaration
that President Harrison. in his message
to Congress. said the people of Porto Rico
ought to have free trade with the United
States. Alonzo Green Smith blurted out,
You mean Mckinley and the speaker.
with great confusion and redness of coun-
~tenance. acknowledged the correction with
as much suavity as he could command.
At still another time he gave vent to the
wild statement: ST am here to tell you
that the Democracy of our State-the EN-
pire State [S~tillness that might be feltl-
are working as they never worked before.
and We expect to give the electoral vote
to William j. Bryan" To clinch his won
derful claim, Mr.. Hill shouted, Never
StUCt TIC WAX nave we Dccn Dedten III
a presidential election when New York
and Indiana voted together''-a declara-
ton so palpably true that it was accepted
without the slightest question.
A BIG AUDIENCE.
The audience that listened to Mr.. Hills
speech exceeded either of those which
heard William J. Bryan on the two occa-
sions when he spoke from the rostrum of
Tomlinson Hall earlier in the present cam
paign-demonstrating that as a political
curio David Bennett Hill is every bit as
valuable TO the Democratic managers as is
the saturnine-faced young man from Ne
braska. Mr.. Hill was not escorted to the
hall by a long line of enthusiastic, shout
ing, cheering paraders. a parade had been
strictly tabooed by an order issued shortly
after the demonstration In honor of Col.
Roosevelt last Thursday night. But the
warmth of the greeting extended him in
Tomlinson Hall by the vast audience that
pressed almost upon the platform seemed
TO atone for a lack of a street display. in
the opinion of the orator, who smiled be-
nignly upon the crowd while ii stood as
one man yelling itself hoarse, waving
canes and hats. and shaking handkerchiefs
at the wearer of the feether-labeled II am
a Democrat About all the Popocratic
leaders of any prominence in the city were
on the platform with Mr.. Hill, and they
served nobly as ''rooters," proposing cheers
and assisting to swell their volume.
The speaker at the outset put his audi
ence in good spirits by telling them that
they had outdone In enthusiasm the Demo-
Gratis of Brooklyn, a city which Is remarka-
bic for that quality. Mr.. Hill then referred
TO Governors Gray and Hendricks, mention
of the latter's name being received with
hearty applause. He then said that he is
supporting the Democratic national ticket
first. because 1t is the nomination of his
arf nv made IN ~, dn1xr g
sembled-a convention conspicuous for its
fairness I'm all it's proceedings and sec
ond, having participated In its delibera-
lions, as an honorable man | feel bound to
support its nomination. But" he contin-
ued, Il prefer TO place my support of this
ticket upon higher grounds than these
upon the ground that, in the main, the
platform adopted by that convention meets
my approval, and hence / am here to speak
for 1t. 1 do not mean that / would not
have changed as a matter of policy and
expediency some portions of it, but in its
principal features it represents good old
fashioned Democratic principles, and i am
satisfied"
FALSE NOTE.
Mr.. Hill raised a false note of expectation
by threatening to define the meaning of the
word imperialism He said: 1.-The wis
dom of the Democratic convention declared
that there was one issue which would prob
adj be more important than the others,
and i proceed at the outset of my remarks
to discuss hat question. 1t is called
popularity known as-the question of i'm
perialism. What is meant by that word?
We might ask on the other hand what is
meant by the term republic, and in describ-
ing the one you necessarily may describe
the Othe-
Mr.. Edl then went on to show the differ
ent things that constitute the United States
a republic-that the people are free; that
they make the laws themselves through
their chosen representatives; because there
is equal suffrage throughout the land" (no
reference to North Carolinal; because there
Is no taxation without representation; be-
cause the government derives its just pow
ers from the consent of the governed; and
because Americans live under a written
constitution which limits the powers of the
general government over them. He de-
clared that the basis of this Republic is the
Constitution and enumerated the various
rights guaranteed the people under Ii. He
continued In an elaborate treaties on con-
stitutional government that smacked
strongly of the textbook. All this prepare
tory to a harangue against imperialism
which was the burden of his speech. Now
we see that our Republican friends are pro-
ceeding upon a new theory" he said. upon
a theory that we can acquire new poses
sions, that we can grab them. hat we can
conquest, that We can take them by pur-
chase and that we can own them, enjoy
them, regulate them and govern them out
side of this glorious heritage which our
fathers left US"
A SUPPOsITITIOUS CASE.
Mr.. Hill assumed that the Republican
party proposes to establish a different
form Of government in the Philippine
islands. and then drew a picture Of a citi-
zen of Indianapolis happening to be ar
rested over there for some alleged crime.
The speaker declared that this man would
be denied the right of habeas corpus, the
right of trial by jury, the right of appeal
all because the islands would be governed
outside Of the Constitution. He lauded
the war with Spain as far as it related to
Cuba, and extending up to and including
the sinking of Montojo's fleet by Dewey
in Manila bay. but insisted that the great
mistake of the administration had been
in not turning the Philippine islands TO
their rightful owners-the natives. I'VE
had not conquered those islands" said the
speaker, because we did not go there TO
conquer the Filipinos. We should have
dealt with the native Inhabitants as we
would have dealt with the native inhab-
itants of Cuba IL We had wanted to pur-
chase Cuba after the war was over"
Mr.. Hill cited Attorney General Griggs's
alleged statement IN a recent speech that
this Uhe Philippine situation) presents a
new question. for which there are no Amer
| lean precedents,' and" said the speaker
| triumphantly. that is ~true-there are no
| American precedents, the presidents are
all upon the other side of the ~globe-there
are no American prccedents for the crea-
| ton OF what they now term an American