The Detroit times., 1908-10-17
MAH0N HITS OUT
SQUARELEY FROM
SHOULDER =.
HoMELY, RUGGED oRAToRY OF
sERloUS-MlNDEp MAN Is EF-
FEcTIvE-WHAcks DENLY AS
OPPONENT OF LABOR.

All aulOmODlle cdTTy-dil, WHICH uc-
longs 10 the street railway mems as
sociation and has a record of service
in street railway strikes In various
cities, was the vehicle used by Will
lam ID. Mahon. Democratic candidate
for congress, In his round OF meetings
Friday night. Ii was a rather jolly
conveyance but the man who has
worked up from being miner to com.
mand of the street railway men, did
not mind few bumps.
Mahon Is q man OF extremely SER
ious mind and determined purpose.
Unlike most public speakers, he never
resorts to humor or to sophistry. He
talks squarely at his hearers on
grounds of right and wrong. Of public
policy and civic ideals. There Is NO
let-up from beginning to end of his
speeches. He gets little applause, but
he leaves his hearers thinking.
II hay-wagon had been provided
for Mahon, he would have used II with
out comment or cavil, as long as II
fulfilled the purpose OF taking him
from place to place and giving him
opportunity to appeal to the reason Of
the voters Of the district
His oratory has not the polish OF
the college man but the earnestness
Of his feeling makes his argument
only the more effective for certain
ruggedness in It's delivery.
Mahon was the only Democrat pres.
ent at the supper Of the Gratiot-Ave,
M. e. church. Friday evening. This
fact he called attention to In opening
but he urged the necessity OF church
men taking a full interest In political
&natters. governmental purity being
largely dependent on the moral awak'
ening of the electors. Following this
line, he turned into national issues to
show the higher stand OF the Demo
cratic party and the necessity Of re-
form.
In Mannebachs hall on Gratiot-ave.,
Mahon found a large meeting Of the
Metal Polishers' union. The polishers
gave him a hearty welcome and lis
tened attentively as he discussed Con-
gresham Denby's opposition to the
union shop. He also took up the big
national issues.
His longest speech was in the Bo-
hemian Turner hall at st. Antoine and
Erskine-sts The slogan Of Democ-
racy Shall the people ruler" furnish
ed his text and he declared that re-
view of national legislation would
show that instead of the people get
ting such legislation as they have de-
sired. they have secured only what
predatory wealth would allow.
but the Democratic party has not
stopped with that, although that dec
laration Is a broad enough platform
for any man." said Mahon. 1T has
set up a number of reforms. With re.
gard to the tariff, we do not declare
for free trade We say that when an
industry needs protection, ii shall be
given IL. But when trusts use the
tariff as an aid In oyercharging and
extorting more than their just profit,
we would force them to compete with
the open markets of the world for our
trade, II there is no other way to curb
them"
He turned next to the bank guar
anty and postal savings planks. and
stated that the recent panic had shown
the popular distrust Of the banks-so
that a small cloud On the financial
horizon caused a withdrawal of depOs-
its and suspension OF industry. The
Democratic party proposes to make
every depOsitor's money safe, he said
and then he recalled how the people of
Detroit had lost savings through the
failure of the City Savings bank.
True" he said, the Republican
party has a platform. hut who stands
on It? Who made It? The same men
who made 1t, defeated every popular
measure that has come up In congress
for the last 10 years. Cannon. Payna
and others of the same kind domiiI.
ated the convention that made the
platform
He reminded his hearers OF the OF.
fer OF John Sharp Williams to the Re-
publicans, that IL 30 Of them would
vote with the Democrats, every meas.
ure advocated by President Roosevelt
would be passed. and of the failure OF
the Republicans to DO SO.
Where was DENLY, them" he ask.
ed pertinently.
Turning to the prosperity issue. he
said that while the labor organiza.
tons had succeeded In raising wages
10 per cent, the cost of living has gone
up 40 per cent. Now, he added, the
courts would take away even the aid
of the labor organizations.
IL come not as a representative oi
a class, but as an American citizen, to
ask for your support" he concluded
A. III n