Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 1.
WATSON’S WELCOME HOME
ACCOUNT OF HIS STEWARDSHIP.
“WELL DONE, GOOD AND
FAITHFUL SERVANT.”
Incidents Along the Line from Atlanta
to Thompson—The People Turn
Out En Masse.
“GOOD-BYE, JIMMIE,”
IS THE RALLYING CRY IN THE TENTH.
[Reported Expressly for The People's Party
Paper bj J- L. Driscol.]
Thomson, Ga., Aug. 9,1892.
If the Hon. Thomas E. Watson had
any resentment rankling in his bosom
on account of the “slings and arrows”
from unscrupuous partisans and syco
phantic admirers of purse-proud plu
tocrats, he certainly found compensa
tion in the ovation which he received
en route to bis home in Thomson from
Atlanta last Tuesday. The fun began
at Madison. Quite a crowd had col
lected at the depot, and your reporter,
not giving the fact that Mr. Watson
was on the train a thought, was trying
to surmise a cause, when a sturdy son
of the soil asked, “Is Mr. Watson on
this train ?” Being answered in the
affirmative, he quickly made his way
to the door and rushed up to shake
hands, while many clung to the train
until it got under good headway, and
as we rapidly receded the voices could
be heard in the distance rending the
air with such expressions as “Ilelloe,
Tom; howdy, Tom;” and “Good-bye,
Jim.” The last expression seemed to
be infectious, and I fancy that Mr.
Black will become accustomed to it
between now and the ides of Novem
ber. The scene at Madison was inten
sified at alt tbe other stations between
that point and Thomson, with the ad
ditional incident at Norwood, that a
delegation of lovely ladies presented
a beautiful shield of flowers with the
following note attached:
Mr Watson : Your lady friends of
Norwood and vicinity beg leave to pre
sent you with this bouquet of flowers as
a token of esteem in which you are held
as the honored representative of the
Tenth district. May you live long to
defend the rights and interests of the
helpless and oppressed, and with voice
and vote uphold the motto of the Peo
ple : “Equal rights to all; special privi
leges to none.”
Between Norwood and Thomson, the
saying applicable to an omnibus,
“there’s always room for one more,”
would scarcely apply ; but on reaching
Thomson, to use a very original reporto
rial phrase, the scene beggared descrip
tion. The mass of struggling humanity
on the train, packed like sardines in a
box, looked down upon a mass of strug
gling humanity in streets, packed ditto,
Broad street, from the depot to beyond
the court-house (a distance of five or six
squares), presented the appearance of a
sea of heads. Mr. Watson was caught
up on the shoulders of his sturdy ad
nvirers and borne in triumph to a car
riage, gaily decorated, which was in
waiting. The people came to see and
hear Watson, and would not brook de
lay. The line of march was imme
diately taken to a beautiful grove about
half a mile northwest of the town,
where a small platform had been
erected for the speaking. So eager were
the people to get near, and so densely
were they packed around the stand, that
it was with great difficulty that your
reporter made his way to the platform.
Many estimates were made of the
number present, ranging from five to
eight thousand. It was a standing joke
among the people that the Augusta
Chronicle reporter professed to believe
that there were not more than two
thousand people present, but nobody
thought he believed it* How this accom
plished prevaricator must have turned
green with envy, however, when he
learned that the accomplished Journal
young man(?) reduced the crowd to
about nine hundred. Nobody, how
ever, expects Augusta to hold a candle
to Atlanta.
Two bands were in attendance and
People’s Party Paper
“KqtAal Right® to -A.ll Special to
discoursed sweet music, but the people
were anxious to hear the music of Wat
son’s voice, so at two o'clock he, took the
stand, and without any formal introduc
tion, spoke as follows :
Fellow-Citizens : On my return home,
after the longest absence I ever had, it is
extremely pleasant to me to have this
welcome from my neighbors and my
friends If 1 were to attempt to express
just what I feel ; if I were to attempt to
express my appreciation—my thorough
appreciation—of the compliment by both
white and colored you have paid me to
dat. words would fail me.
