The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-12-08
CARLISLE FOR SPEAKER,

CARLISLE FOR SPEAKER,
The nomination of Carlisle for Speaker
by the Democratic caucus at Washington
on Saturday evening, by the decisive vote
on the first ballot o! 104 against 50 TOR al!
Io,hers, was no, personal triumph, Tor per
sonally either Randall or Cox ismore pop
ular than the high strung Kentuckian, bui
il was the triumph of a principle. 1t means
THAT the democratic sentiment OF tn 5 c0un
try, as voiced by lis representatives IN con
gress, IS sincere and honest in It's demand
: for tariff and revenue reform. While It
would not perhaps be fair to say that Ran
dali Is not also in accord with the general
sentiment OF his party on the same subject,
il is undenlable that the state he halls from
and the controlling influences OF both par
ties in tina. state, are such that the mission
Of the democratic party, 10 curb monop0-
! lies and give the country an honest, consti.
tu,ional tariff, could not be consistt ntly en-.
trusted to his leadership. This was the
more evident when 1t was found, from the
very beginning of this contest for the speak
ership, that not only the tariff lobby, but
the representatives of every manner of sub
sIdy and all sorts Of steals, were In Wash
ington in iull force working for the cleo
ton OF Randall. His defeat, as the Chicago
Tribine very justly points out in an arti-
Gle too long to copy, upsets the plans OF
the dozen Of corporations IN this country
who own about 500, 100000 acres of pub
lie lands on which they refuse to pay taxes; ;
the plans OF the whisky men, who wan, an
indefinite extension of the time 10 pay
their taxes; the plans OF the California
millionalres, who want to grab 5000 600
acres more Of the public DOMAIN; of the
American Tin Plate Association, who want
to double the cost Of tin cans, lin cups and
coffee pots to line their own pockets, and
SO on, and so on.
At the same time however, that the cleo
ton of Carlisle fills the whole monopoly
and grab mongerlng horde with dismay, it
il not a committal of the democratic party
to the doctrine OF Free Trade, in the sense
in which republicans always use that term.
Mr. Carlisle, in his speech on taking the
chair defined his position Enthusiastically on
that head in the following pregnant forms:
Sudden and radical changes in the laws
and regulations affecting the commercial
and industrial interests Of the people shcaid
never he made, unless imperatlvely de-
manded by some great public emergency,
and, IN my opinion, under existing cir
Cumstances such action would not be iav-
orably received by any considerable mum.
Der OF those who have given any Afternoon
to the subject. THOSE ,cho fear that any
chdRges that mug be IRdcrtatea 1c5H be In
furious 10 any interest or eDeD dt0rG TeaS-
onabte cause for c!amor UW be greatly dis
appointed
So the Republicans, 80 far as the election
OF Mr.. Carlisle is concerned, may hang up
their bugaboo Of Free Trade in the Mu.
scum Of Antiquities by the side Of the
Bloody Shirt While the country Is under
an unavoidable necessity OF raising revc
nue. of some S200,O00,000 by tariff imposi-
ton, the democratic party is not insane
enough to commit itself to the igRjs tatuus
of absolute free trade. But in the adjust
'mont of these absolutely unavoidable tariff
'exactions the democrats can aud Will be
guided dy the. simple proposition tha'ihere
are other interests than those Of the Penn
sylvania iron and New England cotton
lords 10 be looked alter, and that one class
of citizens shall not be favored to the eX
clusion of all other classes. In their 0pin-
ION the producing classes and the consum
ing classes have as large a CLAIM upon the
recognition of the government as the mar
uiactnring classes, and subsidies and boun
| ties, so often miscaled protection, do not,
rs IA matter of fact in the long run benefit
the manufacturer no more than they do the
consumer. in the existing tariff" as II
very able contemporary puts 1t, there are
boundess inequality and false pretengc
They may not, indeed. be able to reform
its abuses, but they can expose them and
pledge themselves TO carry out If intrusted
with power. TO this reform they Will at
cnce address themselves carefully, patient
ly, ana thouehti'ully. In this work OF ex-
position they will show the country that
they are the friends Of the people at the
same time that they are agents of honest
and enlightened government"
THE BLAINE PROJECT.