The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-09-30
ODOROUS COMPARISONS.


ct nominated on Tuesday, but finds the vul
nerabe points so few that he is Obliged to
have recourse to invention, and as that is
not his forte, he makes rather sorry work
of 1t. The first objection he makes to the
ticket is, that it is so largely made up OF
Ottawa men, among whom he counts j.
W. Duncan, w. r. Milligan, S. W. Ray
mond, II. T, Gilbert and A. L. Bartels
The truth, however Is, that Mr., Duncan
belongs to La Sale. He was born and
raised there, always lived there, all his
property, which Is considerable, lies there,
and his Office is there; only that, on &C
count Of his large practice IN the courts at
Ottawa, for convenience sake, within the
last few months, he, or rather the firm of
Duncan & O'Conor, has also opened an Of
fee in Ottawa, and Mr.. Duncan has
brought his family here. Mr.. MillIgan, Is
also only constructively citizen of Otta.
wa. He was farmer in Bruce and Grand
Rapids for the past % years or more until
a few months ago, when he sold his farm,
and like a good many other farmers on
selling their places, settled down in the
nearest town, which in Mr.. Milligan's case
happened to lie Ottawa as the most ell
igible place tor the time in which to look
around and see what TO do next Mr.. Ray
mond, though now for many years resi-
dent of Ottawa, was really an importation
from Peru, and may as rightiully be
charged to that city as Ottawa. SO that
Gilbert and Bartels are the only men with
whom Ottawa is righttully chargeable.
But where the responsible editor makes
himself ridiculous ls when he comes TO
compare the men on the democratic ticket
with those on the republican ticket on the
score Of knowledge and ability. He aays
To compare Stockdale with Williams
Bartels with Talbot Milligan with Clark
or Duncan with Hart is to put ignorance
on par with knowledge, novice with an
imaginary fitness with proved ability.
To compare j. w. Duncan with Joe
Hart sis to put Ignorance on par with
Knowledge Great Cesar, what an ideal
But after all, the editor in his sly way is
often great joker, and no doub! he means
to be taken IN Pickwicklan sense, and in
that light Is quite correct. The compar.
lson of j. w. Duncan with Joe Hart is
about like comparing Daniel Webster with
William Cullen. Mr.. Duncan is con.
iessedly one of the leading minds of the
state in the legal profession, man of
brains and ideas Mr.. Hart ls-wel, Joe
Hart. A very decent and moderately in
telllgent farmer in the town of Earl, more
active than successful as precinct pol.
itIclan, but hardly ever heard OF beyond
his own town lines.
The comparison, on the score OF intel
ligence, ability and every quality that per.
tains to true manliness Of William r. Mil
lgan with Thomas Clark Is equally ridic
ulous. 1t is like comparing giant to
pigmy. Intellectually Mr.. Milligan Is sec
ond to few men in the county. To talk
about Tom Clark in connection with intel
lect Is laughable. So 1t Is enough to make
horse laugh to speak of Walter Reeves
as the equal in ability, education and legal
attainments Of Hiram T. Gilbert; nor will
any candid man pretend that in any quail.
fication for the office Mr.. Mcdonald is the
superior of Daniel Evans
We are willing to let the public, who
know both, compare Bartels with Talbot
on the score Of brains or knowledge; and
as to the advantage on that score of vii.
liams over Stockdale, no man who is init
mately acquainted with both can see where
1t comes IN. We admit that Mr.. Williams
Is very intelligent and competent man,
and has made q good enough school su.
perlntendent; but no one who knows Mr..
Stockdale and his antecedents can deny
that as an educator his rank is far above
that OF Mr. Williams, and his fitness TO
make good county superintendent ought
to be in the same proportion of higher
grade.
While thus far the assault OF the res
ponsible editor" upon the democratic tick
ct is contessedly harmless, absurd and rid
iculous, and no one knows it better than
himself, he no doubt imaglnes he has made
at least one good point la his allusion to
the apparent slight of the Germans In the
nominations. But whose fault was 1t? The
Germans are dissatisfied with the repub-
lican party because it has confessedly es.
poused the cause of prohibition, and their
leanings towards the democracy arise from.
Its opposition to sumptuary legislation.
The Germans are therefore actuated by an
important and distinctive principle To
sustain that principle their effort should
naturally be to get voice in the legsla
ture where the only question they are con
cerned about can he brought to the test and
acted upon. The democrats offered them
any place on the legislative ticket they de.
sired from Senator down. But with plenty
of eligible and competent men they refused
to present any candidate Their only can.
dldaie was for the Office of probate clerk,
and be had come on; only, within week
or two. Unfortunately there was another