Omaha daily bee., 1888-10-01
ZEB VANCE AND THE PRESS.
How the South Carolina Senator
Changed His Opinion.
THE FARMERS AND THE TARIFF.
The Effect the Mills Bin VIII Have
on the Voters Resident in the
Natural Gas Belt OF Ohio
and Indiana.


man. but up to a few months ago he did not
have very exalted opinion of newspapers
and the men who run them, He had not a
soft side for the representatives, of the
press in Washington, and the boys have
given him a tolerably wide berth. The new
turn in political affairs in the Tarhcel state
seems to have changed Senator NancC's
opinion, however, of the effectiveness OF the
press, and he not only recognizes it us "A po-
tential element IN politics, but Il very essen
tial one. About six months ago The North
Carolina press opened up on Senator Vance,
and the democratic newspapers seemed to
vie with the republican in humping the
senator severely. Presently he awoke to the
fact that he would have to defend himself;
that though the legislature had for years
been very largely in the democratic majority
the prospects wore that if it was not secured
by the republicans IA majority would be
i'll opposition to his reelection. So senator
Vance bought a newspaper and paid about
thirty thousand dollars for it. This was
considerable sum of money for a man IN or
dnary circumstances, and it has ever since
required much of his attention. He hired
correspondent here to take charge of the
paper, and he has himself given it not little
of his own efforts.
The change of front by Senator Vest on
the subject of newspapers reminds me of "a
story he told at dinner given by the Grid
iron club, composed of the leading CORE
spondcnts of Washington, about a year or so
ago, Len be was not of the opinion that the
newspaper men were very important part
of political life. "A good many years ago.
said he 'the first railroad was built into
what now is one of the best improved counties
in North Carolina. There were old men and
women who had taken the most important
parts IN the development of the country who
had never seen locomotive or railroad
car. The construction of the road naturally
attracted much attention among the natives.
The men, women and children all along the
route turned out as the grading and track
laying progressed and that whole section of
the state seemed to be on the qui vive for the
steam cars Finally the track was laid,
and it was announced by the newspapers at
one of the comfy seats that on a certain day
the first train would run over the new road.
People locked i'll from remote parts of the
state. One very tall and angular old cit
izen stood about the station with one hand in
his pocket and small boy hanging to the
other hand. When the locomotive and its
cargo moved into the town the people gath
cred about to inspect every section of the
train. The old gentleman and his little boy
got down on their hands and looked all over
the running gear of the passenger coaches,
then climbed up the steps and pccrcd into
the windows, and finally gave the couplings
minute examination. After Il while they
Z,
ing loudly to see the mysterious powcrwhich
propelled the train. Hero is whore the old
man and, his son were almost dumbfoundcd.
Each stood silent and alone for several min
utes, gazing intcntly ut every piece Of the
machinery, with their eyes poddng like
g1urdS at the rushing steam and the great
volume of smoke coming from the stack.
After an eapsc of some minutes the old man
found his tongue, and inquired of a trauman
where the engineer was. He wanted to see
the man who controlled the great institution
of railroad train. He cared more
to put his eyes upon the single
arm that held the throttle, turned on
the steam and made the wheels go
round than all else Presently the engineer,
who was on the other side of the locomotive
oiling 1t up, came round to the side where
stood the old gentleman and the boy. The
engineer was a little old bumped back,
weazened faced, skinny man, dressed in a
homespun suit all covered with oil and dust.
There was another spell of silence from the
old man and the boy. They lost sight of all
else but the engineer. When finally. the
conductor signaled for the train to start the
engineer sprapg into tne cab, pulled the bell
rope, touched the whistle cord, and pulled
the throttle. Then he pokcd his head out of
the cab window, and as the tram began to
move looked at his two auditors. Now the
boy spoke, and he gave utterauce to my
feelings as stand before this vast crowd of
men tonight and see the propellng power of
the great press of America. The boy said:
wen, udu, ne not SuCu Il ROlL
great fellow, after all
At the conclusion of Senator Vanco's story,
which he told inimicaoly, there was not a
smile nor murmer from any of his audi
ence.
The farmers of the country are to be told
by democratic orators that the republican as
well as the democratic tariff bill proposes TO
put jute and slssal grass, which come IN
competition with flax straw in the manufac-
free list, and that therefore the republican
tariff bill should be as Objectionable to the
farming classes as the Mills bill. Jute and
sssal grass are distinctive elements in the
manufacture of certain coarse woven goods
and rope and the manufacturers say 1t does
not compete with the flax. 1t should be
borne in mind that this free raw material is
for the manufacturer, and goes into the
manufacture of goods which are largely con-
sumed by the farmer The republican tariff
bill does not put fax seed and flax straw,
which are raised by the farmers, on
the free list, and it does not put
bill does, cottorl bagging and gunny
cloth, which proposes to completely destroy
the flax industry of this country. The re-
publican bill does put upon the free list the
binding twine which the farmers everywhere
use. 1t does not put upon the free list any
article which can be successfully raised by
farmers IN the north, south or west, or in
fact, any part of this country, while the
Mills Dill puts upon the Tree list almost
every article that enters into the products of
American farms 1t will be seen that there
is a very wide range Of difference between
the two measures, so far as farming inter
ests are concerned.
"There ought to be enough votes go from
the democratic to the republican ranks in
the natural gas belt of Indiana alone to give
Harrison and Morton very large majority"
said real estate dealer in one of the most
enterprsing natural gas cities in the Hoosier
state, referring TO the tariff and the cam
paign. 1--WE have experienced decided set
back in our natural gas BOOM, continued the
gentleman, 'and it can be attributed
solely to the agitation of the
tariff Beginning with Toledo O., and
running to the central part of Indiana-t ex.
tends almost entirely across northern Ohio
belt of country, probably fifty miles wide,
has been developed beyond all competition
within the last eighteen or twenty months,
and the discovery of natural gas has done it.
The element that develops a natural gas
country is manufacturing. Towns build up
only through the establishment of factories.
These are glass, paper, woodworking and
textile. The Mills bill proposes to strike
severe blow at all of these industries. Last
summer ana fall there were ten times as