The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-20
BYNUM AS A FkEE-TRADER.
A Little Review of the Naughty Democrat
Life-where He Got His Ideas.

A Little Review of the Naughty Democrats
Life-Where He Got His Ideas.
indianapolis Special TO Philadelphia Press.
The Washington dispatches in the Press
depicting the arrogant bearing In the ways
aud means committee of William ID. By
num-. member for this. the Seventh Indiana
district. has caused some cOmment here.
Some have been led to wonder upon what
meat has this our Caesar fed that he has
grown so great. 1t has been recalled thai
Mr.. Bynum was not always SO bold q free
trader. lie took the first nomination to
Congress In 1885 very reluctantly when.
as he himself said during his fight with
Leon .. Bailey for the nomination In 1856.
nobody else wanted IL. He as then known
locally es q lawyer of no clIentage. who
went into politics and had served one term
as Speaker of the lower house OF the Legis.
lature as a member from Dayiess county.
one term in the capital induced him to To-
cate here. and he opened u law office. His
time was mostly given to the game of
euchre or seven up, for want of business.
HIS fei~low-iawyers here say that be did
not earn $500 IA year, and never had earned
that IN any year previous to going to Con-
gress. After his election his partner for
SOCK tho law and went TO manufacturing
lounges. showing that business was poor.
Bynum received much credit as an orig
mai advocate of free trade. His reputation
was earned over his protest and without
his assistance. in this way, as related by q
prominent State official OF his OWL party:
After the election of $780, said nv ln-
formant. 1.-The Indiana leaders called a
conference to discuss the situation. 1t was
held In the office of the late James H.. RiGe,
and Thomas A. Hendricks. Joseph +. Nc
Donald, John j. Cooper. John Lenders and
others prominent ID the party were pres
ent. The sense of the conference was that
the tariff was the pivotal point of the cam
paign and that while the Democratic posi-
tion was right on the question the Republi-
cans had got the best of il. 1t was agreed
IN at 4. a. annaiUp 0f anppattOn ahnnId HARM
at once and that the columns of the Senti-
mel should be used as the agent of this ed
ucational effort to put the party In better
shape 10y the next election.
lit was believed that while the articles
should pass the inspection of Governor
Hendricks and senator Mcdonald, they
were TO bear the name or some one indi-
vidual. Bynum was chosen TO stand as
their author. he protested and protested
again. but the conference held him to the
decision. The articles appeared over his
name. but were generally prepared by Hen
drloke or Mcdonald. or were OF composite
authorship. When collected and pub
lished for campaign use they were known
as 'Bynum's Letters on the Tariff and they
gave him quite q prominence as u free
trader"
In the slump of 1884. when the Blaine.Sen-
tinel e Disode Pot Indiana in the Democratic
column, Bynum was uneX pecredly elected.
He secured q denomination In 1886 by polit-
ical methods that would disgrace Tam.
many, and with the district geTrymGn-
dered has been able to secure reelection
ever since. His ten years OF Congress
have reelected neither benefit nor honor
TO the district. end Democratic here now
freely acknowledge the fac:. He il best
known as u master of billIngsgate and vi
tuperatiOn. winch were directed in heated
volumes. at one time, against Thomas A.
Hendricks. their Vice President. His re-
cent confession that he did not understand
the money question. and his vaciilation
generally. have shown his unitness To rep
resent the capital district of the State