The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-05-13
About Editorial 8wash.

|
An eminent legal practitioner, who tor TWEEN
ty years had stood at the head of his profess
ion in one of the eastern states, once remarked
| In our hearing, that of all the annoyances he
had encountered in his practice. there was
none SO trying as an ignorant opponent whose
only weapon was swash. The tricks and
lodges of the pettifogger can be exposed and
circumvented, but he could never traia his
nerves to endure diarrhea of swash.
Two weeks ago we copied from the New
York Free Trade organ list of some sixty
articles which enter into the daily consump-
ton of the western farmer, and for which he
is obliged to pay from 40 to cooper cent more
than the articles are worth, on account OF
the tariff, and yet of the enormous Sums thus
paid by the farmer not one dollar in twenty
goes into the public treasury. The rest is
paid to eastern manufacturers and monopo-
lists.
The Ottawa Republican, which strives to be
"truly loyal" to its party, and thus, in its fee
BILE way, essays to defend all its party's iniqui-
tous measures, felt it incumbent on itself to
excuse this palpable piece of tariff thievery by
the saoashy response ''Well, suppose the tax
es on the farmer are high they were made
necessary by the war, which was brought on
by the democratic party
In response, we simply denied that the dem
ocratic party was in any way or degree re.
sponsible for the war, but showed that it had
been brought on by the extremists of the north
and south-5y the secessionists of the south,
who, in 1860, had sloughed off from the dem
ocratic party; and by the abolition extremists
or secessionlsts Of the north, of whom also a
large portion, like Cook, Palmer, Judd, Trum-
bull, &C., &C., had sloughed off from the DEM
ocratlc party; and between which two ex-
tremes the democratic party, which supported
Douglas for the presidency, and was ridicul-
ed as "union savers" was crushed.
But letting that pass, we begged to recall
tina Republican to the question at issue-the
tariff, which 1t had wholly lodged. No mat
ter who was responsible for the war, that be-
ing question about which a dealer in
swash can babble and prattle to eternity
and no matter whether enormous taxation
was necessary on account of the war, that be-
ing . point about which few will differ -
the point WAS, is it right, is it honest, admit
ting that heavy taxation is rendered necessary
in consequence of the rebellion, that in addl-
ton to about Sl5o,O0O, 900 year of tariff du-
ties paid into the public treasury, congress
should levy, according to the estimate of Mr..
Wells, $SOO,O0O,OOO more upon the producers
OF this country, which are not paid into the
treasury, but 60 directly into the pockets
Of the Syracuse salt monopolsts, the Penn
sylvania iron masters, the Massachusetts cord
wainers SC. &c., Is i. right to tax, as the
present tariff laws do, 1000 articles, so as to
increase their price to the consumer, when Of
the whole 1000 articles but about 50 pay
duty int the treasury!
In response to these, and questions like
these, the Republican gives US column Of
swash. We have no taste for the article. We
beg the Republican to confne itself to the
question at issue. Although the rebellion has
rendered increased taxation necessary, has it
rendered such taxation necessary as is levied
by the present radical tariff lawsl