The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-10-25
THE TARIFF FRAUD.

In speech at Paris, ILL.,, Monday, Hobbs,
Prohibition candidate for Governor, said he
believed the tariff was humbug, and was
simply used to whip voters into party line.
Inter ocean.
Mr.. Hobbs is mighty right" As at
tempted to be lugged into this contest by
the Republicans, and notably by Mr.. Blaine,
In his hippodroming speeches In Ohio and
Indiana the tariff issue is monstrous
humbug, and in its treatment by Mr.. Blaine
involves, like everything else he seems to
be connected with, shameless prevaricatiOn
and lying, Thus at Elkhart and other
points In Indiana, Mr.. Blaine is thus re-
ported by his hired blowers of the Associ
ted Press:
He addressed his remarks entirely to the
tariff issue. He said that last year Indi-
anas industrial product reached the enOr-
nous sum of $l50,OO0,000 He wanted to
ask any fair and candid man, be he Demo
crat or Republican, whether that great
prosperity could have been reached with
out a protective tariff The two parties
were divided upon this issue "Be careful
in your Judgment as free men upon the
4tb of next November" said Mr. Blaine as
he babe Elkhart good-by.
Mr.. Blaine Is no fool, and when he said
"the two parties were divided upon this is
sue" (the tariff }, he lied as consciously and
brazenly as he lied when in the face of his
own receipt be denied that he had ever
owned any Hooking Valley stock, or had
accepted a gratuity of Little Rock and TT.
Smith Railroad stock. The people of this
country, on the tariff question are divided
sectionally rather than politically. In New
England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Ohio
and portions Of New York, Democrats and
Republicans are alike advocates of high
tariff protection, while low tariff men and
free traders are found in both parties In
the West the anti-high tariff feeling is per
haps more predominant among the Demo
Gratis than Republicans, but high tariff advO-
Gates, low tariff men and absolute free traders
are found in both parties. There is no man
of sense but knows this; there is no hon
est man that denies it.
As to the bearing upon the tariff ques
ton of the outcome of the pending presi-
dental contest, every manufacturer or work
ingman in the country knows, or ought to
know, that whether Cleveland or Blaine Is
elected, the present tariff will in no way be
affected In the present congress it can
not be touched even in the lower house,
without the consent and help of the Repub-
lcans, though the Democrats have so ma
jority there; and in the next house, where
in any event their majority will be reduced,
they will still be more helpless; while in
any event the senate will remain Republi-
can for at least four more years to come, so
that in both houses Republican consent
must be obtained to touch the tariff.
The recently issued address of Pennsyl-
vania Republicans and protectionists OPP
posed TO Mr.. Blaine, headed by that able
protectionist and Republican, Mr.. Henry c.
Lea, exposes this fraudulent pretence of
Mr. Blaine in these words
With respect to the tariff, we in no way
recognize that protection Is at stake in the
present canvass In the sense In which the
Republican managers would have us be-
lieve. Many of the members of this asso
citation are pronounced protectionists whose
interests are largely dependent as they be
lieve, on the continued prosperity of the
fostered by the tariff, and
they can recognize no danger to these in.
terests from the success of the candidate OF
a party which i'm the last session of congress
only showed in its efforts at tariff revision
its own hopeless division on the subject,
and was forced at Chicago to adopt an ex
preston of policy so nearly akin TO that of
It's rival.
And then they add this trenchant blow at
the Blaine attempt to demagoge with the
tariff =
We in philadelphia, no longer ago than
last February, had an example of the skill
with which the tariff can I've unfairly used