The Pole Raising

Las? Friday was a day long to be re membered by those who had the good ortune to be present at the pole raisngs on the gravel road between Ana Arbor and Saline. A few years ago nly two democrats could be found on ;he road. Last Friday poles were aised in front of twenty flve residenes, wbose owners were loyal supportrs of Cleveland and Thurman. Some f them will this year cast their votes :or Democratie candidatos for the flrst me. Others have grown grey in the in ka of democracj. Probably no road in the county is more traveled than the gravel road. 'he travelers will now soon discover y the looks of the road that there are ome democrats in this county. Kepub. an Pittsfield cannot be so thoroughly epublican with Cleveland poles in front of almost every house on the principal road through the town and democratie poles mark the gains made in democratie Lodi. The gathering on Friday was f uil of enthusiasm. It had assembled to assisb in or witness the raising of twenty five poles in one afternoon. Many preaicted that so many poles could not be successfully raised in one afternoon, with Jspeeches at nearly every pole. But all was accomplished in good time. The procession started at one o'clock from Dr. Watson's, just this sideof Saline where the first pole was raised. Ab. it moved toward Ann Arbor lts numbers were continually eugmanted and a line of carriaees was formed a mile long. The camages were decorwith red bandanas. They were beaded by the band and by the working crew of pole raisers. In f act pole raising was reduced to a scientiüc basis and by the time the last carriage got up to where a pole was being raised. it had been put in place and Ohairman F. E. Mills was introducing a speaker. The second pole was raised in front of Loyal Tower's, the third at Henry Towers, the fourth at Albert Blaess'; Considerable enthusiasm was here manifested and M. J. Lehraan, Esq-, spoke briefly, pointedly, and enthu8iastically on the issues of tbe campaign. Here it was that a republican farmer came upon the procession and seeing the Cleveland and Thurman streamer flying from the pole expressed great surprise at its being placee1 in front of Mr. Blaess', "What, Albert Blaess going to vote the Democratie ticket! Well, if' Albert Blaess can vote that ticket, I guess I can too." Inajiffy the raising crew were on their wagon and the horses galloping towards the next pole in front of George Zwink's. The band struck up a lively tune and Circuit Court Commissioner McKernan was introduced to the crowd. Among other things, he told of the youngman just getting married, being forced to pay $10 on a suit of clothes. That tax was needed, Mr. McRernan thought more by the young man jus' beginning housekeeping tnan by a gov ernment with a growing surplus in the treasury.Mr.McKernan's speech was cu short by orders to move on. Three poles were next raised near together, in f ron of Nelson Hogan's, James Carr's and William Wallace's, and it took but very few minutes to raise them. Here S. W . Beakes spoke for a minute or two on the subject of the tariff , as a tax closing with the questions; Who ever beard iof a man being made rich by payins; taxesV Who ever heard of a country being ruinedby not raising more taxes than the necessities of the government require? In front of Fred Krause's a large pole was raised and Hon. J. Willard Babbitt of STpsilanti made a short but excellent and well received address. Every pole, he said, expressed a sentiment. He dwelt upon the sentiment expressed by the Cleveland and Thurman pole and the unfulfilled promises of the republican party. In front of George Sutton's Dr. McLachlan of York spoke against protection. The farmers are taxed f rom the croWn of their heads to the sole of their feet. From the clothes in the eradle to the last screw that nailed the coffln lid- aye, even on the shovel that throws the sod over nis body he pays a tax to protect the manufacturera. In front of Edward Hammel's, George B. G reening of Lyndon was enthusiastic ally cheered for the speech he made Hon. C. H. Manly spoke by John Cob ble's. Mr. Cobble was a soldier an Captain Manly's speech was very prop erly addressed to the soldier. At Mr. David DePue's, the pole wa quickly raised, horses were tied anc many flocked into the yard where the were greeted by Mr. Burnett, of 111 nois, who had passed the age of fou score yëars and had been present at th birth of the republican party in Jack son. He had not joined the party, an ad at that time lef t the wbig party to oin the democratie party. Mr. Burett made a short but rousing tifl vigrous speech in which he saidthat "the emocratic party selected the best timer for poles and also the best timber 'or office. The republicans did not hoose their best timber. Gresham or laine would have been a stronger or oler nomination than Harrison. Whom did the republican party select? larrison- a good man. You have as ood men in Ann Avbor. Select the ;est men for ,the best o fices. That's emocracy. You might as well attempt 0 bury the eternal principies of truth s to attempt to bury the democratie arty." HereMr.PhilipBlum wascalled pon for a speech and a rery good one ie made. He said he was not a speaker jut a worker. The day put him in mind of oíd times when he was the only emocrat on the road between Ann Aror and Saline, Mr. DePue living just little off the line. Now he could stop t most every house on the road and meet a 'democrat. The whig party ought until it went to pieces. The epublican party wps doing the same. t was dying now and on the same isue. Amid cheer af ter cheer, the avalcade moved on. The long procession moved on to F. 2. Mills', where, after the pole was rected, Hon. John J. Eobison spokeof he question dividing the parties. The emocrats wanted just enough taxes aised to sustain the government. The epublicans wanted enough so