The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-09-25


, he has been employed for the past year.
Our school building, which has been in q
bad condition for the last year on account Of a
leaky roof, has been repaired by A. G. Free
man. of Ottawa and once more the scholar.
can study and keep dry.
e. Beardsley, who has been quite sick for
the past week, is again able to be on the
street. NERO.
SHERIDAN, Sept 90, 1sS0-Editors IF the
Free 7rader; AS is known to every one, |
trust by this time, have made up my mind
to renounce the Republican party and vote
a straight Democratic ticket. Perhaps my
reasons should be known to all. | consider
James A. Garfield a tainted man, to draw it
mildly, and Winfield S. Hancock an honest
man. Again, believe the country is unsafe
in the hands of hereditary ofiiCc.holdcrs,
grown up under twenty years Of undisputed
dcspotic rule.
Whatever may Ike the relative standards Of
personal and official morals, 1t is a very com
mon and obstinate belief among intelligent
and upright citizens everywhere that honor
and integrity rs man and as a gentleman
must make an honest and faithful public off
Ger. Now, as the great Democratic party have
for their standard.bcarcr devoted and upright
citizen Of his country, gallant Union Gcncr-
al, dare not for one moment think Of the
gallant hero OF Gettysburg otherwise than
that he Will make an honest and faithful pub,
lie officer THIS bugbcar Of the solid south"
seems to be the only reliance OF our alycrsa-
RES but cannot imagine how this cry can
have the slightest effect among intelligent vo-
tiers. 1t seems to me the way to put IN end to-
the solid south is to elect w. s, Hancock.
! When the sectional issue Is finally wiped out
as an element III our politics the states Of the
south will not long remain solid, but will di-
vide according to local questions and their re.
spcctlvc interests, just the states of the other
sections Of the country are now divided
There Will then hc no more reason why Texas, i
North Carolina and Tennessee should vote the
same way than there is for New York, Maine
and our own proud state to go for the same
party. OF course | hope that the southern
states Will remain Democratic for many years
but in the nature Of things this is hardly to be
expected after lIancOck's election, and the dis
appearance of the bloody shirt" cry, and of
all chances of the plunderng "carpctbag' |
rule, by which the Republicans have made
the south solid. The revival OF the "bloOdy |
SHIRT" cry alarms them, because they know
tina. it means not merely the perpctuation of
hcan extravaganza and jobbery as produced I
the panic of 1873, before the Democrats IN
congress had inaugurated the wise and eco
nOmical system which was coincident with
the beginning of our present era of prosperity.
The laws passed by the Democratic congress
have been wise, prudent and economical, and
the people know that it would never 90 to re-
verse or check the progress of good govern
ment by the election of Mr.. Garfield and
Republican House. In so far as the present
administration has been in any degree merito-
rious, it has been because Mr. Hayes has, for
one reason or another, administered southern
affairs to some extent upon Democratic prin-
clplcs, and not upon the principles of the up
holders of the "bloody shirt" to which Mr..
Garfield and the Republican party stand
pledged. One of the great elements Of strength
in this canvass Is the high personal character
of the candidates. A President of strong per.
sonallty always leads, and gives color to the
policy of his party. 1t was so with with JEFF
Ion md thnr
dents less famous than they. They did not
follow their parties, but their parties followed
them. 1t Is said that Hancock is man of
strong personality and positive political opin-
ion, and in the habit at all times and under
all circumstances, of hewiHg close to the line
as he understands it, 1t is impossible to con.
ceive of his being influenced to depart from
the principles which he has always upheld, or
to be weak or negligent In the performance of
the pledges and declarations he has made as
the Democratic candidate Now, on the other
hand Mr.. Garfield is IN the habit of yielding
to circumstances, rather than controlling them.
Were he President the executive branch of
the government would fall under the control
of cliqucs and rings, to which he would yield
as he has done so often under his political ca
rccr Now few more words, and have fin
ished, If | believed in inspiration, | should
certainly believe that the committee on the
Cincinnati platform were inspired when they
concluded the platform with reference to the
record of the three Democratic Houses of Re
representatives. which have controlled to a very
country since 1874. On that record rests our
highest clam to popular favor In that record
Is our safest guarantee for the administration
of Winfield 5. Hancock. In the five years
which cover the service of this Democratic