Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. A POLITICAL MEETING. Mottltrie had received the nomination for Congress, and a great degree of activity was being manifested by the political adherents of the several candidates in placing the merits of their respective standard-bearers prominently before the public. According to the indications, it appeared to be extremely probable that Moultrie would be chosen ; but the managers of his canvass were old party hands, who did not allow their confidence to interfere with their energy. Meetings in favor of Moultrie were being held in various parts of the district, at many of which he had appeared, and had delivered addresses in explanation of his political principles, and of the course which, if elected, he should feel called upon to follow. The question upon which interest mainly centred was that of the tariff. Neither of the candidates of the old political organizations had expressed themselves sufficiently clearly on the subject to satisfy a large body of advanced political economists, who were in favor of practical free-trade, and who had succeeded in bringing a good many workingmen to see the subject in the same light in which it appeared to them. Moultrie had answered in a very satisfactory manner the questions they had put to him, and although he did not go so far as some of the gentlemen who were active in his support, he was considered to be sufficientlyenlightened on the subject to serve as an entering wedge into the matter of revenue reform. Thus, Moultrie was very far from being in favor of the abolition of custom houses, as were many of the younger and more enthusiastic members of the " Free-Trade Alliance," which had been the chief instrument in bringing about his nomination. He recognized the fact that a tariff properly adjusted upon articles of u...