The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-11-10
Voorhees, Views.

Voorhees, Views
The Democratic party of to-day is CON
sistent in but one thing, the desire to
public questions it is everything by turn
and nothing long. \ few years ago, the
Democracy, with the exception of very
small minority, We're committed to the
fiat money falacy, and Senator Bayard
was ostracised and declared a traitor for
making hard money speeches. Yet within
a few weeks We have seen the Democrats
place Senator Bayard in the chair Of the
President of the Senate, with only one
life betv cen him and the Presidency.
Free trade has long been one Of the car
| dinal principles Of the Democratic party,
for the reason, principally, that the
Southern element dominated in that
party, and the South, until recently, has
| been for free trade. But now. with Il
| growing manufacturing interest, the South
| is changing its views, and the indications
| are that the Democratic party will also
change front on this question. Senator
| Voorhees,, erst a pronounced free trader,
as we'll as champion of soft money. ap-
pears to be the Moses who is to lead his
party out of the wilderness of free trade
into the promised land of protection.
Senator Voorhees, made known his
conversion to the principles OF protection
in a speech delivered 10y him at the open
ing Of the Atlanta, Georgia, Exposition.
On that occasion, with the evidences and
triumphs of American industry before
him, he spoke in favor of discriminating
| and protective tariff, This position hay
ing been criticized and condemned by
some Of his party organs. Senator Noor
hees wrote a letter defending his tariff
| utterances, and has since further reter-
ated and elaborated bis views in an inter
view published in the New York Herald
Of Saturday last. one reason assigned
by Mr.. Voorhees, for his new departure is
that the Democracy lost Indiana during
the last three weeks of the campaign be
cause of their position on the tariff qucs-
ton, and he says his purpose at Atlanta
was to aid in securing a sound position
for the party hereafter" And Mr.. Noor-
hees further declares that the policy adj
vocated by him twill make the South the
richest part Of the globe and promote the
best interests Of Indiana" These, Of
course, should be sufficient Inducements
for tie Democratic party to fall into line
behind the Senator from Indiana, whose
pet name is The Tall Sycamore of the
Wabash
But aside from the questions Of eXpe-
diency, and the necessity for keeping an
eye to the interests Of the State Of Indi-
ana which few years hence will be
called upon to elect a successor to Sena-
tor Noorhees-the Senator declares that
the Democratic party never was a free
trade party. This assertion he bases
upon detached utterances from the mes
sages of Washington. jefferson. jackson
and Madison. We had supposed that the
policy OF Il party was proclaimed in its
platforms, and if Mr.. Voorhees, will take
the trouble to consult the platforms of his
party he will find that they declare for
free trade, and the records of Congress will
show further that his party has proceed
ed upon that theory down to the mon
strosity of 1876, known as the Morrison
tariff bill, which was manufactured in
New York 10y order of the Free Trade
League, under the inspiration of the
American members Of the English Cob
den Club" This measure, which aimed
death blow at many Of our important
industries and was designed to cripple all
OF them, was defeated by Repu blican eff
forts, as was the equally dangerous Wood
Tariff Bill of 1873. 1t is evident there
fore, that as an historian Senator Noor-
hees is not to be trusted and if his fore
sight is not better than bis hindsight, he
will prove but sorry leader. HIS state
ment that the Southern Democratic Sen
ators are in favor Of protection is no
doubt correct, but when he scars into
the realms of prophesy and ntimates that
New Englanders may hereafter advocate
free trade we are reluctantly driven to
the conclusion that the lowly rye has got
the better of The Tall Sycamore of the
Wabash
Ihp lanse of time has Aeer NIL nr,t tn alaata