The Portland daily press., 1888-08-29
FREE TRADERS, RANK, FILE AND STAFF.
The True object Of the Democratic
Party.
utterances That setray Motives
Vainly Hidden.
Efective Arraignment of the Mills
Following by Mr.. Reed.

Following by Mr.. Reed.
lHon. I. b, Reed in N. Y Tribune.l
1t Is astonishing how difficult 1t is In this
world 70 get things called by their right
names, ana yet the names are not the essen
tlal things except as aifording short and con.
else terms which enable you TO designate the
objects without circumlocution The horse
mas diiierent name In every language, and
yet Is the same animal TO every eve. The
difficulty Of getting the true names attached
TO things is much enhanced when the true
name reveals sinister designs. No criminal.
for instance, likes to have his action des-
cribed In legal terms. It Is much easier to
get the photograph Of an honest man than
the countenance Of one who Is TO adorn
gallery consecrated to study by detectives.
The sitter In the last case goes into contor-
tions which at once spoil his beauty and
render his Identification difficult. Neverthe-
less, whether the face Is In rep0se or In mo-
ton the same man Is in front OF the camera.
so with ideas and principles, the essential
thing Is to get at the verities under whatever
name they may be called.
In this campaign the purpose Of the Presi-
dents friends Is TO break down protection by
slow. degrees; no slower, however, than Is
absolutely necessary for the success Of the
plan. In order to do this they commenced
operations at the beginning Of this session Of
Congress by intrusting the formation Of a
bill to reduce the tariff to a committee, at the
head OF which was Mr.. Mills, Of Texas. AS
soon as the country was thoroughly aroused
to the nature OF the bill, its trainers and sup
p0rters found that there was so strong a
feeling In favor Of protection throughout the
country and within their own party that they
have latterly taken upon themselves the
task, not only OF denying the tendencies Of
tlons. When the meeting of ratification in
New York took place the feeling was so
strong that large job lots of COngressmen
were sent over to that city to asseverate the
contrary Of what amid the great applause Of
their fellow members they had declared on
the floor Of the House. The notable instance
OF Mr.. Mills will be touched upon later in
detail.
All Of them seemed to be anxious not to be
called free traders. They seemed after the
launching of their craft TO have the same
dread lest it should be christeued The Free
Trader as did Grover Cleveland when he
wrote the one-t0pic message which proposed
the plans and laid the keel. 1t becomes,
therefore. highly important to find out what
these gentlemen say In what, under our
American newspaper system Of reporting the
doings OF Congress. Is the profound and con-
hdential secrecy Of the House debates. We
must put the camera upon them at moments
when they did not expect to be put into the
gallery to be examined by all good citizens.
The faces will be more natural than when
they are contorted for the stump, after the
discovery that the people do not want free
trade" under whatever name the odOr Of it
may be given forth.
OF course no one will expect that these
gentlemen will wear their hearts on their
sleeves and boldly announce in precisely the
language which will be most dangerous to
them and their party the views they really
possess and mean to put into action. 1t is
only in their Incidental talk that they use the
phrases which reveal the ultimate goal Of
their designs. Out Of some Of the very
speeches which are carefully prefaced with
denials OF free-trade tendencies crop the in
dications which show what is below These
things pervade every speech delivered by
tnose who belong to the dominant wing Of
the party and control the party action. Not
once. but many times, during the debates
have these men been invited to deny their
allegiance to free trade. and never once, when
surrounded by their associates, have they
dared so TO do. In each case they have had
TO put the distance from Washington to New
York between them and the faces Of those
who know their real sentiments. Some de-
tached sentences will show how they feel. 1t
IS perfectly true that many sentences which
| shall quote are inconsistent with sentences
Ia the same speech. but in no case inconsis-
tent with the whole speech, its purpose and
intent. For instance, Mr.. Mckinney, Of
New Hampshire, who has joined himself
very cordially TO the dominant wing of his
party, but who has too many flourishing in
dustries In his district not to deny that he is
a Free Trader, f0rgets sin the heat Of de-
bate" all about his exordium, and In the
ecstacy OF his peroration bursts forth into
tnis Invocation, which even Frank Hurd
might envy:
Give US free and open market with the
world; break down the barriers which a
false system has built around u.s."