Fellow-citizens, for eight months I
have been attending to your affairs —my
own affairs have taken care of them
selves ; for, eight months I have stood
where you placed me, doing what I un
derstood you wanted me to do [applause];
and the man or the newspaper who says
1 have ever shown the white feather
speaks most untruthfully. [Renewed
applause.] It is an easy thing for
a man to make pledges when he has
a cheering crowd like this, and when
the bright eyes of hundreds of beautiful
women and the eyes of hundreds of
brave men are upon him and the strong
arms of the people are about him. it is
easy, I say, to be true to the creed of the
people under such circumstances, but
when one is standing alone ; when you
have no frind except the conscience
which tells you you are doing right ;
when your friends are hundreds of miles
away and your enemies are opposing
you front to front and foot to foot, that
tries the strongest. [Avoice, “We are
here ; go it !”]
1 thank you, my friends, not only for
this ovation to myself but in behalf of
my good wife, who has shared every
hour of my toil, and without whose
company I would be weak indeed.
If I have been true to you, as I think
I have been ; if I have discharged every
demand of duty ; it is largely owing to
that number of the firm of Watson &
Wife, which is the better half of the
two. [Several voices, “Hurrah for Mrs.
Watson ! Hurrah for the w hole family I
Hurrah for all his kin folks! ’]
I hope that includes the old man over
there, because I got my good looks from
him. [Laughter.]
I can say this to you fellow-citizens—
that I have never seen the time when I
was ashamed of you, or your platform,
or your instructions, and if I have come
back to you in such shape that you are
not ashamed of me, I am content.
[Voices, “Ne ver ! Never !”]
I saw in yesvertiay’j/prints that McDuf
fie county wan disgusted with me.
To-day as I came home, at every sta
tion after we struck the district, at every
point where the train stopped, there
were the good, brawny and tried men of
the country, and the sweet ladies of the
land had their flowery tokens L; evepv
station along the road. I wish 1 hau
here the magnificent wreath of flowers
framed for me by the good ladies of
Norwood, and on this evidence I would
ask you to say whether the people of the
Tenth district are disgusted with their
representative. [Cries of “No! No! No!”]
Now, ray friends, I wish to discuss,
fairly and plainly, some of the facts in
this campaign. lam glad to see so many
of the colored people here, for I have
something to say to them. I have never
made a campaign in the Tenth District
that I did not have something special to
say to these colored people, and today I
am going to read them a few lines of
good doctrine. [Great applause, in which
the colored peop e joined J
Now let me render to you a brief ac
count of my stewardship while I have
been absent. I shall make no comment
upon it—l leave that o you.
I have introduced bit's on nearly every
point included in the Ocala platform. I
introduced a bill to prevent the payment
m advance of the m erest to the bond
holder In one year there were thirteen
million dollars of your taxeo taken out
of the treasury and paid to the bond
holders in advance of the contract. I
introduced a bill to have that stopped,
and it was referred to the Ways and
MLans Committee, and no man ever
heard of it afterwards. [Derisive laugh
ter.] I introduced a bdl to repeal the
National Bank Act, which even General
Gordon says is “a great crime against
the people;’ [renewed laughter] which
even the Augusta Chronicle has at last
found to be a monopoly, and class leg>s
lation. That bill was referred to the
committee on banking and currency,
whose chairman is a New York banker.
He put it in his pocket, apparently, and
sat down upon it, for the bill was never
heard of afterwards; and, mind you, this
is a Congress which is Democratic by 148
majority, and the Democrats are tel ing
us that all they want is a chance to re
peal the National Bank Act. It takes
more chances for the Democrats to do
anything than any body of men I have
ever found yet. [Laughter.]
From year to year the great corpora
tions have had a standing army, iu the
Pinkerton detective agency—men who
are hired to go into other states armed
wi h Winchester rifles, and shoot down,
in cold blood, laborers who are dissatis
fied with the reductions of wages. So
far as I know, there has never been a
made in the halls of Congress
against thus institution. When I went
to Washington one of the first things'l
did was to introduce a resolution and $
bill upon the subject. That laid s7x
months before the committee, and I was
covered with a bucket of cold water evjflly
time I went before that committee. ■'But
after the strike at Homes ead, avid the
Presidential election was coming/on, and
votes were becoming objects of solici
tude, they sent a committee over there.
