Daily Republican., 1880-10-27
MON. J. w. HOUSTON.

4
l
WHIST he mas 20 Say Aboue HIS
Oasdiaaay-- His Views ON the
TariH ana HIS Beund Uaisnism- =
He Denies whss an Every Even.
Ing Reporter Says.
A representative Of the Morning
News has had chat with Judge Hous.
ton, and here is what the Judge had
TO say:
~ felt great deal Of hesitation
about accepting this nomination for
Congress upon the conditions with
which 1t was rendered, that should
retain my place on the Bench and take
NO active part In the campaign. In
deed, at first, / did decline altogether !;
for | thought 1t due to the party and to
mys elf that l should proclaim my posi-
tion upon the present questions. The
gentlemen Of the State Committee, how.
ever, thought that my past record was
well-known throughout the Stats, and
that while my services in Congress
woald be more valuable than ON the
Bench, they could not afford TO run
the risk Of losing me from both by
having me resign now.
81 still would not consent till
learned that there was no division of
feeling in the upper counties. I al.
ready knew pretty well the opinion in
Kent. They assured ME that It was
also the general wish Of New Castle and
Sussex.
Here said to the Judge, at was
particularly Of your action upon the
tariff question that wished to hear"
"Well, when | frat went into Con.
grsss that was the absorbing question
was elected in "a and took my seat
in AS. During the campaign / made
forty or Atty spsechss-(It was q long
canvass that year)-some in Sussex.
but more especially through New Cas-
tie and Kent. / was what was called
OF that day an ultr&-tarif man. The
question then was Of more import snce
even than now, for times had just
frightened under The tariff Of '46, and
there was much talk about modifying
that tariff. Now potts have increased
80 much that there is not quite the
came danger. But believe the only
way TO protsct our industries Is by q
tariff. do not see how country can
make any extended progress without II.
do not blame England though for
wanting free trade. What she wants
Is free trade with America, because we
are her best market. But We cannot
afford to compete with English poorly
paid labor.
In those days the tariff was the great
issue, and there were many fierce
speeches upon it in the Senate. did
not speak much at first, for it was very
difficult to get the floor. Sometimes
persons waited days and days for the
door and then did not get ii. l was q
Whig, you know, and they favored the
tariff Of AZ. After took my seat one
Of the first questions that came up was
the Mexican war. The Wings did not
favcr Il; we thought 1t unjustifable.
Bnt still after IL had begun we stood by
the Government and voted supplies fol
carrying on the war. The war brought
General Taylor's name up prominently
as q candidate for the Presidency.
But Taylor was not what was called
an ultra Wing. That meant that he
was equivocal upon this question Of
the tariff. The Wings felt that it
would not do to nominate him while
there was any doubt about his views
lon this question. They felt themselves
lte be in . dilemma. 1 suggested to
Mr.. Clayton that in order to relieve
the general uneasiness letter should
be sent to Mr.. Taylor asking If he felt
It his duty to vote a tariff bill upon
constitutional grounds. The reply
was that he had no such views. And
that was satisfactory.
Why, protection was at the bottom
of almost every question In those days.
Calhoun's attempt to dissolve the
Union was made upon the ground Of
protectisn.
In response to q question about sla-
very, the Judge said: Always, from
the formation Of the Constitution, this
10 usstion of slavery was the sore spot
which the South would not have
touched. / never could sympathizs
with the Southern gentlemen upon it.
Being from a Border State, | was
thrown with them very much, and
knew many Of the most prominent
Southerners NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., OF
South Carolina, and others. Toombs
and Stephens were both Wings at the
time, but later they became section.
allied.
had been sshooled too deeply in the
Wing party ever to havsany sympathy
with ssctionalism. remember as boy
at Newark Academy, when was only
| l3 years old, reading with great inter-
est, the debates on Foote'S resolution,
the resolution, you know, which
called forth Wsbsser's reply to Eaine.
| It was Mr.. Clsyton's speech on this oo-
casion, perhaps, that first gave me
nv bent against seotionalism. Then,
when went to Yale, there were three
prominent societies there-literary and
debating societies., At that time there
was not a Southern State that did not
have representatives at Yale: Calhoun
was o graduate at Yale. From Della
wars there were William Hsmphill
Jones and Polk and Stout and perhaps
others. To one Of the societies, the
Calliopean, nearly all the Southerners,
Jones was a member, as we'll as the
Others have mentioned. Well, when
| entered they were very anxious to
have me join. remember Jones par.
ticularly was pressing in his endeavors
to persuade me, but l decided to join
another society for the reason that the
Calliopsan was sectional in Its oharao
tier. You see took my stand Oh that
point pretty early.