Mr.. Mcdonald, Of Minnesota, also, who
had heretofore been careful to put the word
high" before the word tariff and to say
I'VE are no Free Traders" bursts the bar
riers before he gets through and declares in
so many words that American manufaetur-
Ing industries do not need protection any
longer" and speaks of the ''legalized robbery
called protective tariff" in precisely those
words. No wonder he says II am frank to
say this bill does not meet my unqualified
approval. l am not fully satisfied with it,
because it does not go far enough" These
last expressions were so common in the de-
bate, sanctioned as they were at the outset
by the declaration Of Mr.. Mills that ''the bill
we propose is not all we could have asked"
that 1t is marvel that any attempt should
be made to disguise the tendency Of the pres
ene action and to turn away from the future
action which its trainers intend to take
should the present scheme be successful.
The declarations against protection as a
system were not confined to any section Of
country or any class or condition of men,
bers. They were not confined to the South
nor to the West. They were as widespread
as the Presidents party. They were uttered
as well by members who have not yet made
for themselves National reputation as by
the members of the majority Of the Commit
tee Of Ways and Means, that secret tribunal
which not only framed the bill in darkness
put aiterward tarmed out amendments to the
deserving faithful
The protection system has violated the let
ter and spirit Of the Constitution" said Mr..
Shaw Of Maryland, in his speech Of April
on the first day of May, himself in favor OF
the iron ore tax because iron ore is pro-
duced In his native village. 'Sir, believe
commerce between nations should be re-
lieved so far as possible from all fettery and
Qll rQQfrainfc - and hfunoa1f ~ Iaaf b,sr ftxf,
all letters and all restraints, denounces 'the
blOodsucking protectioniSt." "Sir" said Mr..
Dockery, Of Missouri, though anxious lest any
outsider should call him a free trader"
Sir, the present system Is fundamentally
wrong in its operation and fundamentally
ridiculous in the pleas set up for its continu-
ance." Mr.. Landes, of Illinois, little bold
er, declares that "a tariff for protection is in
deed piece Of finesse to persuade men into
| slavery"
From the State of Henry Clay comes Mr.
| Carruth. who tells prosperous and success
| people that this tariff is most insidious
enemy" that lit is really stealing our sub
stance and destroying our lives" Breaking
into metaphor. he exclaims ut is not a
| highwayman who boldly gallOps up on the
| public road, and boldly demands your money
| or your life, but the sneak thief who In an
unconscious moment (sic) filehes your purse"
same State, follows up the attack by talking
Of .the robbery which protection brings"
Hatch OF Missouri, who throws into his
opposition to protection the whole force of a
strong mind and vigorous body, puts his
feelings into a single sentence when he de-
clares that ''the whole system was conceived
In greed and ayarice and it has been main
tanned from that day to this by misreprenta-
ton and fraud Not only born bad. you see
this demon Of protection, but has held its
| own with undertaking wickedness.
Major Martin, fresher even than Mr.. Mills
| himself from the plains Of Texas, and whose
bump OF caution has not yet been enlarged
by the blows coming from a Proteetianist
| world, declares in a set phrase which that
| future eminence likely to happen to any
| Texas statesman may hereafter cause him to
| repudiate in New York II am opposed to
| the protective policy Of our Government"
which declaration, liable to be so trouble
| some to his future fame, he supplements
| with prophecy that 1.-The day Of protection
| Is fast drawing to a close" Mr.. Lane, of
Illinois, signalized his first year In Congress
| by an essay from which l Gull few samples
which show that he has not yet learned, like
some OF his more experienced brethren, to
look one way and row another. "The pro-
| tective system Is un-American and is per
version Of the laws of nature, of God and
man.. This barbaric policy shall and viii
have to CO." So well does he like the phrase
Protection Is delusion and snare that
i he repeats II like refrain, with Just Lnat
i little variation which the genius OF the En-
/ glsh language seems to require. "ProtecAoh
i Is forever cheat and delusion. -