The Pinkertons had bevn at work, and
dead men were in the streets, murdered
by a gang of ruffian* that never would
dare to invade a slate if the Democratic
party had done, in time, what was its
duty; but they bought a brand new
padlock and carefully locked the door
after the horse; had been gone about
forty-eight hours. [Laughter.]
I introduced a b?.11 to cover into the Treas-
ATLANTA, GA., FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 1892.
ary the $100,000,000 gold reserve which
serves no real purpose, and has laid idle
in thp Treasury for twenty years. Fur
ther, I introduced the sub-treasury bill—
a measure whose principles are.perfectly
sound, and which would bring relief to
all our people. After the hardest strug
gle we obtained a report upon it. They
reported it the last day of the session,
but would not give us one minute of
debate upon it.
Not only did I introduce these bills
and others but from the first flay to the
last Iwasan exponent of yourprinciples
and maintained them in debate. Not
only this, I attended to every detail
of business for the District. (Several
voices, “you did.”)
As far as my knowledge of arithme
tic would allow I made 2000 packages
of garden seed go around to the 165,000
people who composed the district. In
this connection I will state that I was
denounced because I sent to you col
ored people some of these garden seed
and a share of the public documents
for which your taxes helped to pay.
Bear that in mind. How many times
have your Congressmen sent you col
ored people these things|before.[ Voices
“none.”] Have I sent you any ?
[Voices, “yes, yes.]
It is not only right but I expect to
continue to do it. Not only that, I do
not see why my congressional speeches
will do any more harm to a colored
man than to a white man. I have
been told by my friend Jack Roberts
here that my speeches do not lay a
man out if he will be careful of him
self. [Laughter.] I sent you some of
them and the Constitution and the
Chronicle cussed me out for doing so.
[Voice, ‘Thats right.” Good-bye Jim.”]
There is another thing. That is that
I had confidence enough in my Dis
trict to believe that if 1 did what you
told me to do you would do what you
promised me to do. [Cries of, “that’s
right. Go it Toni. Good-bye Jim.”]
Therefore while so many other were
away looking after their fence, coining
home to save the JJemocracy and their
own bacon, [laughter and applause]
I staid at my post till the gavel fell and
school was dismissed. [Cries of,
“that’s so. Good-bye Jim. Hit em
again.’’]
In other words, if I had failed to do
your will in all matters it is not be
cause I did not try. [Cries of “That’s
right.”]
Now my fellow citizens I want to talk
to you a little about our friends thK
enemy. f
You v, ill remeuibefc'etVat this wi-i
gress was elects *y a r W| j ’of , a land’
slide—the greateaXmajon 1
ever had in the Houfc of > _ I
fives. The Democrats f<* e Jt# !
selves in magnificent
They went into office ]o a-mouthed\
about what they we*- going to do. I
They promw?d you relief. They asked <
j-bu to trust to their pledges. You did
so and elected them.
Woe unto the party which openly ,
violates its pledges. Woe unto the
leaders who deceive the people.
I most earnestly believe that honesty
and fair dealing are as sure to win tn
public as in private life. [Great ap
plause.]
They promised to reduce your taxes.
They have not done it. They promis
ed to retrench expenditures. They
have not done it. They promised to.
repeal the McKinley bill. They have
not done so. They specially promised
to pass the Silver Bill. Tney have not
done so.
Let us examine the record. Let us
see the difference between promise and
performance.
How much have your taxes been re
duced?
Not one cent. From one end of the
lard to the other no map, white or
black, will pay smaller ''taxes. No
man’s burdens are lightened. No man’s
reward has increased. [Applause and
cheers.]
Have they economized? They went
in pledged specially to economize.
Not content with this, they passed
the Holman resolution, which dis
tinctly committed the party to no ex
penditures beyond the needs of the
government. How have they kept that
promise they made to the peo
ple? Going into powe£- abusing
the billion dollar Congress* they ad
journ after having spent about $40,000,-
000 more than the Republicans.
[Cheers and cries of “goodbye Jimmie
Black.’’]
