The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-10-08
What DO We Seek

This inquiry VIII naturally suggest itself to
every thinking mind during the present cam.
paign; and, in answer to this question, the voice
OF the Democratic party, the party of the people,
gives no uncertain sound Foremost in our plat
form, we demand a simple, economical admins.
tration OF the government, a revision of the laws
and procedure relating to the revenue, so that
the immense taxes now wrung from the pockets
OF a robbed and oppressed people, may be re-
duced SO that the expense of its collection shall
not absorb the lions share; thus plundering the
people for the benefit of army of useless Office
holders, who form an excrescence upon the body
polite, and stencil in the nostrils of honest
men SO that the many shall not be discrimina.
ted against for the eriching of the few; so that
one section shall not roll in wealth, whilst
another is daily becoming poorer; so that the
Augean stables of Radical corruption and mis-
rule shall be cleaned and purified and our coun-
try DO enabled to recover from the incubus
which is weighing her down. and which has
brought her to the brink Of financial disaster and
ruin. Nothing can prevent great financial
collapse and Unbelievable ruin to the country,
but the hurting from power of the villainous
hordes who for ten years past have gathered
round the PROSTATE form of their bleeding conn.
try, aud like vampires have sucked the life blood
from her veins. The reckless and boldfaced cor
ruption of the present party in power has no
parallel in history, and is more to be ikened to an
Eruption of the Vandals, and universal piIlage
than to any form of misgovernment, ancient or
modern. Let us look for a moment at the results
OF the stupendous and wholesale robbery inuucu-
rated by this band of organized thieves, land 7
speak OF the leaders, not the dupes,) since they
came into power. In ten years they have wrung
from the people by taxation oyer four billion
dollars, (S4,OOO,0OO0O0,) and, in addition, have
saddled upon the country debt now existing Of
over two and one-half billion dollars, (S2, 500.
,0OO,) making in all a total of over S6.5OO..
Ooo,oOo spent by them in ten years. Of this
immense sum, had the war and the civil admin.
istration been properly carried on, no more than
$20O0OO0,0OO could possibly have been neces.
sary and this leaves $4,000 100000 which has
been squandered by these sanctimonious hypo-
critics In that time; but this does not include
the immense debts contracted during that time
by the states the counties, cities and towns. nor
does it include the stealings of the Radical tax
collectors, which may reasonably be stated as
swelling this sum to the enormous amount of
seven billion dollars wasted stolen and souar.
dered by the party now in power In addition
to this they have diverted of the peoples domain
and bestowed corruptly upon greedy and bloated
monopolists over one hundred and million acres Of
land, a country equal in extent to the states Of
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Missouri, which states now have popula-
ton OF over sixteen million inhabitants. In view
Of these startling facts, will no. thinking men
pause and reflect upon the consequences of con-
tinung in power men who have thus 30 patiently
swindled. defrauded and oppressed them ? But
the tale is not helf told. Under the spec,ous
cry of protection, New England monopoIists and
their allies have been enabled annually 10 draw
tribute from the people, principally in the
west, of over five hundred million dollars. Tn.
der the baleful blight entaicd upon us by this
Internal offspring Of iniquty the poor have year.
ly been growing poorer and the rich richer. The
capital of the west has been steadily poured into
the lap OF the east, until now they own our rail.
roads, our steamboats,, control our banks. hold
mortgages on our lands, have near all the money
in the country in their vice.like grasp, and are
fast reducing the sturdy yeomen of the west into
mere hewers of wood and drawers of water.
Some few instances OF the operation of protection
may not be amiss here. Were it not for protec.
ton, so.called, the iron used on the Ottawa, Os-
wego Fox River Valley railroad could have
been obtained for less than one.half what it has
cost. Under the benign influence of protection
the number Of sheep in Ohio, the greatest wool
growing state in the union, is steadily diminish.
ing. Tho prairies of Illinois, few years ago,
were covered with Aocks; now you will scarce
see a sheep in days ride. Under the benign
influence OF protection our merchant navy has
dwindled from the oceaH, and our merchant ma.
rne now ranks with second and third rate DOW.
| era, where once we ranked second TO none. How
long will the long suffering American people
permit themselves to be bankrupted in this way
for the benefit Of a favored few? But while the
Radical plunderers and corruptionists are thu,
impoverishing and debasing the people at home
how do we fare abroad How stands the proud
American people in the world outside The
answer, in the light Of events, can be nothing
else than that the American flag has ceased t,
be protection to those who gather under it
folds, but has become mere rag, a mark fol
SCOTS and jeers, not even respected by the hire