Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1881 — The Free-Trade Movement. [ARTICLE]

The Free-Trade Movement.

A recent telegram from New York says : Congressman Hurd, of Ohio, is just now very busy in this city organizing free-trade leagues, with the view of making the movement national. He says the intention is to have a league in in every State in the Union before the year is out, with the parent society in Washington and the financial and executive bureau here. The campaign is to be pushed something aftej the fashion of the Land League in Ireland, subordinate societies reporting periodically to headquarters for counsel and instruction. The idea seems to be that the Democrats lost the last Presidential election solely in consequence of the msimanagement of the tariff issue, and it is part of the programme of the new organization to prevent like mismanagement in future. At the same time the aim will be not to make it appear an exclusively Democratic movement, and to that end it is quite likely several Western Republicans will have a place in the management. Mr. Hurd has no doubt that free trade will overtop all other issues in the next Presidential election, and that, as the people need to have clear ideas on the subject, it is not a moment too soon to commence agitating the question. He would not be surprised if the next State ejection in

Ohio would turn on this question. Cooperating with Mr. Hurd are many wellknown New York gentlemen of large means, who have only been sentimental free-traders heretofore, but who have pledged themselves to take a more active part in the agitation in future. As soon as the State leagues are thoroughly organized a series of public meetings throughout the country will follow.