The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-29
DEMONSTRATION
STARTS TEARS IN
WATSON'S EYES
CONTINUED From Page One.)

the friend of labor, Mr.. Watson called
attention to the fact that the republi
can party had abolished slave labor
on the crimson fields of the civil war;
that it had passed the homestead law:
thta it had passed every Chinese ex
clusion statute; that it had enacte'
every law providing sound money
that it had passed all the immigration
laws and the law which prevents the
importation of cheap contract labor
in fact, he said, every law beneficial
to labor had been enacted since the
civil war, the republican party was
responsible for.
Explains Own Record.
Mr.. Watson said that he desired to
speak on his own congressional record
as he had been attacked in q most
unjust, slanderous and libelous man.
ner by his enemies, who charged he
had been unfriendly to labor. He said
he had voted for the employers liabil-
ity law He said that Go Ioers had
charged he had voted against the Pan
anna Canal eight hour working law
Mr.. Watson said that he did vote
against this measure because Presi-
dent Roosevelt In a message to con-
gress had advised it's defeat He
said that this law applied only
to alien labor employed on the canal.
The American workmen on the canal
we're not effected by the law and are
as much subjected to the American
eight hour working law as though
they were working on a government
job in Indiana.
To Gompers' charge that he had
voted against the sixteen hour rail-
road working bill Mr.. Watson showed
that this bill had been passed without
a negative vote and that 1t was
through his efforts that the bill was
brought up for consideration. He al
SO denied Gompers charge that he
had voted against the bill creating the
| department Of commerce and labor.
Mr.. Watson denied this, showing that
only one republican voted against it.
In conclusion Mr.. Watson said that
he had always voted with his party on
| labor legislation and that his party
had always been the friend Of the man
| who earns his bread by the sweat of
| his brow. He also stated that five
years ago Gompers had written to him
praising him for his efforts ON behalf
Of labor.
Turning to the paramount issue of
the state campaign Mr.. Watson said
that for fifty-six years the democratic
party in this state had been opposed
to all restrictions Of the liquor traffic.
He said that in 1874 the republican
party first became local option par.
ty. There was an option plank in the
republican platform of 1886, also in
1888 and in 1890.
He pointed to the fact that a repub
lican legislature passed the Nicholson
law and the Moore amendment, and
that every one Of the seven grea,
liquor laws on the statute books of the
state have been passed by republicans
and opposed by the democrats
He said that the ward and township
local option plank in the democratic
platform this year was no improve
ment over the existing liquor laws
and he asked why the democrats had
not endorsed the existing laws insta ad
option plank. 'Ill tell you why, they
plan to repeal the existing liquo,
laws" Mr.. Watson stated.
I VIII Stand by Pledge.
| The candidate said that he was
pledg to the support of the county
local option law and that he had never
yet played false to a pledge. 81 pro
pose to stand by my pledge to supper,
the county local option law, live OF
de-" was the way Mr.. Watson put 1t
He said that it was being told about
Richmond that IL he was elected the
county would go dry. "My friends
the republican party has enacted q
county local option law, which permits
you to decide whether or not you want
a dry county. II you do not, it is fol-
you to say the word-not the COVER
nor of the state.''
As to where Mr.. Marshall stood on
the temperance question he said he
was at loss to know. II have been
trying to find out for eleven weeks
but without success" he said. Mr.
! Watson said that several years age