The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-24
A FRFE-TRADER's PLEA.

day night at Cooper Institute, and which
was presided over by Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher a Republican free-trader. This
statement shows that the demonstration
was not intended to be partisan one, but
Mr.. Wa,terson. among other things, said of
the Republican party that sit is the party
IF the oligarchs, and that it has come
to be the representative of the
mechanism and corruption of our political
life" OF course, this sort of a spirit is very
likely to make Mr.. Watterson friends among
Republicans who may be tending toward his
way of thinking upon the subject of free
trade, while it will excite the admiration of
those who can appreciate what is vulgarly
called cheek" to hear such language uttered
in city like New York and within stones
throw, almost of Fammany Hail. But, cast
ing aside the partisan aspect of the address
for it is already apparent that Mr.. Watterson
will have enough to do to answer the critics of
his own political faith, such as the Nashville
American and the Atlanta Constitution to say
nothing of Eastern Democrats-it is worth
while, in general way. to say that from
beginning to end there is no paragraph in
the address which at any point at all rises to
the dignity OF an argument. The speech is
simply q string of assertions, misrepresenta-
tons and "gush." put together in the in
imitable manner for which Mr.. Watterson
is Justly famous, and glded with the glitter
of his fervid diction. In the first place, Mr..
Waterson assumes a parallel between pro-
hibition and slavery, and passes warm
: panegyric upon the new South, freed from
the incubus OF slave labor. He says of slavery
THE brave, sincere, man-loving and God
fearing people of thirteen States took
up arms and went to war to
preserve and perpetuate it.
As a system OF labor it was costly in the
last degree. As an agent of production, it
was feeble clumsy and uncertain. As an in
stitution, 1t was indefensible. Bless the
Lord it has gone, and gone forever! Il II
If some penii should rise tomorrow and offer
to restore the South its slaves, the South
wond start back aghast and say: Get behind
me, Satan
The truth OF all this will not be denied
although there may be those who will ques-
ton the "man-loving' nature of the brave,
manly and God-fearing'' people who held
human beings in bondage, whipped, fayed
and brutalized a race, separated husband and
wife and mother and child without a qualm
and who compelled the slave women to be-
come mothers to their own children, whom
they sold with equal Indifference with their
f11l h1o0da1 obatfolc Wa
sure the time has yet come for
excessive eulogy upon the Shareholders,
coupled with implied disparagement of the
Northern people. But this aside; there will
be those who will ungenerously remember
that Mr.. Watterson spent himself in the
service of this slavery he now so decries, and
in view of his past record will think there is
good reason for slight diffidence upon his
part in assuming such dictatorlsl airs to
those who were ever on the right side of the
question upon which he so freely confesses
he was radically wrong
When he gets done with his eulogium
upon the Southern people, and
his diatrbes against the manu-
featuring communities of the North and
East, Mr. Watterson asserts that "the Demo-
cratic party is the party of revenue REFORM"
and this in the face of the fact that while for
six years in control OF Congress the Demo-
cratic party never made one step toward a
reform OF the tariff, Against the dictum of
Mr. Watterson we put the statement of Sen
ator VOORHEES,, who, from his place in the
Senate said che was tired Of false pretenses'
in this regard Mr.. Watterson goes on to
say that he knows of no one who is in favor
of free trade, but that which is proposed is
the revision of the customs list and its re-
duction to revenue basis. f. To this
policy the Democratic party is absolutely
committed. 1t is committed by all its tradi-
tons and antecedents. 1t is committed by
its two last national platforms" And yet,
when contrasting the Democratic and Re-
publican parties, Mr.. Watterson says of the
latter:
'The Republican party saw its chance,
donned the cast-off apparel, and has been rat
thing around ever since in the great-coat of
Thomas Jefferson and the jack-boots of An
drew Jackson"
In the name of Democracy, were not Thomas
Jefferson and Andrew Jackson Democrats?
1t would seem not, in the opinion of Mr.
Watterson, for the Republican party has
been "rattling around" in the great-coat of