The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-10-23
Our Controversy with the Statesman

Our Controversy with the Statesman.
After carefully reading over the three col.
umns in the Ottawa Statesman in response to
an article in previous number of the Free
Trader the only conclusion we have been able
to arrive at is, that the Statesman, being un-
able to meet the points we had made against its
course in regard to the pending election in this
county, has undertaken to befog the matter
by endless volatility.
The points we made are these. |. That
the course of the Statesman and the little
clique by which it is controlled in persisting
in running Laboring Mems ticket in this
county in opposition to the Democratic tick
ct, is so palpably in the interest Of the radical
ticket as to justify the conclusion that its sole
intention and design is TO compass the cleo
ton of the radical candidates. g. That in
this the Statesman and its clique are working
against the laboring men and their friends,
and in favor of their enemies, one-half OF the
candidates on the Democratic ticket being
protested members OF the labor Union party,
the balance as we'll as the whole Democratic
party, endorsing and supporting the platform
Of the Labor Union pagty while the radicals
openly and distinctly condemn and oppose it.
The Statesman'S first attempt at a justifca
ton consisted in an effort to prove that, touch
ing the distinctive principles of the Labor
Union party, the Democratic and the Republi-
can party occupy the same ground, both being
equally hostile that having thus no choice
between the two on the grounds of principle,
it preferred to aid the Radical party on the
sole ground of its superior honesty"
In response to this we showed up the fall
lacy and dishonesty Of the Statesmans pre-
tense that there is no difference between the
two great parties touching the distinctive
principles Of the Labor Union party, by quot
ing from the platforms of both parties, and
demonstrating that in all leading points the
principles of the Labor Union party and the
Democracy are identical, while those of the
Radical party are dramatically the opposite.
The effort of the three columns in the
Statesmen of Tuesday is to combat this
proof. 1t consists in "A misuuotatinn and
perversion of the platform OF the Dem
ocratic National Convention at New York,
like misquotation and perversion of
the recently adopted resolutions of the New
York and Pennsylvania conventions, followed
by quotations from the New York World and
Tribune! to show that at least portion of the
Democracy in the East are hostile to Pendlc-
tonism, the Statesman candidly recognizing
Mr.. Pcndeton as fair exponent of the finan-
cial ideas of the Labor Union party.
There is no need Of following this line of
argument to combat it. A statement of the
point, to wit: That the Democratic party
are opposed to Pendletonism flor it all
wolves itself into this) is all that is needed.
The Democracy Of the whole nation having
been almost exclusively engaged in defending
the financial ideas of Mr.. Pendleton for over
three years past, to be called upon for proof
now, that they are not hostile to those ideas,
is like undertaking to prove that the sun
don't shine in a cloudless day.
The whole matter resolves itself again into
this, that the Statesmon and its little Ottawa
clique, having been unable to force upon the
Democratic party the candidates Of their own
particular choice, are determined the Demo
cratic ticket shall be defeated, including hon
est and earnest Laboring men like Ben. M.
Hetherington and VIM r. Milligan, and that
in their place radicals like Captain Shepherd,
Il. l.. Mead, the Rev. Mr.. VIM, &c, shall be-
elected. We make no such accusation, but if
we had had the means Of knowing to a GER
tainty that the Statesman was bought up by
the Republican candidates to aid their eiec.
ton in this county this fall we should have
expected it to pursue exactly the course it is
pursuing.
The bombastic letter to the Spanish GOV