The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-29


the political issues of the day, and be settled
by the direct action of the people.
Senator wade's "Jump Forward"
From The Times.
A number of journals object to the con-
struction which has been put upon the Law
renee speech of Senator Wade, and suggest
less Objectionable meanings of which they con-
slider it susceptible. The EUening Post started
the idea, and the st. Louis Democrat, among
others, has adopted it. According to these
critics, when the Senator asserted that "pro-
perty is not equally divided and a more
equal distribution of capital must be wrought
out, he intended merely to say that the tariff
must be revised and the whole system of
taxation amended And when he declared
that Congress must do away with the 'terri-
BILE distinction between the capitalist and
laborer, and foreshadowed ''the approaching
struggle of labor against wealth, the Demo
crGt insists that his remarks covered no more
than the ordinary problems of finance and
''such an adjustment of taxes as will divide
the burdens OF governmene fairly between the
rich and the poor"
We are asked to accept the more favorable
Interpretation of the speech because the gene
rally received version ''would prove him a
stupid and brainless demagogue," an ''insane"
politician and the reverse of the 'sincere and
able man" which his admirers declare him to
be. But we have used no epithets against Mr..
Wade. We have neither impugned his abb
hty, questioned his sanity, nor doubted his pa
triotisY. Had we been disposed to arraign
his sense, we should have assumed that his
grand flourish about 'jump forward" in ad-
vance of all other radicals amounted to no
more than an avowal that he is a free-trader.
And were we inclined to rate him as ''stupid
and brainless demagogue," we should have
treated his demand for more equal distribu-
tion of property as a roundabout plea for taxa
tion reform. The explanation invented by the
Democrat for the purpose of extricating him
from the odium of wild and anarchical social
ism may be necessary to qualify him for the
Office now occupied by Mr.. Johnson; but it is
fatal to Mr.. Wade's reputation as man who
says what he means and sticks to it, whether
other persons like it or not.
We judged Mr.. Wades utterances by his
reputation as an advanced radical, who knows
the significance of the words he employs, and
knows, moreover, how to employ them. We
construe his language literally. When he
tells us in advance that he is about to 'tiump
forward, " and to look out for something start
ling, we are convinced that his scheme for
dividing property more equally, for adding to
the rewards of labor and reducing its bur
dens, by act of Congress, means more than an
intimation that he is for free trade and reduced
taxation If these were his only objects, there
was no necessity for bidding people to observe
a mighty Jump" or for reproducing the
ideas of the French socialists. l,
The Providence Journal seeks safety for Mr..
! Wade in another direction. 1t doubts the
accuracy of the report of his speech, as pub
lished exclusively in the Tines, and suggests
that had he used the language imputed to him
other members of the Senatorial party who
were present would not have listened silently.
A.. ,.o41, c.. 4.
know that several of them at the moment
realized the extravaganza of Mr.. Wade's pro-
| positions, and the discredit they throw upon
the party with which he is identified.