How is that for high,? [Renewed
laughter.]
How have they kept ' their pledge
against the the McKinley bill ?
They have fired off thsir little pop
gun bills for free wool, and free tin
and free cotton ties, etc., but the
Democratic Senators have made no
determined effort to p ass them through
the Senate. i
How have they kept their pledges as
to free silver ?
If there is anything a Democrat
needs crutches on when he talks about
it, it is the free silver bill. [Laughter.]
Whenever a Democrat starts out to
hold himself up on that question he
ought to have a rail strapped to his
back. [lncreased laughter.]
Why, my fellow-citizens, if there
was one pledge upon wich tlie Demo
crats seemed to be solid about it was
free silver.
The newspapers sale you should have
it.
All political ills were to be softly
plastered with free silver.
After the first failure to pass it
in the House, the Democrats said:
“Oh, well, it does not matter, the Re
publican Senate would have killed it.”
But, sad to say, the Republican Sen
ate passed it and it came to the House
again, and the thirteen Democrats who
left us voted with the enemy. They
cleaned us up.
Why, fellow-citizens, if I had time
I would like to go into the record and
show you how, at the opening of the
session, a conspiracy was entered into
in Wall street to strike down free
silver; I would like to show you where
David B. Hill stood at the time that
the Atlanta Constitution was trying
to make the people believe that he was
for free silver and Cleveland against
it. Not only that, Mr. Springer and
some others went over to New York to
a banquet, where there was lots of
good things to eat and lots of good
things to drink. Well, at the moment
when the wassail and wine were
going forward, and you Democrats
who had borne the standards to vic
tory were lying asleep on your couch
es, after praying God for the people to
triumph (and you would have triumph
ed if your leaders had done what they
promised you), at that selfsame mo
ment the plot was made free
silver should not be passed, and the
bankers of Wall street struck it down
as they did in 1873. I gave you warn
ing, and you may have thought that I
was too previous, but if I ever have
had to lake back any deliberate state
ment of mine because it was not true,
1 cannot at this moment recall it.
[Applause and cries of, “That’s so.”]
They did not intend to keep their
promise. The votes standing on the
record will show whether or not my
statements are borne out by the proofs.
[Cries of “We know you, Tom,” “Good
bye, Jim,” “Hit him again.”]
You all have heard about the force
bill. I have heard that the babies down
here are put to sleep by telling them
about the force bill. [Laughter.] 1
am told that tired and lazy mules and
horses go faster immediately if you say
“force bill” to them. [Renewed laugh
ter.] Now how would you like it if I
were to tell you that the democrats
north and east threatened our south
ern democrats that if the free silver
bill was passed the force bill would be
put on the people of the south, [Mar
iners of indignation.] I know this has
been bitterly denied, but I stand here
ready to furnish proofs. [Cries of “you
can do it,” “go it you, goodbye Jim.”]
I have here the report of a conversa
tion which occurred when that free
silver bill was up, reported for the
Washington Post, [an independent
newspaper] at that time, and quoted
in the National Economist, which had
a circulation all over the country, and
nev’er denied by anybody, that those
democrats of the North and East said
[hat they would not have the dishon
est 83 cent dollars, and threatened that
if the free silver bill was passed the
‘ irce bill would come down the
sc uSh-ph people.- [-Hit ’em agajn. y ou,
goodbye, Jimmie BU.-k.”] Xot only
ihat, but I had it from Seiie.A» Qol
qi’Zi’s’ rivate secretary, Hen y'T Joh v<s
that u i j<rrs w -
Chicagoyhnd the northern >.ern
democrats said “if you force that free
silver bill look out for tha force bill.”
Now, if the time has come when the
relief promised to the people—the re
lief that is indispensible to the wel
fare of the country —is to be defeated
by threats from northern and eastern
democrats, or from northern and east
ern anything else, I do not care
whether they are democrats or repub
licans, they are enemies of my people
and I—[the speakers voice was drown
ed by a storm of cheers and cries of
“go it you, we are with you ! goodbye
Jim, keep them on the run.”] The at
tempt is being made to show that the
republicans have killed the silver bill
every time that it has been an issue in
the last ten years, but lam here to
prove that the democrats have helped
to kill it, and don’t you forget it.
