The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-08-21
Political Mutterings.

Gartields barrel Is an empty oil barrel.
New York has not had an election APP
preaching purity since 1868. "-Etehah9 Nd'I
Then what is the use of Davenport?
Old Wells, Cassanave, Anderson and the
Returning Board liars and perjurers all shout
for Garfield. -CkeUeland Pidindtd!er
The greenback party in Connecticut is
tumblng TO pieces. 1t is believed their vote
will he reduced to few hundred from S,3l4
IN 1878. The state organ of that party has de-
clarcd tor Hancock.
General Garfield did return his back pay,
after his constituents had violently intlmated
their desire that he should do so. But what Is
a patry $1,000 to a man who can earn that
amount once by simply speaking to Gov
ernor Shepherd:'
Eli Perkins is SAID to be engaged IN hunt
ing for proof of his history that Winfield Scott
Hancock was not at Gettysburg in lS63, Dul
that it was another Hancock, third cousin OF
the democratic candidate for the presidency
Boston Post.
Carl Schurz is booming for Garfield at $500
a night. He does pot say anything IN favor OF
Arthur and the managers propose 10 give HIM
$50 extra If he will endorse the tail as well as
the head of the ticket
Republican papers make blunder in sncer.
ing at the democratic charge of errors and
mistakes in the treasury books. The proven
and admitted fact that hundreds OF erasures
were found, as well as the gaps left 10y missing
leaves, sticks like a burr in the public con
science-Sprinafeld (Mass) Republican,, (rep)
The camp, the battle field, the headquarters
of military division may often afford bet
ter school for all the lighter forms of states
lmanship than rooms where Credit Mobilier
stock is portioned out and where, Tor an enOr-
nous fee, arguments in favor OF wooden
pavement are written out by chairman OF
The committee on appropriations-fOr"e
| Progress.
Gu his way from the Indiana stumping
ground Ia the California stumping ground, the
venerable sea lawyer oi the Wabash gave Il
western reporter some interesting information.
Ave have IL much better navy" sad the Hon.
Richard w Thompson, than people generally
give US credit for" lie then explained that
in addition to the best torpedo service in the
world, we have forty ships in line" 1t Is evil
dent that Mr.. Thompson did not mean that we
have forty shlpsln-line, for the line-ot battle
ship long ago passed out of naval nOmencla-
ture. He undoubtedly referred to some long
tow which he had recent seen in the canal on
whose banks he was bred, vessels which, in
an emergency might be used as transports
Sixteen turrets," added the venerable mariner
in finishing his proud catalogue, land elgh
teen as proud monitors as there are III the
world" Here his meaning is not so clear.
Eighteen monitors and sixteen turrets is hard
to understand, except upon the supposlllon
that the old sea dog got two OF the canal boats
Ir,iy l., u,th th = monitors SIN
1t is worth Drawing all the horrors of dem
OCratc administration, SO ruetuly anticipated
by the Oilicchoders, TO get Il glimpse at the
inside management Of the various departments
of the government since they have been under
republican control. only enough has come
to the surface during the scandals OF the past
ten years to enable us to teebly imagine how
much rascality has been covered up; and the
longer the republican party remains in power
the worse will be the stencil when their official
rottenness is finally uncovered.
! 1t is fashionable just now IN the republican
papers to refer to the fierce activity Of the
Irish Republicans" This bosh does not gull
anybody. The Irish republican element bears
about the same relation to the party, SO far rs
size is concerned, that grain of corn does to
the solar system. Every intelligent lrlshman
knows that the republican party managers
ana leaders WOulu ulSlIdHCHlSc tHC "nOlt
Irish race had they the power. The feeling
of the republicans for the IRISH is well por-
trayed by the cartoons III Hayper'S I|cet2B
which speak louder than worGs.-St. LoUis
Republican,.
General Garfield perhaps felt certain
shametacedness when lie was brought out to
be looked at at Chautauqua Lake, after Mr..
Schuyler ColiaX had concluded his Grafton.
The dispatches are careful to set forth that
Mr. COltaX has no connection with the Gar
field party, but it Is not at all clear whether
this cautious declaration is insisted on by Mr..
Coltax or by General Garfield. Either would
be as much, and as little, warranted as she
other in demanding II. They are tarred
with the same stick The tar was more con.
spicuous upon ColfaX seven years ago, he
cause ColfaX was then Nice-Iresdcnt Of the
United States, while Garfield was merely a
member of the House of Representatives. II
is more conspicuous just now upon Garfield,
because Garfield Is a candidate for the prcsl-
dcncy, while COlfaX is man who has had the
grace to recognize that his political career is
ended, and that his only chance rs IA public
man lies in addressing audiences The members
t.l, IA, n, la 1GN,l il,,pII