The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-06-19
Tho Chicago Platform.

Iho ChiCsGo fIauoIms ...
Republican platforms always begin either
with the assertion that "this II nation" or
with the recitation that the Republican party
Suppressed rebellion" &c, &c. The one
adopted at Cincinnati four years ago began
sumo, the one just adopted at Chicago tegins
with the other Why the Republicans should
be everlastingly repeating that this Is u ma
uon," when no one pretends to deny 1t, and as
sertng that they suppressed II rebellion"
when, whether true or false, no one takes the
trouble of denying that either, is Incompetent
sible. However, MS It appears to do them An
immense amount of good and no ono else any
harm, it would be lll.natured to object to the
rectative and dogmalic pastime The platform
tells us further that the Republican party
"raised the value Of our paper currency from
80 per cent, to the par OF gold"--w which is a
fact; but it is careful to avoid mentioning the
other fact that the Republican party first de
based the value of our paper currency to 80
per cent, and that in subsequently raising 1t to
par with gold, 1t gratuitously transferred from
the people TO our bOnd.hOlders about $T0O,O0O,.
600. Under its administration" the platform
Icircumspectly alleges, railways have increased
from 81 600 to more than $4,000 miles, and
our foreign commerce has increased from
500, 100000 to $1,l50,0000O0. 1t might be
added that under its administration, several
million persons, who were infants in 1861
have added four feet to their stature and been
added to the list of qualified voters. Our for,
eign trade has indeed enormously increased
during the nineteen years the Republican par
ty has been in power; but the statement of
this fact is incomplete till it is added that the
Republican party has nearly driven American
shipping from the seas, and that while three
fourths of our foreign commerce was carried
in our own vessels in 1860, only one.tourth Is
carried in our own vessels in 1880. "Our eX-
ports, which were $20000,O00 less than our
imports in 1869, were $685., 100000 more than
our imports in 1879" Very true, but this eX-
cess of exports has been falling off ever since,
and it is estimated by Republican authorities
that in two years from this time it will have
disappeared entirely. The declaration against
the appropriation of public funds to the sup
port of sectarian schools Is well enough, but 1t
is a platitude, since there is no party that de-
mands such appropriations. The declaration
against further grants Of lands to railway cor
poratIons is penitental condemnation of the
very Republican policy which has already
granted nearly all the valuable portion Of the
public domain to such corporations. The res
olutiOn against Chinese INN grafton is weak
and unmeanlng. 1t was inserted to catch the
California, Oregon and Nevada vote; but the
Calitornians plainly say it wall not answer.
The tribute to The Hayes administration is
well deserved; this administration has been
maIHed ~ .hc main lay purity and patriotism
which is the reason why all the prominent
Republican leaders dislike 1t.
1t was not to have been expected that the
platform would close without saying some
thing about the Democratic party, and the ar
ralgnment of that party in the peroratiOn is
natural enough, therefore. But it will not es-
cape the attention of truthful readers that this
arraignment is the trick of Il criminal to divert
attention from his own crime-the lmmeasur-
able fraud of 1876 1t charges upon the Dem
ocratlc party that "to obtain possession of the
national government and the control Of place
they have INSTRUCTED all efforts to promote the
purity and conserve the freedom of the sutf-
rage, and have devised fraudulent ballots and
invented fraudulent certiicatlons of returns; :"
but what can measure the etirontery of party
that brings this accusation against its advcr-
sary when its only tenure of the presidential
office is the bribed decisions of infamous re-
turning boards and an electoral adjudication
that has made electoral commissions a stencil
forever st. L0uiS Republican.