[Great applause.]
I want to read to you w hat one of
the democrats of the House, Mr. Geis
senhainer, said after the defeat of the
bill:
“People forget even reoent history very
fust,” said Congressman Geissenhainer at the
Arlington. “For instance. Mr. Reed plumes
himself and his party for defeating the silver
bill, and would have it go forth to the world
that the Republicans deserve all the credit for
annihilating that measure. Is it not well to
recall at this juncture that when the Senate in
the Fifty-tirst Congress passed a bill for
free and unlimited coinage of silver and it
went to the House, it would have passed that
body also had not twenty-two of our Demo
cratic Representatives stood out firmly then
as now for honest money ? On that occa
sion the country was saved from the silver de
lusion by a small contingent of Democrats,’
and yet we are to get no credit for it; that ser
vice is forgotten and ignored by Mr. Reed,
though he was glad enough to have our aid
when we needed every Democratic vote that
could be attained.”
In other words they considered it
such a good thing to have violated
their pledges to the people, they con
sided it such a strong card to play to
their nori hern and eastern Democratic
friends, that they were not willing to
allow the Republicans to claim ail
the eredit of breaking Vhe promises
which were made to the white and the
black people of tbe South. [‘JTbat’s
true’ That’s true, hit em again.”] I
want vou to remember, that newspa
pers and leaders deliberately made
pledges to the people, and as de
liberately repudiated their pledges;
and it is time to put the question to
you whether you will stand by the
party that is true to your highest and
best interests, or continue sup
porting the men who deliberately
deceive you? [Cries of “hit them
again! Hit them hard.”]
Now I would like to tell you how
they took nearly ten million dollars
out of the treasury to send carriers
around with the mail to be delivered
on the tables in the offices of men in
the cities; but when we asked them
to give fifty thousand dollars to make
the experiment in the country they
spurned us and called us a lot of dem
agogues, because we wanted a little
of the taxes spent among the people
who paid it.
We stand for the income tax. I
introduced that myself. It was re
ferred to the committee on ways and
means and it never was reported back.
I tell you my fellow-citizens you will
never have fair and honest govern
ment until the great fortunes built up
by trusts, combines and monopolies are
made to distribute their shares to the
support of the government. [Cries of
“that’s so true every word of it.”]
This great democratic party which
says that it is the champion of the peo
ple; whose leaders say they go
to bed praying for the people and get
up in the morning weeping bitter
tears for the people; this party with
one hundred and forty-eight major
ity had that bill and a dozen other bills
of like character before them and were
urged and entreated to report the bill,
but they treated us with contempt and
virtually said that the taxes must con
tinue on the poor people.. The farm
ing implements, the house-hold and
kitchen furniture and the great mil
lionaires. [A voice, “that is what they
said.”] Do you think they had chances
enough? [“Well, I should smile.”]
Not only did they fail to give your sub
treasury and income tax matters any
consideration, but I want to show you,
in contrast to that, hosv they treated
a great corporation, the World’s Fair
Exposition Company.
You are nothing but common,
plain people, standing isolated in your
shops, homes and fields; you are not
organized ; you have no representatives
to speak your wishes; those that did
speak were laughed at. This great cor
poration had trained lobbyists and
feed attorneys there. I want to
show you how the thing turned
out. There was a fair to be held
at Chicago. These lobbyists and attor
neys were before Congress and before
the committees, and the Republican
Congress gave them one and a-half mil
lion dollars that the hotels might have a
fat thing; that the bar-rooms might
have a fat thing and the street car com
panies might have a fat thing.
Well, these Republicans were de
nounced from one end of the country to
the other—and properly so. It was a
most outragious piece of class legisla
tion ; it was a most indefensible looting
of the treasury ; it was a most flagrant
violation of a public trust
Now, I want to tell you that the
Democrats, who never had a chance
[laughter] to do anything for the people ;
who had no chance to pass the income
tax(?) ; to give you a currency by which
your cotton could be held as collat
eral —a better collateral than whisky;
these men who did not have a chance to
lighten the burden of yur taxes, did
have a chance, and exercised it, to take
two and a half millions of your hard
earned dollars and give it to tbe Chicago
corporation.
