Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-04-17
The Chlca9o Declarations.

TUESDAY EVENING. APRIL II. 1888.
The Chicago Declarations.
There was a banquet in Chicago the
other evening given by the Iroquois
club, a Democratic association, which
had invited to its table a number of the
Democrats of the country, with
the object, as Congressman Springer
says, Of enunciating Democratic prlnci-
pies and declaring the sentiment of the
party on the great questions Of the day.
This doubtless was the ostensible object,
but in pursuance of it there was re-
markable exclusion from invitation of
such Democrats as were not in favor OF
q tariff for revenue only. Carter Harri-
son, however, was invited; and, being the
newly elected Democratic mayor of Chi
cago, it would have been decidedly
strange if he had not been, if the object
of the meeting of Democrats in Chicago
had really been to ascertain and declare
the Democratic sentiment concerning
the great questions of the day. Mr.. Har-
rison having just been chosen to repre-
sent the sentiment of the Democracy OF
Chicago, certainly was the fittest single
Cbicagoan to speak the view of the De-
mocracy of that city upon the political
questions of the hour.
But yet Mr.. Harrison should not have
been summoned to their council table by
the Iroquoisians because the fact was
that they did not seek to give expression
to the Democratic party sentiment upon
the tariff question 4; their real object
being to force the party into the free
trade line and it was only to boost it
the better on this line that they would
have given their meeting the appearance
of an assembly of Democrats generally
and not of free trade Democrats particu'
larly.
Senator Bayard was there and made a
speech to the pleasurement of the Iro'
quoisians. Mr.. William Henry Hurl-
bert, a very clever and pleasant gentle
man, who serves as editor of Jay Gould S
New York World, and who has but one
idea on the tariff question, also spoke a
piece to the delight of his auditors, laud
ing free trade. But when it came to
Mayor HarrisOn's turn to respond to the
toast assigned him, he failed to fall i'll
with the humor of the meeting and say
yea to it's attempt to advertise the doc
trine of q tariff for revenue on the
country as that of party of Democrats
of which he had been invited to be one.
Mr.. Harrison had been assigned Il toast
which would have kept him far away from
the subject Of revenue if he had stuck
toit. But Mr.. Harrison could not SET
that it was his duty to listen to his fel
low Democrats preaching free trade
while he himself should be silent on the
subject, though he disagreed with the
sentiments promulgated with the re-
suit that the proclamation would go al
over the country the next day that the
distinguished Democrats entertained by
the Iroquois club, including the JUS
elected mayor of the city Of Chicago
had declared for free trade, pure an(
simple.
Mayor Harrison is not fool He wa
not silly enough to consent to be bottled
up in a free trade hole. He was no
foolish enough to believe that the coun
try is yet in state of mind or body t.
agree to a tariff for revenue only. II
was wise enough to see that this ques
tion was not one dividing the two grea
parties and that if it should be mad
so, the party that proposed at once t
abolish all protection to home indu Y
except that afforded by a tariff fol - '
enue only, would simply go under.
A tariff for revenue only will never b
the policy of this manufacturing country
for that would put a duty upon the raw
materials as we'll as the products q
the manufacturer. The day, how
ever, is fast approaching, when absolut
free trade will be demanded by the man
ufacturers, as we'll as the agriculture
and commercial interests of the country
1t will come when our manufacturin
facilities are such as to require th
world for the market of our products
When that day comes it will be clear t
all men, and it will not need declaration
of a political platform to secure fire.
trade that all interests demand. Jus
now Mayor Harrison is clearly right i
declaring it to be inexpedicnt for tn
Democratic party to anticipate tn
march of events, and to tear it's shirt an
burst its blood vessels in endeavOring I,
secure for to-day what the people do nc
want, because it is not to their interests
and what will come to them some d..
without effort, as soon as their interest
clamOr for it.
The House at Harrisburg having dis
covered that Saturday sessions are nc
attended, has adopted instead of thel
Friday night sessions from > t
10 o'clock. 1t does not appear b.
what process, that is not applicabl
to the enforcement of attendance 0
Saturday, the more regular attendanc
On Fri6av evening is IN ha prncuref