Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-04-20


select company of free-trade Democrats held
at Chicago last Friday evening, has been the
unwilling occasion Of more profanity and
bursting indignation on the part of said Dem
ocrats, and Of more hilarious glee Oh the part
of sinful and unsympathetic Republicans.
than any similar gathering in recent wears
The occasion was banquet which the
Iroquois club Of Chicago gave to certain
select ones Of their party friends from diff
ferent parts Of the country, and its purpose
was to make it grand send of for the free
trade doctrine in the West To this end the
plans were most carefully laid Toasts and
sentiments were prudently distributed with
the idea Of making the general drift of the
delverances of the evening significant Of
Democratic policy in the direction Of tariff
for revenue only" To make sure of the
general effect, the speeches, although pre-
sumably Of al informal and after-dinner
character, were laboriously written out before
hand and given to the reporters In common
parlance, the " keynote Of the next Demo
cratic campaign was to be struck. and struck
in such a way that the most uninstructsd
Democrat could have no difficulty in catching
the tune. So much for the programme and
for the good intentions Of the leaders who
had it il charge. What really happened.
however, and how disturbing element crept
il, is thus told
THE programme unrolled itself msgnif-
Gently, and one speaker after another con
trived to lead his remarks upon whatever topic
was assigned to him il the desired direction,
All went well until close upon the witching
hour Of two IL the morning. Carter Harrison
our Carter whose constituency had lust
reelected him mayor Of Chicago by 10000
majority-arose to speak. At that hour all
the speeches of the evening-that which he
was expected TO deliver among the rest-were
IN type IN the Chicago newspaper offices, and
Henry Watterson at Louisville had gone to
bed, after indlting Il double-ieaded editorial
declaring the Chicago banquet magnificent
and unqualified success. Mr. Harrison had
been purposely placed at the foot of the pro-
gramme, possibly in the hope that after six
hours at the table his emotions would be too
deep for utterance. With a rare sense of hu-
NOR, he had been assigned to speak upon
Public Office Public Trust The manag
ers of the feast may have felt a little uneasy
as Mr.. Harrison got upon his feet but they
had the reassurlng consciousness Of having
done everything IL their power to avert trou
bic, and they knew that Mr.. Harrison speech
then IN type, read satisfactorily. What must
have been their Rmazement and horror. then.
as they perceived that he had either forgot
ten his speech or had no intention OF deliver
ing 1t. Launching out II a wholly unexpect-
ed style, and warming to his work with only
the more enthusiasm as he observed the many
signs OF dlsapproval around him. ne told his
unhappy hearers that their tariff for revenue
plank would split the Democratic party. Free
trade, he said, Is not Democracy to-day. and
there is no use IN talking US If 1t We're You
may Win on new doctrine, or principle of
tnat sort, when the country Is oppressed and
suffering, when the finances are in bad CON
dlron, when labor is not winning a proper
reward but you cannot bring on q change of
that sort when the country Is prosperous you
cannot change policy Of government which
Is fixed in the minds of the people, when the
people have living wages and are working ev-
cry day for their wages II stroke Of
lightning had struck Mr. Harrison at that mo-
ment 1t could not have been more unexpected
than this speech, and would certainly have
been more welcome. The reports which are
given OF the sorrowful aspect of the guests as
they dispersed are almost pathetic, but the
remarks which some Of them made upon Mr..
Harrison's performance will not bear publica
ton.
1t IS not really TO be wondered at that this
unexpected outburst on the part Of Mayor
Harrison caused his fellow banqueters. among
whom was the dignifed and discreet Bayard
OF Delaware, TO swear and TO look upon him
with cold aversion. 1t a5ds On unpracious
thing for him TO twit them Of Gen Hancock's
famous delverance on the tariff question by
TemArking that, You may make your tariff
Tor revenue plank in your next resolutions:
you will split the Democratic party you will
drive thousands of our own people from our
ranks, and you will probably have a presiden-
tlal candidate writing letter at the wrong
moment that kills the platform but, after
all, this was only a small chunk Of frozen
truth, and it was hardly fair for the distin-
guished guests to curse Mayor Harrison so
roundly for telling IT, The very thing that
the Mayor said has happened once and NAV
happen again. The Democratic party is
hopelessly adrift on the revenue question. II
has no principle in the matter, and the most
Its leaders hope to do is to ind some ground
where they can talk free trade to the free
traders and protection to the proteetionistg.
II only by some such impossible means thew .
may carry the country il 1854. The ont
come OF the lroquois club banquet is only a
legitimate result Of their utter lack of A co
Aesiye policy, and e forerunner Of the result
Of their party counsels in the year 10 come
and until they ind some other issue" than
laundering after the spoils of office,