'J n-st only h».rl ■ Repub
licans, ent they went them one million
better. The Republicans gave $1,500.-
000 ; the Democrats gave $2,500,000. [A
voice, “What kin are they ?”]
-s ip
[Loud laugter.j
Now I want to show you that in one
case they had promised to relieve the
people by lightening the burdens of taxa
uon ; they had promised to give you
free silver, to make the farmer more
content, the home more happy, to give
you more sunlight and less of cloud ;
yet they violated these promises
On the other hand they promised not
to give this money to the Chicago expo
sition company. Let me read the
pledge ; here is the promise, page 7869,
official report. Gen. Spinola, then a
member of this House from New York
City, uttered the following :
New York will erect all the buildings for
the fair, including the Government buiidihxs
provided for in the bill, as reported by the
committee. The impeiial city of New York
will do all that may be necessary without any
Government aid of any kind, either in money
or Government guaranty. Therefore no Gov
ernment help is necessary for the organization
or management of the fair in the city of New
York.
That was one thing said to bring the
fair to New York city. Now, Chicago
had to make a similar offer, and here
is what was said by the Hon. William
M. Springer, chairman of the commit
tee on ways and means—therefore the
leader of the House—the man who
had that increase tax bill sent to his
committee and never would report it
back to the House —the man who had
the sub-treasury and other bills under
bis control and would not report
them.
Mr, Lawler said the same thing, and
one quotation will do for both. Here
it is:
I want the New York people to come beyond
the Allegheny Mountains once and see what
we have got iii the great Wefet. I say hbat
Chicago stands ready to make this a success
ful enterprise Chicago does not ask a dollar
to bear the expenses, but our business men
will subscribe, if necessary, $25,000,000 to make
this exhibition what it ough»to be.
There is the pledge on behalf of
New York and Chicago that they
would not ask this money, but when
that bill came to a vote Mr. Spinola
was dead and his colleagues (most of
them) from New York voted for this
gift. Mr. Wm. M. Springer was away
irom his seat on sick leave, but his
pair was announced. Mr. Bryan, of
Nebraska, said it 1 he (Springer) were
present, he would vote for the bill
“and I would vote against it.” In
other words, Mr. Springer, the leader
of the House, voted squarely to give
two and one-half millions of the peo
ple’s money to this monopody after
saying he would not do it, yet would
not report back those bilis for the re
lief of the people, that they might even
be considered.
Don’t you think they needed a
“chance?” [Laughter.] Their “chan
ces” ought to be handed out in a ham
per basket, and their performances,
could be passed around in a desert
spoon. [Loud laughter.] Their prom
ises, if reduced to water, would be
enough to float the Great Eastern
steamship; their performances, if re
duced to snuff, would not be enough
to make a little girl sneeze. [Pro
longed laughter and cries of “Hurrah
for Tom.”
Not only that; they passed a bill
giving $65,000 for the Intercontinental
Railway Survey away down towards
South America. What have we to do
with railroads in South America ?
They gave $5,000 to a naval display
NUMBER 46
at Portsmouth; they gave $90,000 that
the Grand Army of the Republic might
have a “blow out” in Washington city.
Where did they get the right to take
the tax-payer’s money to be squander
ed in that way ?
They said much against us about
pensions. But they found a good
chance and they put upon the pension
roll all the nurses that attended the
soldiers during the war. I am told
that for eight months we have been
denounced because we wanted to give
pensions to Northern soldiers, but here
they not only gave pensions to the sol
diers, but pensioned the nurses, and
next, I suppose, they will be pension
ing the sutlers.
The Democrats took a great deal of
credit for reducing expenditures, but
Democratic members at this session
stood upon the floor of the House and
said that the Democrats did as much
for the soldiers as the Republicans.
1 want to read you some proof. I un
derstand that the charge was made at
Douglasville that Cleveland had done
more for pensioners than the Republi
cans, and that the statement was
strongly disputed.
The Democratic platform of 1888
makes this claim for the party.
