The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-10-21
SsAu in a Muddle.''

Who that bears heart in his msuly buz
zum can help sympathizing with GU friend
Webster, of the La Sale Press, who finds
himself. in the ,muddle he SO pathetically
depicts in the following. We can su gSest no
help for the poor fellow, except that he quit
hounderiug in that muddle entirely, and
come out on to safe, solid, Democratic
ground: ..iras -,-
ALL IN MUDDLE Six nonths ago we
belonged to party, we rather Prided our
selves in fact upon oar right to the title
Republican name which then represented
to the world loyalty 10 law and good govern
ment, freedom for all men beneath the flag
faith in and devotion to the Union of the
States, and divers other comfortable doc
trines. But now, well-we are slightly
mixed We feel ourselves rather in the fix
of the festive individual who, returning from
a convival party slightly elevated lost his
bearings sn1 couldn't find his own home.
and who, rs last resort, seized hold of a
lamp post aud clung desperately thereto
waiting amid the whirl of all things terres
trial for his house to come around. Up to
date We have failed to recognize any one of
the numerous and. vare. ediffes that
have greeted our bewildered visid in as our
hose srOver the river. in Iowa, there are
two Republican candidates for Governor, one
running On a straigh;-out negro-sutirage
platform, and the other opposing the con-
ferring OF the elective franchise upon Ameri-
can citizens o. African descent. In WIscon-
sin the party ignored the question IN their
platform leaving the candidates to settle the
hash with the people; whereupon the out
and-outers call convention, and make an
out and out declaration in favor of the equal
ity before the law of their colored brethren.
In New York they are prudently non com,
initial, and it is difficult TO tell which is the
Original JACOBS the Democratic or Repub
lican ticket. Ohio politics are in much the
same fix, except that there the question is
farther complicated by the appearance of
two sets Of claimants fo- the honor OF being
the Simon pure Democratic nominees. Con-
necticut, a Republican state has just answered
the pathetic appeal ofthe unfortunate African,
"Am l man and a brotherT" with, a deci-
ded negative. emphasized by majority of
thousands. The same State, last summer
bv its Republican House of Representatives,
kicked up a tremendous row by passinga bill
taxing United States Securities, which. how
ever. on receipt of intimations from Wash
inpton TO the effect that such acton was in
little better than copperheadism, was smoth~
cred in the Senate. The New Hampshire
Legislature, we believe. passed "a similar bill
and so on down to La Sale county, where, if
possible. worse state of uncertainty pre-
walls as to what the Republican party really
is Barnum's what ia it. before it went Up
in a fcrv furnace. never was a circumstance
as a subject for doubt in comparison. The
man who struck Billy Patterson may be
identified with comparative ease. The party
assemble in convention, nominate candidates
! and then tuck their um brella5 under their
arms and 90 home, leaving the great ques.
tions of the day lyin. around IN perfect
| loo eness, not having touched one OF then.
/ The next week out comes the Ottawa RsyuG-
| Hca,i and commendS the action of the con-
yention to the party, aui the - - -
I eudrel the P-~ss i.-- -, sta" .ihS "f me
, principles OF .he party ever since "hich
| p, - nave been diligently searching for
that up to the present writing they have
failed to turn up. We notice, indeed, that
the Ottawa R>puRic1s, under its prese, t
management comes out aat-footed for fat
footed suffrage. but ut the same time il lar
rups The party for not dCing the same thing,
it pitches vigorously into the National Bank
ing System and as vigorously advocates the
taxation of Government bonds, but these
/ things be not written in any Republican plat
form thsF. We wDt of Then a-ain-but We
have not the heart to pursue the subject
farther. it i, like the mirage on the desert.
, the farther you pursue :; the more you don t
hcatch it, the game OF ''sweat," the more you
put down the less Won take up. OF the doctrine
of ..predesinatior." the more yon talk about
it the less vou understand it. We can only
place opr hands upon our bewiidered head
and exclaim, .'Oh Lord =