New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-24
NOT FREE TRADE BUT FREE PLUNDER

NOT FREE TRADE But FIR EE PLUMBER.
We learn with profound sorrow from Pitts
burg, Penn, Democratic newspaper that not
witbstandIng the appearance of harmony and
union in the great Democratic party, there
are actually wide differences and DIVISIONS anu
no little mutual distrust in the ranks. NE
Pttsburg paper intmaes very broadly tna'
there are Democrats who will try to seize the
opportunity afforded them by the party's con-
troll of the next Congress to get away WIN
much "swagn And 1t hOrIifes us with the
suggestion that the men who are most hke'y
70 be found engaged in this business are the
so-called Revenue RefOrmers, the apostles
of Free Trade. Why, these are the puristS IN
politics.; the reformers who do not stop win
reforming the tariff, but who propose to reform
the public service throughout, and whose
clamor has been that the party, to deserve sue
cess. must be economical and honest, and AFTER
declaring its honest belief, as it did i'll the
tanli-for-revenue plank of 1876, must stick to it
boldly. and not be frightened out of it. And
these are the men who, according to the fltiS-
burg authority, favor "subsidy grabs" and
large river and harbOr appropriations for the
sake Of plumber. Indeed, the Pittsbnrg paper
openly charges that their Free Trade PROBES
SONS are nothing but a sham; that they are
using Free Trade to defeat Randall for Speaker,
not because he is ProtectOn1st but because
he is an economist and will stand in the way
of their plundering schemes.
"The war on Randall, on the tariff ques-
tom SAYS the Editor, "cOyers something
"more important than appears on the surface.
at is his infexible opposition to loe-rollng
"and reckless plunder of the public treasury
1" that has aroused against him an antagOnism
Gin his own party far more bitter than be-
"cause of his very moderate and sensible
"views on the subject of Protection. The lat
"ter is a mere pretence, sham not with all,
"but with many protesting much concern
"about a Revenue Reform Speaker. but in
"reaity a Speaker who will set up the com
"mttees in favor of subsidy grabs and a river
land harbOr bill that will run ahead of the
zone last session" Is it possible then
that Mr.. Carlisle, and Mr.. Hurd, and Mr..
Hewitt, and Mr.. Dorsheimer. and the other
professed Revenue RefOrmers who oppose Mr..
Randall for Speaker, are only sham reform
ers; that they are making this n pretext
upon which to keep the great economist Ran
dali out of the chair, in order that they may
pass subsidy grabs and divide the plumber OF
large appropriation bls7 We should never
have dreamed it if a Democratic newspaper
had not solcmnly averred it. For We did sup
pose that if any class of Democrats were sim
cere aud had the courage of their convictions
it was the noble array of Free Traders who,
in the face of an obviously hostile public SEN
timent, stood up for their dogma and insisted
Il. t,o cIo ste nv
And so they are after plumber too Randall
stands between them and the Treasury, and
they will have none of him. They want some
body for Speaker like Carlisle, or Cox, or
Eaton perhaps, who will make up the COM
mttees in such a way as to give subsidy grabs
and other schemes of plumber a chance. Their
Free Trade professions are all sham what
they want is to defeat Randall what they are
after is plumber. And Samuel j. Randall is
the only hope of the party and the country !;
the only Democrat who can defend the Treas
ury from Democratic punderers. Well, well,
this is a sad state of affairs indeed. Here we
have elected a Democratic Congress in the conf
dent belief that it was the party of economy, re-
trenchment and reform, and almost before the
results declared it is announced on Democratic
authority that large proportion of the party
are bent on plumber and are opposing the
election of Samuel J. Randall as Speaker for
no other reason than because he stands in the
way o their schemes. We shall begin to sus-
pect the Democratic party of hypocrisy by and
by if things 90 on at this rate. One thing
at least is now understood that the Opposi-
ton to Randall is OH account of his honesty
and incOrrupibility, and not on account OF his
views of tho tariff. Proceed with the hair
pulling, brethren.
OFFICIAL FIG TRES FOR NEW- YORK COUNTY.
The official canvass Tor Ecw-Yor County