“While guarding the interest of the
taxpayers and conforming strictly to the
principles of justice and equity, it has
paid out more for pensions and bounties
to soldiers and sailors of the republic
than has ever been paid before in au
equal period.”
Now let me read from the New York
World. On Wednesday, August 3, that
great Democratic newspaper discussed
Mr Cleveland’s pension record. The
impression had gotten out North that he
(Cleveland) was not friendly to the pen
sions, and the World undertook to de
fend him from the charge. Newspapers
generally make a good cas« when they’
set about it. I quote from this paper :
“The allual report of the pension com
missioners for the fiscal years 1883, 1884
and 1885 shows certificates issued as fol
lows : Claims admitted during the last
three years of Republican ru1e.191,221.”
Then it goes on to show the total
claims admitted during the first three
years of Democratic administration to
be 359,454
FUNDS DISBURSED.
During the last three years of Repub
lican rule .$lB3 000,000; during the last
three years of Democractic admistration,
$217,000,000 ; excess of disbursements by
Democratic administration. $34,000,000.
That is to say, the Democratic party, to
catch Northern voces, shows that it has
paid out in pensions $34,000,000 more in
three years than the Republicans. How
is that for high ? [voices, “That’s pretty
high. 'rahfor Watson! Hit them
Now, there i jo/Kgreat deal said about
the bills that Cleveland vetoed, and this
editor goes on to defend Cleveland from
that charge, and says :
“Private pension bills approved by
President Grant, 485.
‘ ‘By President Hayes, 303.
“By President Arthur, 736
“By President Cleveland. 1,264.”
I quote further from the World :
There is not a member here who does not
know that if the President had not given
more attention to the bills passed by this
House and the Senate than the House and
Senate gave them, great injustice would have
been done in many cases. Twice during this
present Congress has he received bills the sec
ond time for his signature. He has vetoed
seven bills passed by Congress where the pen
sioner was already receiving a larger pension
granted by the Pension Bureau than the
bill passed by Congress called for. He has
vetoed bills that were passed for the relief of
soldiers because on examination of the evi
dence on fie in the departments he was con
vinced that the soldier would receive justice
through the Department and be entitled to
arrearages weieh he would lose by the special
act. The veto of Senate bill T. 540 saved to the
beneficiary $5,760. The veto of Senate biU
1,( 67 saved to the beneficiary $1,074. These
amounts were paid to them shortly after the
veto through the Pension Office.
One of the worst measures passed by
this Congress, in my opinion, was the
McGarragan claim. It seems that
McGarragan claimed that he was de
prived of valuable lands and minerals
by a corporation called The New Idria
Mining Company. It was said this
corporation had taken ten million
dollors worth of quicksilver from the
land. The bill which passed at this
session provided that McGarragan
should go into the court and make out
his case for damages. But, strange to
say, after doing so, he was to be paid
by the tax payers of the County, and
not by the corporation which had in
jured him. In other words, it would be
to the interest of the corporation and
McGarragan, to league together,
make out a great account of damages
and collect it from the tax payers
and then go off behind a tree and di
vide the swag. (Laughter.) To Presi
dent Harrison’s credit be it said, he
vetoed the bill.
Another bad law was that which au
thorizes the beginning of hydraulic
mining in California again. You un
derstand that hydraulic mining is the
washing down of hills and mountains'
to get the gold. Thousands cf homes
in California have been destroyed by
it and the aggrieved party got no re
dress. The Federal courts Anally
stopped it after some of the fl nest val
ley lands in the world had been
ruined by it. The bill recently pass
ed authorises this thing tp L . be com
menced again, and nowlie" are pri
vate land owners guarante es from in
jury. I tried to defeat the bill on the
'floor of the House, and regret shat I
failed. Many a poor man will lose his
home under that law.
Now about absenteeism. [A voice,
“Now he is getting there.”] What does
that mean ? Simply that members are
paid sl4 per day to work, and will not
work. S<tnetimes only 65 members were
there. During the national conventions
we were at a stand-still. One time the
sergeant-at-arms had gone out after ab
sent members. When excuses were
rendered the next morning it turned out
that the legislation of 62,000,000 people
had stopped because the statesmen want-
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