Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 July 1884 — GOV. GRAY’S ACCEPTANCE. [ARTICLE]

GOV. GRAY’S ACCEPTANCE.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention —For this high compliment that you have paid me by this nomination I thank-you to a far greater extent than I can find words to express. The Democratic party of Indiana, by its representatives in State Convention assembled, nominated me twice by acclamation for the office of Lieutenant Governor, a position to which I did not aspire at th,e time.— How well I discharged the duties of the office or performed the requirements of a candidate it is not for me to say; but I assure you that I appreciate as highly as it is possible for man to do this renewed manifestation of your confidence. [Applause, and ories of “You will be elected too.”] Well, there is no doubt about that, gentlemen. [Applause.] It is not only a high compliment to be nominal ed fir the office of Governor, the highest position within the gift of the people of Indiana, even if I ladno hopes; but when this convention has nominated me ever such distinguished, gallant Democrats as General Mansonand Judge Turpie, it overwhelms me with gratitude [Applause J If there is a Democrat in Indiana whom I love from the bottom of my heart, it is General Mahlon D. Manson. [Applause.] If there is a Democrat whose magnificent abilities I admire, who is the peer of any Democrat or Republican any where, it is David Turpie. [Applause.] And in

return for this high mark of your consideration, all that I can say so you is that with the banner that yon have placed in my hands I will be found laboring to the full extent of my ability in every honorable way to carry it to victory and triumph in the coming political contest, and if I fall in the conflict, I promise you it shall be with my face to the foe.— Gentlemen, you have business to do here to-day of importance, and this is not the time, perhaps, nor the occasion upon which I should enter upon the discussion of the questions that will be at issue in the coming canvass. I have but little doubt, no' only of the election of the ticket nominated here to-day, but of that ticket that the Democratic N ational Convention shall nominate at Chicago. [Applause.] The Republican party has made many promises to the people, and I have such confidence in the intelligence, the virtues, and the patriotism ot the people as to cause me to believe that it will not continue longer in power a party that has been guilty of so many acts of mal-administra-tion% of so many acts of corruption in the administration of governmental affairs, and has been so false to every promise of reform that it has made to this people during the last sixteen yea s. [Applause] There is one promise that the Republican party has made in its platform adopted at Chica§o on the 6th day of this month tiat I think they will fulfil. It is the first promise in the platform wherein the Republican party renews its allegiance to the principles upon which it has triumphed in six successive Presidential elections.— Applause.] The people wo’d have taken that for granted without a declaration of that kind. Applause.] I have no doubt that the •Republican party, in the c.ming election, as in the past, will prostitute the offices of the Government, assess the office-holders, ana use the money to corrupt the bal-lot-box and debauch the voter, and, if they can. resort to the frauds, perjuries and corrupt Sractices of 1876, by which aey cheated the A merican people out of their lawfully expressed choice for President and Vice President of the

United States. A[pplause.]— Why that platformiat* liicago? It is a bundle of promises, and you know, my countrymen, what the world thinks of a man who promises everything to everybody. They don’t generally regard his promises ag worth very much. v\ hy a promise to correct the inequalities of the tariff? The present tariff excise system of taxation, was established by the Republican party. They have had twenty long years to correct its inequalities, and they have done nothing, looking in that direction, unless relieving the banks of 112,000,000 of taxation annually and retaining the tax upon the necessaries of life used by the iaborng and producing classes of the conntry is to be called correcting its inequalities. Why,they say they recognize the importance of sheep husbandry.— That is since the last election in Ohio. # [Applause.] Prior to that time no Republican spoke, and no Republican newspaper ever intimated, that the Republican party had not done a wise and proper thing in the reduction of the tariff on wool; but after the last election in Ohio it has beeu trying to get the wool out of its teeth ever since. (Laughter and applause.) And now that the Wool Growers’ Associations have combined together and declared that they will support no party that is not in favor of restoring the tariff on wool, the Republican party true to its instincts and practices,Reaching out after every vote, gets down in most span-iel-like humility and says, “Oh, don’t do that; we will put it back.” It reminds me of the gentleman at the dinner table who took a red popper in his mouth and began to chew it, not knowing the nature of the article. While the water from his eyes was streaming down over his cheeks, and his mouth was almost on fire, he takes it • ut and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you have no objection I believe I will put this thing back.” (Laughter and applause.) Now, I am not here to say to you, gantlemen, that the reduction of the tariff on wool was right, but I say jt was the actibn of the Republican party who never said anything about it or proposed to correct it until its corps was buried and promiscuously scattered around in the State of Ohio at the last election. Why, they say that the public lands are an heritage to the people and should be kept for small*holdings. * hose words, “small hbldings,” are good. There are no words in the Republican platform from beginning to end so appropriately used as those words. The Republican party, after having given away the public lands sufficient in extent to make five States nearly as large as Indi-ana-after having given all large holdings to railroad corporations—it was very proper to say that what little is left of the public domain shall be kept for small holdings for the people. (Laughter and applause) Ana they are the party of that reform so auspiciously begun under a Republican administration. I have led my mind back over the history of this Government for the last twenty years to see if I could recall to mind anything in the administration of the Governmental affairs that would warrant a declaration of that kind, and I have tho’t of the Credit Mobilier and of raising the President’s salary from $25,000 to §50,000. I have thought of the land grant subsidies; of the wrongs of the Indian. I have thought of the expediting of the Starrouters. I have thought of that quarrel or wrangle among the leaders of the Republican party, by which two United States Senators resigned, and which was kept up until it re suited in the assassination of

a President. I have thought of the large fees paid to lawyers to prosecute the Starrouters, of nearly a quarter of a million in the aggregate.— How it was delayed uDtil the evidence was scattered so that it could not be had or barred by statute of limitations. I have not even forgotten the eminent reformers of the Republican party, Mr. Babcock, Mr. Belknap, Robeson and Dorsey, not even failing to remember that eminent reformer, Mrs. Eliza Pinkston (Applause and laughter.) I have been thinking of the civil service resolution. If they have ever reformed any Republican official since it has been adopted, I do not think anyb )dy in this country has heard of it. One word in conclusion: whenever they can enact law or laws, or get up some kind of machinery that will look into the heart of a man and tell us whether he is honest or not, then I am for that kind of a civil service lawanc until they can do that I am not for it. I want the people to sit in judgment upon the qualifications and fitness for office. The Government of the United States never lost anything through ignorance or incapacity, what the people want te prevent is down right rascality by accomplishswindlers. (Applause.) Gentlemen, again thanking you for the nomination you have given me here to-day, for this high consideration of your judgment, I promise you that you will see me at more than one hundred political hustings during the coming canvass. (Applause.)