that its monopolistic followers could declare ig aividends on their stock. fie hought the road could be called the olar road for all republicans. At U. j. Warner's P. McKernan. Esq., made rousing speech, and Hon. Charles H. tichmond concluded the speech-making under the poles by talking at the home f Charles Kempf . Hte showed the uter absurdity of Blaine's remarks on avings banks of England and America. Joles were also raised in front of Philip Seyfried's, S. Cole's, John Springman's, ohn Huss' and Henry Paul's. At half past flve the procession had eached Henry Paul's where every body was invited into the yard for refreshments and for the evening meeting. A bounteous repast was served by the ladies. The hospitality evinced the ardor of 'the ladies for the success of democratie leaders. After the refreshments Hon. Charles ft. Whitman was introduced to the audience as the speaker of the evening. At. Whitman said that never in his o1itical career had he wilnessed such 1 sight as today. Thus early in the ampaign he hád observed one thing. l'rom no political speaker not even 'rom Blaine himself will come one word attacking the political integrity and aonesty of our President, Grover Cleveland, a man of fearless courage and unquestioned integrity. His record as mayor of Huffalo liad elected him governbr, his record as goveruor had made íim president. He had at all times ïad in his eyes the wants of the people. ro-öay. Grover Cleveland was the reatest friend of the people, of the aboring mau, the soldier, atxl the farmer, among all the statesman of the day. It is easy for demagogues to charge a man with being an enemy of the soldier, but I believe that soldiers are ïonest men and will ask for nothing which is not due to them all in common. Thewetoes weredirectedagainst efforts to squander public money by jrivate bilis to those not entitled to it. ÍJrover Cleveland, I believe in the sight of God, is a friend of the soldiera. Let the relief due the soldiers come in a general bilí to include all deserving soldiers." Grover Cleveland has signeo more pension bilis than all the presidents before him. We are taxed by the tari ff. That fact cannot be disputed. Democracy requires a government to exist for the benefit of the people. This has been made a republican form of governmenl for the beneSt of the people. When it was organized the people gave congress the power to tax the people for the necessary expenses of a government and nothing else. When these representatives of ours seek to impose a tax beyond those necessities, it is no less robbery than when a highway-man stops you on the streefc and takes your monev at the point of his pistol . Last year the amountraised was$100,000,000in excess of the needs of the government. The consumer pays every dollar of taxes levied at the custom house, ile also pays a tax to the manufacturer on goods not imported but which come into competition with imported goods. Mr. Whitrnan instanced the average knife on which the consumer pays the tax of twenty-Qve cents. For every, dollar paid the U. S. treasury the people pay $500 in taxes to the manuf acturers whose prices are boosted by the tariff. It is estimated that at the end of the year there will be $200,000,000 locked up in the treasury. VVhy?I askyou, my farmer friend, if you have a farm with a mortgage on it, how long will you borrow money anc pay seven per cent interest on it and put in the hands of some unscrupulous person to carry around with them? VVould you not rather retain the money to pay off vour mortgageï The farmer every time he buys a dollar's worth of goods, pays 47 cent to the monopolist and has 53 cents to buy goods with, and that's God's truth It is time we had a change m this sys tem of taxation. Mr. VVhitman devoted some time t the celebrated "fat" circular, which will be found in another colum. H said the laborlng man was tb. only man excepting the farmer even who had no protection. Wh the Republican candidato for vicepresident is convicted of having gon to Europe and contracted for laborera for lees than prices being Jpaid in this country. Trie American laborer must compete with the world . W hen democracy sought to protect them irom cheap Chinese labor, they found in Harrison and the republican senators defenderá of Chinese emigration. Of the half billion bushels of wheat raised in this country, two hundred million are shipped to Liverpool. The price is made in Liverpool on all the wheat raised here. That wheat comes into competition with the wheat raised by the pauper labor, of India, where wages are six cents a day. The farmer and laboringman compete in the open markets of the world, but when they want to buy the tarilï steps in and says no, you cn't buy unless you pay the nionopolists a tax of 47 per cent. Hon.C. H. Richmond after tracing the history of the tariff laws and showing the 'good effect oí a lower tariff, proceeded to discuss the wool question. During the course of his remarks he said; "When wool was on the free list ït brought the highest price to the farmers. In 1882, my father, living in New York state, had two thousand sheep. In June of that year a Boston manufacturer named Merriman, came into my father's barn to buy his wool. I remember the conversation. My ather was a democrat and argued gainst high tariffs. Congress was then n session and discussing the placing f a tariff upon wool. He said he would i ve so much for the wool then , but if the aw passed he would pay so many cents pound more for the wool. The wool 'as not sold. The law passed. The ext year I went to Boston myself, and nto Merriman's office was a sample of he wool. Merriman named a lower rice tban he had the year before." Mr. íichmond's speech was an able efEort. At its conclusión, three rousing cheers were given for Cleveland and Thurman nd the pole raising in Plttsfield and jodi was over.