New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-13
THE FREE TRADE REVIVAL.

| Is it possible that in the opposition to the re-
nomination of Mr.. Phelps, the Democratic
representative from the lid Congressional Dis
| trIct of Connecticut, we are catching the hrst
| indications of the rise of the great coming
| Free Trade Democratic party of which Mr..
| Henry Watterson is the prophet and herald I
There are certain things that go to show that this
is Free Trade demonstration and If 1t Is, 1t IS
| the first that has appeared i'll answer to the
| Watterson summons. Mr.. Phelps has been
representative for his district for several TERMS
and not since his first election has there been
serious opposition to his denomination. There
| was little furry of hostility to it few years
ago on the part of half dozen persons who
believed themselves to be hard-money Demo-
Gratis, and in that delusion undertook to oppose
his nomination because of his pronounced
| Greenback views. But it died out without
doing him or anyone else any harm, and the
hard money Democrats swallowed the Green
| hacker without a grimace. SO it may be held
| as settled that Mr.. Phelps's Greenback princi-
| pies do not stand in the least in his way ms
| candidate for denomination. 1t must be some
thing else. And what can it be unless the tariff
question He has been, so far as we can learn,
though very quiet, unobtrusiye member, at
| tentive to the interests of his constituents and
the wants of his district, and has in that regard
furnished no cause for dissatisfaction at home.
| But in caring for the interests OF his cOnstitu
| ents, who are largely engaged in manufactur-
| ing, he has frequently supported protection
| rather than free trade AS member or the
Committee of Ways and Means he has often
felt called upon to vote against his free trade
Democratic associates on the Committee, for
the protection of the manufacturing interests
of his own district. This has been the habit of
Connecticut Democrats in Congress. MIR. Will
lam L. Barnum, as Member of Congress and
Senator was always found voting for protective
tariffs eY- Senator Eaton was the inventor OF
the Tariff Commission, supported by protection
lists and opposed by the free traders in the
present Congress and Mr.. George NJ Landers,
who represented the Hartford District few
years ago, being himself large manufacturer,
voted naturally for protective measures. In
deed Connecticut Democrats, like those of
PENNSYLVANIA, have never hcSitated to preach
free trade on the stump and vote for protection
in Congress. Still, it is quite possible, we repeat
that the outburst of opposition to Mr.. Phelps,
which has sprung up so suddenly, IS attrlbut-
able to the free trade revival of which we have
during tllc pdSJ I'VE OF SIX iuOuJuS Hedru 81
much and seen so little 1t may be that the
free traders have decided TO open the ball in
Connecticut-Mr. David A. Wells being resi-
dent of that State though not of the district
in question. We shall certainly be glad
if this be SO. For there could hardly be a loca-
ton more favorable for the trying of cOnclu-
sons between the rival economic issues. The
district is naturally Democratic by large
majority aid it would De interesting to OBJ
serve the effect of raising the banner of free
trade in a Democratic district largely engaged
in manufacturing.
Possibly we go too far in assuming that the
opposition to Mr.. Phelps is based upon this
issue or any one in which principle is involved.
1t may be-very dimly may be, of course-that
it is not because Mr.. Phelps's action has been
in any degree unsatisfactory to his constituents
that his denomination is opposed 1t may be
because some one else wants his place. But
that thought does injustice to the well-knOwD
patriotism and unselhshness of the Democratic
party We refuse to cherish it for an instant.