St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-16
THE BULLDoZED FARMERS.


The secretary of an Eastern tariff
league recently wrote to prominent
gentleman in this state. asking him if
the tariff reform idea was making any
progress in Minnesota. The reply was:
Minnesota is full of tariff reformers
except on election days" The truth
could not have been more terSely ex-
pressed, nor the situation more fOrelbly
described. Tariff reform sentiment
runs riot in all this Northwestern region
until election times come around; then
the men who are usually the most en-
thusiastic champions of tariff reform
march up to the polls and vote for the
protection candidates. 1t has been so in
Minnesota for the last twenty years,
and there is no evidence that there is to
be a let-up in the near future. The
same conditions apparently prevail in
the Dakotas. The far ming classes pre-
dominate out there, Just as they do here
in MINI eSota. and four-ffthS of them
are outSpoken in behalf of tariff reform.
Yet when election day comes around
they will go up to the polls and vote for
the candidates for congress who are
pledged to a support of the principles
enuneiated IN the Chicago platform.
The prOtectiOnists played it very
fine on the Republican farmers of
the two Dakotas by giving them full
representation on the state tickets, but
singing out the congressional nOmi-
nees for themselves. So far as promot-
ing the cause of tariff reform is con-
cerned. it doesn't amount to baWbee
who holds the state offices. But it does
make mighty difference when it comes
to electing congressman. And 1T is
there that the protectionists get in their
fine work. They will swap off every
thing else for a congressman, because
it is the congreSsman's vote which de-
cides the question of high tariff or low
tariff.
When we remember that our North
western farmers are an unusually in-
telligent class we are at loss to know
how they are thus continually bam-
boozIed into support of principle that
they know to be directly antagoniStic to
their own interests. In private CONVEX
sation, and very often in their public
gatherings, the Republican farmers as
sert their belief III the tariff reform doc
trine. In some instances they organize
tariff reform leagues, and when no cleo
tions are on hand. actually do good mis-
sionary work. But the election period
upsets everything, and they go back to
their wallOwing in the protection
mire. The only rational explanation
of this singular conduct is that they are
DulldOZed into it. This is rough term
to use in this connection, but there Is
none other that will apply. Inside of
the Republican organization an ostra-
cism has been established against every
member of the party who is known to
be infected with the tariff reform
hereSy. and this fact is made so appar-
ent that it terrorizes the rebellious into
subsection. Editor HERBERT, Gen.
COLE. and Gen. BAKER furnish notable
instances of the effect of this ostracism
in this state, and it is enforced against
every man who is ambitious to fill any
office from governor down to constable.
The indications are that the Dakota
Republicans have borrowed the Mime
sofa idea, and are determined to estab-
lish the same ostracism in the party
management in the new states. To-
gether with being tricked and bulldozed,
the people are setting their faces i'll a
direction opposite to their interests, and
are blindly rushing headlong to dis
acfar If dnnc coam that fhprp ought tn
be independence enough among the
Northwestern farmers to break the
thralldom which the politicians have
imposed upon them. 1t is possibly be-
cause they have no leader to organize
the break that it has not been made be-
fore this time