St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-11-27
A REVIEW OF THE FIGHT AGAINST
TARIFF REFORM. !
THE REAL REASON FOR THE DEFEAT OF
MIR. MoRRIsON-HIsTORY OF JOHN
JARRETT.
States.

I'D my Opiulou, LILO uupOpuidiiIy VI C."
treme free trade views. The tendency
and East, shows the prevalence OF con-
servative views on the tariff. In sec
lions where protection per Sc sentiments
do not entirely prevail, the people are
manifestly in favor of conservative
changes. The same would seem to be
the cause of Carlisle and Springer's re-
duced majorities."
Thus, in general way, Mr.. Wallace
interprets the elections as a rebuke to
the spirit of free trade and vindlca-
ton of the sentiment of protection.
Under the cross examination OF your
reporter, however, Mr.. Wallace does
not appear to be quite sure of his read
ing. The article continues thus:
what is the significance OF the cleo
ton in the East?"
Nothing different from the elections
elsewhere"
what, in your opinion, are the causes
of the Democratic losses y
Il think the Democratic losses are due
more to local than to national causes.
Disappointed Office seekers have al
lowed their venom to overcome their
party integrity in many sections and
especially in Virginia. That State has
been rampant for office, and the lmpor-
tunities OF its people have been so great
er were forced to abandon their seats
and decline a denomination. This ac-
counts, in my opinion, for the losses in
Virginia, and will apply elsewhere.
| have omitted nothing, as you Will
see by referring to the original publlca-
ton. The second quotation follows
Immediately after the first. and Mr..
WalIace's statement has not been gar
bled in the very least. have carefully
preserved the italics in extreme and
have reproduced in all its original
weirdness the phrase "prOtectlOn per Sc
sentiments" Nothing has been
changed.
Hence | feel that l have a right to ask
Mr.. Wallace how the endency" OF the
election "shows the prevalence of con-
sentative views on the tariff" whereas,
the Democratic LOSSES are due more
to local than to national causes" Ii an
election had tendency" and "tenden-
cy" means anything at all, its express
ion must be sought i'll the gains and
losses OF the parties contestant; yet Mr..
Wallace says tina. the Democratic losses
(and consequently the Republican
gains) were the result of local and not
national causes and, liz the same breath,
that the tendency" of the election is to
show the prevalence OF hostility to
tariff reform.
Does Mr. Wallace then regard the
tariff question as purely local one, and
question ?
don't want to be irreverent, but |
wonder if Mr.. Wallace really knew,
when he gave the States that interview
on the 9Th inst, exactly what those
Democratic losses" consisted of? The
total number of seats lost was eleven.
A Republican gerrymander in Ohio ac-
counts for six OF these, aud another IN
Iowa for one more-thus eliminating
seven from any equation in which sig
nifcance is to be considered. Two
more seats were lost, as Mr.. Wallace
judicionsly observes, through local
to-wit: Democratic dissen-
sions; SO that this tendency" upon
which Mr.. Wallace erects his fairy
Of opinion, seems to be ex-
pressed in Democratic loss of just two
seats in Congress!
AS to Mr.. Morrison's defeat, I am
sorry for the man who can see in that
Democratic calamity any factor save
the hand of the Republican moneyed
of the East, those same mo-
whose protection by the Re-
pnblicans and the Randall Democrats
costs the South hundreds aud hundreds
OF thousands of dollars every year in
the single article Of cotton ties. Mr..
Morrison, whose personal purity has
never been desparaged, himself says,
that he was defeated by bribery and
the agent whereof was
John Jarrett, president of the Tin Plate
ring of Pennsylvania. The New York
tected mOnopolies in the country, boast
fnlly acknowledges that Jarrett travelled
all the way from Pittsburg to East St.
Louis to organize and manipulate the
There is no doubt about 1T.
The money wrung from the people in
war taxes on the everyday necessities
Of life has been used to defeat Dem
Dcratic leader, and retarti the work OF
iherating the country from these I'M
rig hteOus burdens. There is nothing
Else in it. These moneyed corporations
and powerful mOnOpOlies, grown AFRO
CANT and cOntemptuOus in wealth exOrt-
ed from the producing classes have
invaded Mr.. Morrison's district and
purchased his defeat. And the worst OF
t is that there are Democrats who can
calmly speak of that outrage as if it
we're a legitimate political result, sig
lifying something tolerable!
This John Jarrett is very well known
u this part of the country although he
seems to possess for Mr.. Wallace all the
,harm of novelty. Those who are &C
luainted with his character and record
10 not share Mr.. Wallace's serene and
view of the part played
~ him in Mr.. Morrison's defeat. They
10 not regard that defeat as "vindicat
ng the unpopularity of extreme free
rade Observation-Disclosures that majestic