Omaha daily bee., 1884-03-31
A REAL FREE TRADER.
j. Sterling Morton Not Satisfied With
the Temporizing of Carlisle
and Morrison.

the Oh Caflible
and Morrison.
New York Special to the Cincinnati comms rciai Ca
zette.
"Yes," said Sterling Morton to-day,
81 attended the free trade dinner at Del
monico's, and let mt tell you what l
thought of it."
MI. Morton is the Nebraska member
of the national democratic committee, and
one of the most pronounced and vigorous
free traders in this country. 1t is chiefly
under his missionary work" that the
anti prote movement has developed
such strength in the northwestern states.
"Well," he said, "there were only two
speeches that hit the nail on the head.
One was made by Prof. Summer, of Yale,
and the other by David A. Wells. 1 see
that the newspapers appear to be some
what charmed with the u%tterances of
| Speaker Carlisle on that OCCASION, espe-
cially with his statement that he favored
| reformation in the tariff, not revolution.
1t is a mere piece of resonance, and means
nothing. If the doctrine of free trade
is right it is all right; if wrong, it is ali
wrong.
"There is no chance for neutral
ground. The speech of Carlisle in sub.
stance was about this: Yes, 1 believe
in virtue; women shall all be chaste; but
when you find a fallen woman, don't try
to reform her too abruptly. You might
defeat the end in view. First make a
mistress of her, and so lead her up by
easy and gradual stages to a plane of re-
spectability. This sort OF argument is
not the stuff out of which successful CAM
paigns are made.
"In Sumner there was something mas
culine. I think him the ablest man in
America on this subject. While his Ian
guage is terse ana plain enough for q
child to understand, the style is always
wonderfully alluring. The constitution
recognizes no principle of protection, by
which money, not strictly for public pur-
poses, can be raised. So far Sumner
and Carlisle agreed admirably together;
but when Mr.. Carlisle began to plunge
around in the surplus he lost himself.
The surplus is a necessary incident OF
protection, and instead of being reduced
by the Morrison bill, it is more likely to
be increased; just as receipts increase on
lines of travel, when you lower the rates
OF fare. But the size of the surplus has
nothing to do with the principle at stake
in this question. Every dollar of it ii
highway robbery and should be knocked
off,"
"Then you don't think much of thu
Morrison compromised
''Why, no; it is dictated by what they
call policy, which is a polite name fol
cowardiee. By the time the bill is read!
to be passed, it will be so emasculatsd b!
amendment, that nothing consistent,
democratic will be left. The party seem
to be unfortunate in its leadership
Morrison is a good, clean man, but h
lacks the drive and magnetism needed IL
q captain. Frank Hurd, in my judg
nent, has by far the ablest command o
the facts and PHILOSOPHERS of interna
tional trade, and groups them 30 as t
make al invincible array"
"But they say he is altogether too, i'm
pulsive for leadership, which means,
presume, that he has the brains to sa
what he thinks and the courage to meal
' what he says"
"Has free trade developed niue
strength in the west2"
every decided. We are Just gsttin
the thing organized now, by free trad
clubs in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska
Out in Frank Hurd's Toledo district
!, they are the only localities whore the ia
sue has been souarely made, and tn
results have been tremendous. kansa
has a democratic governor; Iowa electe'
I live democrats TO congress, and a repub
lican governor scratched through by
plurality, in a state that gave Garfield
nearly $4,000 majority. In Nebraska
} the capital county, which went republi
can in 1881 by over 800, went demo
cratic by LOO in the following year
which accounts largely for the symptom
OF un~easiness, On some subjects, bstraye,
by Senator Van Wyck."
"You will want a pretty stiff plank
!, then, at Chicago2"
"Yes, and when the people have
chance to be heard, will be pretty likel
to get it. Out of the thirty eight mem
bers of our committee, twenty are sub
~stantial free-traders, but they don't wan
too much revolution at once, like brothe
Carlisle. They wish us well, and all tina
sort OF thing, but want TO drive us with
curb bit. You can just put it down
though. as an already settled factor il
the fight. that the people are way ahea
of the politicians 10 this business. The
are taking an independent grasp of tn
subject in their minds, and will take a
, independent grasp Of it at the polls b.
fore long, unless they can get themselv,
|. heard in some regular party organic
tion."
"Theh you contemplate a bolt2"
/ 81 think the people do. From Il