The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-17
TOM LOHNsoN,s VIEWS.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 16 16-Congressman Tom
| L. Johuson of Cleveland, o who made a
speech at the recent Reform club ban quet
in New York. in which he denounced the
Democratic tariff ''trimmers," is in St.
Louis on business Speaking of the al.
| legged snubbing of Speaker Crisp, he said:
THAT little affair has been made fully
rs much of as it deserves to be- Mr.. Crisp
has no right to consider himself snubbtd
or insulted. Nothing of the kind was in
tended, so far as / know. IL he was snub-
bed, then eleven other just as good Demo
erats as he is were also; for there were
seventeen persons at that table. and only
five or us made speeches, leaving an even
dozen who said nothing Any way, 1t
was not much of Crisp banquet, on gen.
eral principles Crisp, according TO my
way of thinking, is a Randall Democrat,
and that means, plainly speaking, a pro-
tectionist. The Reform club doesn't come
under that head.
Gas TO the effect the incident will have
in the next speakership contest, it is too
early to predict. liz may have none at all.
Possibly it may be factor in more clearly
drawing the line between the protec-
zionist Democrats. with Mr.. Crisp as their
representative, and the real reform ele-
ment of the party. with such men AS Mr..
Wilson OF West Virginia rejecting its
policy. | am free trader out and out,
but the Democratic party is not that far
advanced; but as Mr.. Wilson comes
nearer to my way of thinking than do
most of the party leaders i'll congress. |
should favor him for speaker. He is not a
free trader, but he is the best | can get in
that direction. | do not know that he will
be candidate for speaker, but think he
will
'As to the question of tariff l have to
- r1N l. 4, =
one cents worth of protection-Just
enough tariff for revenue only, as laid
down IN the Democratic platform. II
that policy, when put in force, fails to
furnish money enough to run the govern
ment, then / am in favor of an income tax
to make up what is lacking.
But | believe that the people of the
United States are just facing the question
of taxation 1t will be the foremost issue
in the next and, perhaps, several succeed
ing presidential campaigns. Then, when
these protectionist and revenue tariff
Demo ocrats become stumped | believe the
free trade Democrats like myself have the
winning scheme-a single tax as adyocat-
ed by Henry George.
"Mr. Harter's sugar bounty bill? Oh!
I'll never vote for that measure | like
Harter. but I'd see him in the hot place
first before I'd vote for it; l would never
indorse the replacing OF tariff on raw
sugar
"Cleveland's cabinetf Cleveland alone
can tell. He probably knows all about 1t,
and nobody else does. All l care to say
about il is that if Ohio has man in it he
will be Ex-Governor Campbell. As to Mr..
Morrison being a member, Cleveland
might go farther and fare worse
AS to changing the time for the meet
ing of congress, l am in favor OF it, but
not for the congress already elected. | am
a Grover Cleveland man out and out. and
l don't want his hands tied by any action
of his party or any other. l want an ex-
ira session of the new congress, but |
want Cleveland to call it just at the time
that peases hlm"
When the Democratic landslide struck
the Union on last election day. it reached
the height Of its momentum in Tom John
sons district. The district has natural
Republican, majority, but Johnson carried
1t by more than 1000 votes to spare Since
then his friends have been booming him
for the Democratic nomination for COVER
nor of Ohio next year. They say they
want straightout fight on the issues of
free trade and protection, with Tom John
son standing for the first and Governor
Mckinley for the last named proposition.
Asked about his candidacy, Mr.. johnson
said:
81 am not anxious to run for governor
I'd rather stay in congress 4 to l; but if
the Democratic party of Ohio thinks it
wants me for its candidate, vii my we'll
known views as an issue, | am ready 10
answer their call. But SO faras my prefer
ence and my ambition goes, it is to remain
in congress. l expect to see free trade
principles expand and broaden throughout
the Uulou, and want to do all can in con-
greSS to promote them"