St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-20
AN INCAPABLE RARITY.
A Telling Criticism of the Repub-
lican Tariff Position From a
MuOxvumn

lican Tariff Position From a
Mugwump.
New York Times.
The longer the Republican party, as
represented in congress, struggles with
the tariff question the less capable it
finds itself to deal with it in any practi-
cal fashion, and it now seems to have
settled down to determined policy of
non-action. With the exception of the
hearings that are being given by a sub
committee of the senate finance COM
mittee to men who are thought to be
able to furnish some ground of con-
plant against the tariff bill before the
house, there are no signs at present that
the Republicans are even trying to. ct
tie upon any definite course of
procedure with regard to what
is the most important and prac
teal measure of public bushes
that they have had to deal with save
the currency alone, since the close of
the civil Wal. The reason of this Singh
lar and obstinate incompetency is deeper
than the facts of the actual situation in
dictate. The apparent cause is that the
Republicans have become so Intimately
connected with such a wide variety Of
Interests, and the men controlling these
Interests have received and bestowed so
many favOrs from and upon the party,
that the tariff laws cannot be touched at
any point without raising diSs ,nsions
and differences that are fatal to any pos
tive policy. But back of this lies the
spirit that has become dominant in the
party and that has affected It's action
not only in this but in many other di-
rectiOns. This spirit has some striking
and real points Of analogy with that of
the Roman church, and it is not unin-
tereStlng to trace them.
The most essential point of analogy is
the feeling that exists in the Republic
can party and in the church that its Or
ganlZatlOn has in it a pronounced ele-
ment OF infallibility, and that it exists
not as means to an end, but sort of
sacred institution, whose authority is
not to be disputed, whose decisions have
higher sanction than any others on the
same subjects, and from which there
can be no detection that is not heretical
in point of doctrine and sinful in point
of morals. This is an entirely different
thing from the mele partisan narrow
ness and devotion that is common to all
parties. The most ardent and strict
Democrat. if be be fairly intelligent, may
denOuEce his opponent as foolish, fanati-
cal, ignorant, and even dangerous, but
unless he has been trained in the slave
holding school, he is not apt to think
that his opponent is, ipso factO, a wicked
person. Many Republicans, on the con-
trary, and, curious enough, in some pro-
portion to their own general intelligence
and sincerity, will talk, and if they do
not talk, will act as if those who differ
from them in politics were necessarily to
thateXtent vicious, and men to be treat
ed,not by argument or persuatiOn, but, if
possible, with the terrOrS of the law.
The Spanish lnquisition was not more
profoundly and sincerely convinced
that it was doing the w rk of God in
bringing diSbelieverS to rack and the
stake than are large numbers of Repub-
llcanS that it is the most obvious and
most precious service to the cause of
righteousness to discipline those who
differ with them in the seyereSt manner
permitted by modern usage.
AS the church fell under the control.
for long time. of a higher priesthood
that worked on the devotion of the
masses for its own selfish ends. SO the
Republican party endured the domina-
ton of managers who exploited the
strong moral feelings of its members
for purposes that were far from moral
x
the more rational members of the party
i'll this state of things. TO great mass
OF the party the fact that any proposed
policy, such as the reform of tariff legiS-
latIOn, that time and change have made
oppressive and absurd, has no precedent
in the sacred annals of the party, that
it is not approved by the leaders to
whom they have been accustomed to
look for the revelation of the law, makes
the policy seem not only unnecessary
but vicious. 1t is to them what the
church policy of non possumus
as in, the affairs with which
to deal, it happens that this decree is
not, in fact. decisive. and that what the
sacred authorities cannot do, or refuse
to do, gets done by some other agency
more adapted to the eXigencies of the
hour. That is what is now in course of
doing in the matter of the tariff. 1t may
not be possible, since the Republicans
hold the senate, to accomplish ANYTHING
at present in the way of actual legisla-
ton, but 1t is certain now that the queS-
ton will go to the people, and the atti-
tude OF the Republicans, proving con-
| clusively that they cannot or will not do
what it is absolutely necessary shall be
done, not only induces, but compelS,
the people to seek satisfaction of their
requirements from other agencies. For,
happily, in this land and in this gen.
Grafton, the body polite is not shut up
| to the choice of one agency any more
than the Christian world was forever
limited to one church. To the Repub-
/ l.