The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-02-18

presented to the convention, for even 4
nominated l shall certainly Decline" there
might have been some propriety In saying
my name eiu not be presented" but hi'
letter contains no positive language like
that,-nor the remotest intimatiOn that II
nominated he will not accept, or that II q
nomination Is rendered with anything Ike
unanimity he will not be glad to do so.
1t Is evident, then, that the letter does
not mean what appears on the surface, but
that It must be read between the lines
This is the more apparent, because II is but
the repetition of an old dodge of Blaine's
As the Chicago Journal, whose editor Is a
great admirer Of Mr., Blaine, says III
looks like secondary use of strategy
which once proved successful" being "the
policy prscticed by Mr.. Blaine four years
ago, denying that he was candidate until
the last moment, but with all his friends at
work for him by all the means In their
power"
Persons entitled to respect for skill In the
Interpretation of political conundrums and
reading mystical chirography between the
lines, give Blaine's meaning as about this
That with himself out of the list there
will be about II prominent republican as.
pirants for the presidential nomination, all
en- level, with substantially an equal fol-
lowing to each Met In the Chicago con.
vention, there will be regular Kilkenny
fight between them, lasting three or tour
days perhaps, when all tired out and dis
gusted, the name of Blaine will be pre-.
sented and his nomination made with a
shout and hurrah, and the campaign for
his election to follow will be conducted In
the same spirit of unbounded enthusiasm.
The body OF Mr., Blaine's letter certainly
justities some such Interpretation. II is a
abored effort to show that although he was
defeated by the sbeerest accident in 1884,
the party is In vastly better and stronger
condition Row than II was then, and II
would be absurd to anticipate any such &C
cident las the disastrous three RS for ex-
ample in 1884. mo, gentlemen" Mr..
Blaine evidently means, mo such little
tiasco can lay me out in New York next
time. Forewarned, forearmed. Besides,
all the Issues now are changed. Then We
tried TO make the issue a square one be-
tween protection and free trade, but the
democrats lodged or evaded It. Now that
issue is squarely presented by the Presi-
dents message, and being recognized on
all hands par excellence the champion of
protection In this country, am the candi.
date above all others to be run on that is
sue"
OF course 1t goes for nothing, either
with Mr.. Blaine or his party, that the claim
that the Presidents message commits Mr..
Cleveland or his party TO square issue of
protection Uersus free trade is wholly base
less and false. All the leaders of the re-
publican party supremacy desire such to be
the issue, and therefore with the utmost
positiveness assert that II is and must be the
issue, and therefore can say nothing else.
But all intelligent men kn0,o at the same
time that such * not and cannot be made
the issue The President In his message
simply says, the government Is collecting
$3.50, 100000 year In excess of It's needs.
Shall the surplus be stopped or spent? If
stopped, how? This Is the whole question
and the issue. Why don't Mr.. Blaine and
the republican press and leaders meet 1t
instead of shouting free trade?' They
know, and the country knows, that areduc-
ton abundantly sufficient to cover the sur
plus can be made without In the least af.
fecting any industry of the country that
deserves protection, but that many of our
great industries would be benefited by
such reduction. The last President and
the last two Republican Secretaries of the
Treasury urged such reduction. Their own
Tariff Commission recommended 1t and
their own Congress and National Conven-
ton promised 1t. BY dodging that issue
now the Republicans, with Mr.. Blaine in
the lead, confess the weakness of their
case. The Democrats have forced that
issue-not free trade rs. protectlon--and on
that issue they will force the fight
WAGES AGAIN.