Stearns And Reform

The örst grand democratie rally of the campaign in this city was held ïuesday evening and proved a most deci.ded success It was a meeting whichdidgood. The'governor's guards, the marching club of young democratie voters were out with their neat uniforma of white, red caps and blue and red torches They were well drilled and the step kept was excellent. Atnong the m were 18 sons of reuublican parents, who will vote for Cleveland this f all. As they marched down iluron street, sky rockets were Qred and red ligtats burned The rink was crowded with attentive listeners, who were well pleased with the arguments of Mr. Stearns, our nominee for congress, who was the speaker of the evening. Hon. O. il. Kichmond presided and introduced the speaker with afewpleasant sentences, closing with areferencetoMr. feawyer s statement a week before, that he was disappointed in not being able to introduce the next congressman. Mr. Kichmond said the honor had been lef t to him of introducing the next congressman, Willard Stearns. Mr. Stearns made so many telling points that our space this week will not permit our giving anything like a f uil synopsis of bis speech . Parties, he said, must be judged by their platforms When parties adopt platforms which they can't stand on and from which their cakdidates roll off, such parties cannot be trusted. The republican party had adopted a platform of a tarift for protection. There are two ways of raising money for the national government, both indirect, tariff taxation and ïnternal revenue taxation. TanfE is au inhibition of law placing restnctions upon the importation of goods into this The intern.il reveuue tax placed on articles during the war has. been removed from everything excepting tobáceo, oleomargerine and liquorsi rom this a revenue of 125,000,000 is obtained. The republicaus in their platform declare that they would take all this off before they would take a cent tariff tax off of sugar or anything else. Last year $49,000,000 worth of woolen goods were imported into this country on which a duty of $29,000,000 waa paid in to the United States treasury. Who paid this? The American importer. When a man pays $68 to get S100 worth of goods into the country, he isn't going to sell them for $100 is he? Now, the democratie party don't ask that the $68 tax on these goods be all taken off. It merely asks that the tariff be so reduced that $60,000,000 belonging to the people and not neeied by the gov eminent, shall remain in the pockets of the people. The democratie party would leave the tariff just high enough to get enough money lor the needs of the government and no more. This was not free trade. It was merely obtaining relief from unr.ecessary taxation . Tarirï is the foundation of monopoly It is based on selflshuess. One man wants his lumber protected, another wants his-copper protected anoltier his sugar. Mr. Stearns brought down the house by contrasting the speeches of Blame, "through whom the republican party breathes, exists and has its being,'" made in 186S and in 1888. He referred to the Ann Arbor Courier in no very complimentary term3 and explained how it had deliberately printed a faláehood in reference to the Britton debate and the reason Mr. Allen didn't get to Ann Arbor to make his advertised speech . He referred to the want of protection for the laboring man. All men can come into this country free. In an eloquent flight, he referred to their coming here because this was a country of free people and a government of the people. The workmen of this city were not engaged in protected industries, neither were the lawyers, ministers, merchants, teachers, etc. And yet all of these were lieavily taxed by the protective tariff. Protection destroys the exportation of goods. Ilides are on the tree list, we export leather goods: cotton is on the free list, we export cotton goods; wool is not on the free list and we import woolen goods. In that part of his speech, referring to the fisheries question, the speaker said that arbitration was a better way to settle national dispr tes than war, and that when President Cleveland appointed such a man as President Angelí upon thecommission, he (Mr. Stearns) feit that he could go to sleep over the matter, for President Augell would see that America's interests were looked after. He paid a high compliment to President Angelí, the mention of whose name was loudly cheered. The speech was an able effort and the attention of the audience was kept throughout. The applause was liberal. .Mr. Stearns has made an excellent impression upon the people of this county.