Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-03

nal thus rubbing itself in the dust. An
| other remarkable change is tkat since last
week the Globe has made no allusion to
the tremendous burden which Canada
bears in the shape of the Grand Trunk
monopoly. 1t would be difficult to point
| to another week of late years in which
some new phase of that monopoly has not
been shown up IN the Globe.
The principal change to be discerned in
the Globe, now that the directors are con
trolling its editorial utterances, is with re-
spect to the tariff question. Heretofore
the Globe has been a tariff for-revenue-
with incidental protection paper. In Can
ada, however, the tide is still running in
the direction of protection, pure and sim
pie. 1t commenced to run in 1878, when
the Mackenzie government went down be-
fore it. Evidence that the wave has not
spent its force is found in the fact that the
protectionist government was again re-
turned to power last June. 1t was the
Globes conduct during that election which
caused Mr.. Browns downfall. Politicians
are politicians here as in the states, and
here also the tariff question cuts across
the party lines. A great many of the Lib
erals, seeing the temporary popularity of
the protective idea, desired that there
should be no fighting on
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
They declared that the people had enough
of other grievances, without considering
the tariff, upon which to ask for the dis
missal from power of Sir John Macdonald.
These other grievances consisted of a
boundary dispute between Ontario and the
Dominion, the Canada Pacific monopoly,
the general incompetence and corruption
of the government, and so forth. The
Globe, however, the Hamilton Times, and a
few other journals, while fighting their
best on these special grievances, insisted
that the tariff question had certain i'm
portance, and refused to mince matters
about it, On the contrary, they argued the
tariff question eagerly, and countered ev
cry argument advanced by the govern
ment. The opinion of the other Liberals
appeared to be that because the govern
ment's best cry-the protective taritf-was
terribly strong one, it would be not to
meet it all. The strange theory prevailed
with them that, because the reasons we're
strong which the government advanced,
therefore it would be best to ignore them
and to allow the people to think them I'M
answerable. The most specious stories
about tariff matters were therefore allowed
to go uncontroverted except in the Globe.
This, notwithstanding that for four years
preceding and up to the moment of the
fight the whole Liberal party had been
banging away like mad at the tariff. What
could the people think of the cessation of
fire at such moment? Manifestly, that
the Liberals had been insincere either in
their four years. warfare or in their sud-
den peace. The tariff refo1mers would fall
away from them on the one suppositioD,
and the high tariff men would fail to he
converted on the other. Anyhow, the pee
pie sustained Sir John Macdonald, and the
Liberals began looking around for some
body to hit. The most conspicuous man
available for this purpose was Mr.. Gordon
Brown, and he was accordingly chosen as
the object of well-nigh unanimous wrath.
To get rid of him suited great number of
persons. The protectiopist Liberals, the
business rivals of the Globe, and whole
host of enemies that conscientious edi-
tor must have-all these combined their
forces with those of the Globe directors.
Gordon Brown stood up against furious
onslaught from all these people, against
attacks, some open, some treacherous,
from every quarter for six whole months;
and at last he died game. He refused to
resign, refused to take six months leave of
absence on full pay, refused to twist the
Globe one inch from its course. AS mana
ging director and chairman, he himself
put the motion for his own expulsion, de-
clared it carried, and left his brother di
rectors at leisure to repent or not to re-
pent of their action, as the case may be.
Thus this powerful journal was converted
at stroke from hostility into friendship,
or at least neutrality, toward high tariff
which, after the American, is the highest
endured by any civilized country. 1t re-
mains to be seen what will be the result of
the change. Perhaps the Liberals who
went over on the tariff question will come
back; perhaps they will not. They GER
tainly will not unless the Globe directors
can manage to swallow the record of the
paper on the protection question. There
will be great fun if this is attempted.
There ia an immense quantity of record to
be swallowed, and the meal may prove an
indipestible one