The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-07-28
THE CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS-

III
From 1873 to 1887, the farmers Of thi
country exported oyer four billion dollar
worth Of their products,-as high as 81
and never under 70 iper cent of the tota
export trade Of America. The high pro-
tected manufacturers export comparatively
nothing In spite of all the coddling they
have had at the hands of the government
The farmer has carried on the only foreign
commerce the U. $. has, he haipaid the In
terest and principal Of the national deb,
held abroad; he now pays the interest and
dividends Of bonds and stocks Of railroads
and other corporations held abroad as vel
az rents to the alien landlords; he hal
strengthened the public credit and en-
riched the government and the people
What has he to show for It? Well, he hai
his LANDS plastered over with mortgages
he sees his prices falling, and.i is threatened
with narrowing Of even his free trade
market; for should protection arrive at III
Legitimate conclusion, his exports will
cease-they are even now decreasing.
Every year his competition In free trade
markets grows harder, and there Is nc
likelihood that his prices will be higher.
Yet with profitable sales growing more
difficult, his cost Of living !s not cheap
enened. He keeps right on paying taxes
on all he eats, driHks and wears. He Is
the SOC day man who keeps going the
three dollar day man in the fac
tories. Just how long he can keep this
up remains for him to calculate when he
examines the condition of his capital.
In the shuttle of conflicting interests
represented In tariff bill the farmer gets
what is left, and what is left is the pay
ment of the bills. He does the toiling,
the sweating In the hot sun of the August
harvest field, while the protected manufac-
turer spends S60,0OO,0OO of his surplus
travelling in Europe, and as much more at
watering places at home. The towns grow
richer and the farmer grows poorer. WheD
one talk of the great American "boom," he
ioes not think of the farmer, he thinks of
The iron men of Pittsburgh.
The announcement Is made that Judge
|Olin will not be candidate for the nOmi-
nation for congressman by the democratic
district convention to be held in this city on
the 14th of August next, If this be true'
it becomes necessary to turn elsewhere fol
man. Candidates assuredly are not nu-
merous-probably in view of the fact that
the republican majority of two years ago
was 80 large Besides that Of Judge Olin'
the only prominent name that has been
named for congress, is that of the Hon.
j. w. Duncan. lie, however, will not, as We
understand, consent to be q candidate, not
withstanding the fact that he would com-
mand the heartiest support of the party In
the convention and at the polls.
~
In casting about for candidate, why
cannot the democrats of this county try
farmer? The farmers interest is by far
the greatest in the dirtrict. In looking to
this class for candidate, Will county
seems to present man in the person of
Major j NJ. Thompson, who would make an
excellent representative of the farmer
class and also an admirable man generally,
perhaps
Major Thompson possesses means
enough to give him the leisure to make
the canvass; he is thoroughly in earnest
in his advocacy of the reforms that are
necessary to give relief to the farming
interests; he is man of much natural
ability, has been thoroughly educated,
is thoroughly conversant with national
affairs, is good speaker aud writer, with.
al man of more than purely local repu-
tstion. His colder record is excellent, If
candidate must have soldier record, He
does not carry any lead in his body, for 1t
passed clear through him. Abandoned as a
man as good as dead by his own army as
we'll as by the rebs into whose hands he
fell he still lives to fight high taxes and
free whisky.
Mr.. Thompson has been for some time
Master of the State Grange, and has been
more prominent as greenbacker than as
a democrat, perhaps; but he Isl now, as
we are confidently assured, thoroughly en-
rapport with the President and the demo
cratic party in its efforts to secure reform
of the tariff. Whether he would take a
nomination, we know not. We simply Of
fer the suggestion Of his candidacy to
the democracy. The democrats of the
Princeton district have shown progressive
spirit in the nomination of Lovejoy on the
tariff Issue, The democrats of this dis
trict, who are similarly situated, might do
much woIse than to follow their example.
While the FREE TRADER would not be I'M
derstood as throwing any stones in the way
of water-works for the city of Ottawa, it