Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-04-26

tioh' the iroquols Club, Gives Him "a
Royal Reception After His Fearless
Address for Freedom of Commerce.
The lroquois Club of Chicago recently |
held an anniversary celebration. Only |
club members and especially invited
guests were present, no known free
traders or single takers being in the |
audience, and yet all of the Chicago |
papers state that Congressman Tom l.. |
johnson, of Ohio, received a greater
ovation than that rendered to any of the
other distinguished speakers, of which
there were several, including many
prominent men from every part of the
country. The applause which greeted
Mr.. Johnson's declarations was peculiar
ly significant, and surprised those who
were not aware of the popularity of the
doctrine which he advocated. The ad-
! dress, which was favorably commented
upon by the press of the West, was in
response to the toast of Free Trade, :"
and the following extract of it is taken
from the Times, Chicago's bright single
tax daily:
There is no toast to which / would more
gladly respond than that you have assigned
me. For there is none that involves more of
pressing interest to the country, of vital inter
est to the party. / am free trader because /
am Democrat | am Il Democrat because l
am free trader! The Democratic idea of
equal rights to all and special privileges to
none is stultifed and Knocked by anything less
/ thun tpnln nd IN, tl,n
issues the Democratic party becomes discord-
ant and helpless and contemplate when it
| takes anything less than free trade for its
touchstone and standard and rallying cry. He
| is blind indeed who cannot see that now.
Where, today, is the great party that two
years ago swept the country as jefferson swept
| ii in 1890, the party into whose hands an out
ragged people, revolving from the iniquities of
the Mckinley act, gave the whole power of the
gOvernment-presidency and senate and house
| of representatives? Broken, discredited, fore
doomed to defeat. With all power in its hands
! for over Il year the Mckinley act is yet un-
| repealed and the trusts trading with the
senate for the continuance of their power to
rob the people. And on the political wall is
the writing Thou art weighed in the balance
and found wanting!" What is the reason of
the paralysis that has so quickly converted
=
of defeat? 1t is that the Democratic party, or
at least the politicians and managers of the
party feared to say free trade, and instead of it
made tariff reform" the watchword of the
party.
Free trade! There is meaning in the words
| They mean Just what they say-trade without
| legal lmpediment or restrictions; trade that
! gives no citizen an advantage over any other
citizen; trade that pays no toll to any special
interest, no tribute to ring or trust or lobbyist
trade which knows no custom house or tariff
| question:; trade with all the world as free, as
untrammeed us that which goes on within the
! boundaries OF our union between all its several
states. This is the real American system, the
! true democratic system, the only natural and
! common sense system.
| SOME APOSTLES OF TARIFF REFORM.
| But what does tariff reform mean? Anything
or nothing. Harrison was u tariff reformer.
Tom Reed was, and yet is, tariff reformer,
and rendered most efficient service to the
Democratic tariff reformers of the ways and
means committee by helping them to keep in
the Wilson bill duties dear to trusts and COM
binations, which the majority of the Democrats
| on the floor voted to strike out. What is the
difference between such men and the Demo-
cratic senator from Ohio whose sole idea in
! tafll reform is to keep up the duty on coal and
| IRON ore, the Democratic senator from Cali
| torna who thinks it his mission to keep up the
duty on fruit the Democratic senator from
New hork who uses the power of the Empire
state to keep up the duty on collars and cuffs,
OF the Democratic senator from Louisiana who
retained in his pocket commission from "A
Democratic president as justice of the supreme
court of the United States, in order that, before
ne lelt the senate, he could bargain for the
| continuance, in the hands of a few rich men. of
the power to rob the masses by artiacially en-
hancing the price of sugar?
Even those who are 10th to acknowledge the
"sSistance rendered by straightout free traders
TO the Democratic party in 1892, must admit
that 1t won the victory on the promise of tariff
REFORM what did it mean by tariff reformy
Was 1t the principle set forth in our platform
ueciarlng protection a robbery and n fra,dy
Was it the doctrine taught nv nan,,,,r.i
speakers and the Democratic press i'm tboir
dehunciatons of protection before electiong
WAS IL the Wilson bill, as it originally cane
from the subcommittee of five? Was il the
"Hsoh olil atter the influence of the lobby had
e'ioscuiated 1t in its passage through the COM
liilutee ol ways and meansI Was it the bill as
II c"he from the committee of the whole house.
where Tom Reed and his solid Rcn,,bIioa,'
strength came to the aid of the U,avs ana
means committee to vote the duties up and the
| free list DOWN. Or is it what is left of the fro
raw material theory of the Wilson bill. as il
now appears in the senate after the big trusts
and the Wall street spectators have got in
| their fine work."
PRoTECTIONIsTS IN DISGUISE.
As a matter of fact the measure of tariff
reform, which will result from the great Demo-
cratic victory of 1892, will be finally framed to
fha t1riaI nT
Democratic ranks, who are really protection
lists masquerading under the elastic name of
tarih reformers. With the Republican protec-
uohlsts back of them they hold the balance of
power and their votes must be bought by
schedules which continue the robbery from
"hich the masses have demanded relief. The
majority oil the Democratic side must take
"iat 'ley can get after the conservatives are
satlshed' ana ut last the American people must
wait uiltl the American house of lords consents
to act, and get in the end just what the trusts
and combinations choose To u,iyo ul =,