The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-28
bis party would add forty millions year

his party would add forty millions year
in order that the youth and manhood Of
the nation may be debauched and sapped
by free whisky and tobacco.
The debate, rs continued two days each
week since the 10Th, is very much In keep
Inc with the opening; the tariff reformers
presenting irrefragible facts and figures
on their side, and the opposition INDUCING
In passionate defamation. 1t Is TO be
regretted that the whole voting population
Of the country can get no fuller report OF
this great debate than Is furnished by the
inadequate md unsatisfactory synopsis at
forded by the telegrsphic reports in the
daily press.
For, after ALL 1t must be borne In mind
that these speeches, ostensibly addressed
to congress, are really nothing but stump
speeches addressed TO the whole country.
For nothing Is better settled than that
neither the Mills or any other tariff bill is
expected to pass the present congress, and
that the whole question of tariff reform
will have TO be brought out before the
people. And gres, point for congratulation
IL, that the Issue will be more closely
defined than any on which q presidential
contest has been brought In many years.
Not only has 1t been In part presented by
Mr. Kelly as free whisky and tobacco and
high tariff taxation on necessaries on the
one side, against reduction of taxation and
tariff reform on the other; but every
republican convention thus far held TO
elect delegates to the Chicago convention
to nominate their presidential candidates
has passed resolutions more or less strong
In favor Of continued high tariff protection,
and, as to the surplus revenue, suggesting
some other way to dispose of 1t than by
reduction of taxation. On the other
hand the course of the democratic party
is distinctly outlined In the Presidents
message, looking, for getting rid of the
dangerous surplus, TO such reduction of
the war tariff as can be made without dis
couraging or hampering the business and
commercial industries Of the country.
AT the same time it is generally settled
that Grover Cleveland will be the csndi
date of the democratic party, his nomina
ton by reclamation at the st. Louis
convention being foregone conclusion;
while with almost equal certainty the
fl recast can be made that James q. Blaine
will be the candidate of the republicans,
for although very few delegates outside of
California thus far elected have been
instructed for him, 1t is noticed that the
delegates appointed are in nearly all cases
his ardent friends. Thus In Ohio, though
ostensibly instructed for Sherman the
delegates are really for Blaine to man.
The same is true Of the New York and
Pennsylvania delegations as lar as elected
They may sit and wrangle and ballot for
two OF three days over the fifteen or
twenty other names that will be presented
In the convention in Chicago; but then,
tired out and disguised, they will break for
Blaine like drove of stampeded cattle.
Meantime Blaine, who starts for home
about the time the convention meets, will
be in mid-ocean when the nomination is
made, and beyond the reach of telegraph,
will be unable to decline, greatly as he no
doubt might desire to do-in horn, Oh,
he is a sharp one, and thus taking to sea
just at that particular time is not the least
evidence Of it.