The Evening critic., 1881-07-11

THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME difficulty in
store for Frank Hurd's celebrated Free
Trade plank in the Ohio Democratic plat
form. Even the Enquirer sounds note OF
alarm that is likely to call q halt among the
more conservative of the Democratic mana
gers. AS matter ofhistory il is worth while
to note that the Democrats of Ohio during the
last fourteen years have furnished forth
several idces which did not strike the
public sense happily and were not rcmarka-
bic for bringing success to the party banner.
In fact il may be said that while the Repub-
lcans of Ohio have been furnishing their
party with oflice-holdors, the Democrats
have been providing theirs with policies
calculated to keep itsfadherents out of of
flee.
Much as we like Brother Hurd person
ally, we feel compelled to say that his pro
poscd Free-Tradc "idcc is another in the
same line. Its adoption i'll the platform
would without doubt rc-clcct Foster by u
majority something tremendous for an off
year. We do not propose to discuss the
tariff question from the doctrinoire stand
point We have had considerable acquaint-
ance with doctrinoires, and never yet knew
one who could not in given time reason
out the most perfect theory of what ought
to be, but which when submitted to the
practical test of the polls would be voted
down by an unerring majority
Whatever may be the merits of Brother
Hurd's Free-Tradc theory in the sense of u
politico-cconomic abstraction, mass of
voters large enough to be decisive in any
close contest firmly believe that their scale
of wages is indirectly fixed by the tariff in
operation, and that any reduction or modi-
| fication of the same would inevitably
diminish their earnings. These are the
operatives, more orless skilled in the vari
Gus branches of manufacturing industry,
and it has repeatedly been observed that
whenever the tariff is made an issue they
vote solidly with the party friendly to
Protcctionist ideas, no matter what may be
their affiliations with respect to other
issues.
This great fact appears to have pcrmcated
the intelligence of the more wary Demo-
cratic managers in Ohio and the conse-
QucnCe Is ulSCuooioh, III
press and among the politicians, of Brother
Hurds proposed Frcc-Trade plank, which
will be likely TO make its road in the con-
vention itself o hard one to travel. If the
Ohio Democrats can, for one campaign,
abandon their purely intellectual pursuit of
manufacturing great "idecs" and get down
to the bedrock of that h0mely, practical
common sense which appeals to the mind of
the average voter, they will stand an even
chance of success this year, Notwithstanding
their uninterrupted succession of dis
couraging defeats since 1877 But
the present outlook indicates small
, chance of this There is too wide a
| disproportion of great Columbian states
manship to voting strength in the Ohio
| Democracy. While Dom Piatts celebrated
epigram to the effect that "the Democracy
is the organized ignorance of the country
may be true as to most localities, it i,
notoriously untrue Old. P.'s own State o
: Ohio-where the real trouble comes of too
great pressure of intellectually to thu
square inch. The reform in the Ohio De
mocracy needs to begin at the top. Their
are large number Of 'party leaders, ou
there who could adopt the noble industry o
saving wood with great advantage to thei
party's cause.