The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-07-20
THE ST. PAUL KICKER.

THE Mankato FREE Press, which is q
sort of clauqer of the Minneapolis Trlb
upe, follows the lead of that paper in
reading the Pioneer Press and nearly 6
hundred and thirty thousand Republic
cans in this state out of the party be-
cause it and they do not approve of some
of the features of the tariff plank in the
Republican platform.
The above is the first sentence of q
long editorial inMonday's Pioneer Press in
which that paper makes another attempt
to explain its anomalous position of pre-.
tending to support the Republican ticket
and still advocate tariff policy which in
no material respect differs from that OF
the Democratic party. The z. p. has
never been celebrated for lack of gall
but Its pretence that whoever criticises
and thirty thousand Republicans who
are ready to stand or fall with the p. p
is-merely pretence, and nothing else.
In our article, of which the Press only
has the manliness to copy garbled ex-
tract, we recognized the fact that the
paper has many admirers, and the mum.
Der would be ten-fold greater were it to
be depended upon for consistent and
open support of Republican principles.
But il has no such reputation, and of the
thousands of Republicans who daily Pc
ruse it's columns there are very few who
are willing to allow it to define their
principles.
The FREE PRESS is the claquer of no
body's ideas hut its own. 1t holds that
the course of the Pioneer Press has been
largely responsible for the growth OF
ideas in this state hostile to Republican
ism. 1t has no disposition to read any
body out of the party-its advice to the
st. Paul sheet has been to get inside of
the party. We claim that those who are
pretending to support the Republican
ticket should not be continually finding
fault with the platform Oh which that
ticket rests. This the p. L. has been do
ing right along, and on several occasions
has undertaken to demonstrate that
there really is no great difference be-
tween the tariff views of the two great
parties If the Republicans win this
year it. will be on the distinct Issue that
it favors tariff for the sake of protec-
ton. That is the distinct issue, and that
is the reason the Republican platform
be twisted to mean anything else. The
fact that the Pioneer Press finds fault with
this platform is conclusive evidence that
it considers protection of secondary i'm
portance. 1t favors such protection(P)
as a tariff for revenue only will afford,
which is simply the policy of the Democ-
racy. Its editors of course endeavor to
squirm out of this position, but their
commentator of Cleveland's message,
and illy-concealed endorsement of the
Mills bill when it first appeared, conclu-
slvely show the PIP. to occupy substan-
TALLY the same ground on the tariff ques-
ton as the Democratic party-opposition
to protection. AS we say, we don't want
to drive it out of the Republican ranks.
We want it quit going ont so fast, and
turn about to consistent support of the
Republican ticket-a kind of support
which will make votes for the Republic
ans, not the Democrats.
The Pioneer Press does not monopolize
the sentiment in favor of revision of
the tariff, nor does its mythical 10000
Republicans. There has not been Re-
publican Congress since the war which