The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-01-12


We have not in many weeks, Ia the
whole circle Of our democratic exchanges
seen so vigorous, truthful and elective an
overhauIing and exposure Of the hypocrisy
and hollowuess of modern Repub!icanisnl
rs the following in "A late number of the
| Iljday IrguS. We commend 1t to the
careful perusal of our readers:
The call for the Republican National
Convention undertakes To make the issues
for that party, tor next year. The cali Is
addressed a., ITO the Republican eleetor,
o. the several States" and (2), ITO all other
voters without regard to past political diff
| frrcnCes" who are in favor of several prop
loslliOns, which are expressed IN language
rs follows; "EIevatlng and dlgn.fylng
| American labor" extending and protect
! log home industry giving free popular
education To the masses Of the people; -
securing free suffrage and an homes, count
ing Of ballots" "cffectually protecting
human rights, in every section of our com
mon couniry;f "promOting friendly ieel-
Ing and permanent harmony throughout
the land" All of these expressions com
nit what Sidney Smith regarded as Il seri
Gus oifense They "OverWork the plrtiCi
ple.' Some Of them are too general for
praise or assault
What Is meant by "oleyating and diani-
flying American labor" by the party which
Is on record for the universal importation
OF Chinese laborers? VIII any ACTON by
any party, III q National COW niiOu, have
any relation to the law Of supply and de
mand in work? VIII it affect wages, hours
or work in any way? As good old DR..
Johnson used to say "Gentt men, clear
your minds Of humbug" The most pitt
able lallacy is the humbug of suppo~ing
that you can humhug others. The men
who work with hands, with tools or with
brain, in this land. know that that kind of
talk IN the call is humbug: that it is ut
tered by men who take them to be fools.
So5rie'y, industry, skill honesty and cOnr.
aye enable men to hold their own at bread
winning, unless hordos OF heather are
brought in, to crowd them out, or thous-
ands Of convlCts are put az work which
completes with the vocation and arts of
law abiding citizens. The party Of cheap
Chinese labor, ana the party whose legisla
tors are charged by every Republican
paper to defy and disregard the great dc
mand for the abolition Of the present
method of convict labor, talks about "elc-
waiting ard digniiylng American labor" ItI
IS the same party, whose leaders in 1850
forced the policy of threatening thousands
of worklngmcn with dismissal if they
dared TO vote as they pleased. The major.
ity of thenames signed to this call are those
of men who never did IN honest days
work in their lives. Those not gorged with
monopoly gains. made by rohber law, are
political tramps, glued to the Treasury, and
kept from Jail or exile by the tact that they
preserved the grand old party 10y frauds
worthy the galows or the prison, in the
South.
Extending and protecting home indus
try means the increase II high tariff
duties. Already they make every man who
has to buy the necessaries of life pay more
than u price aud half for them. They
close the markets of the world to the man
ufactured products Of America. They have
wiped out American commerce and des-
troyed American ship building. They have
caused large portion of our factories to
stop and large portian of our fouDdries
to shut up-because they are gorced with
overproductions that cannot be sent abroad
and are not needed at home, where there is
a gluf. Stepping or shortening upon work
means the dry rot of bankruptcy to the
manufacturer and the quick distress of en-
forced idleness to the workingmen. A pro-
hihitlon tariff is constipation to commerce,
paralysis to manufacturing, starvation to
labor, and confiscatlon to the money of
producers ana consumers-all because
more stuff Is made than can be sold at
home, and high duties cut off a market
abroad. The stuff rofs unsold in the store
houses. The workmen go idle in the
streets, TO find hunger and hopelessness at
home. The honest manufacturer Is taxed
= ru,nous rate on the raw material needed
ny HIM IN his work. Ho has to stop; his
hands are discharged. The few monopo
lists grow richer hourly on the common
corner they have made on the energies,
ingenulties ana miseries Of men in these
states. Knowing what protection really
means, knowing the profligscy it works In
taxes and the rum 1t works In trade,
prices, labor, production, manufacturing
and buying, we say: "Welcome the issue! :"
CivilizNion, conscience. events, opinion,
l.