St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-18
POWER OF PLU1OCRACY


The most gratifying feature of Mr..
BRIcE's election to the senate is that e
has given the Republican press an op-
portunity to discuss the evils of plutoc-
racy. They have been very close
mouthed Oh the Republican side all
these years that plutocracy has been
growing upon the country, for the rea-
son that the plutocratS who got into the
senate were Republicans. Until quite
recently there has been current belief
that Democrat could not be trusted by
the monopolies, and us the object of es-
tablisaing plutocracy in the senate
was to protect the monopoly inter ests,
the disposition has been to favor Re-
publican aspirants for senatorial honors.
Now that the tables are turned
and the shoe is on tho other foot
the Republican organs are quite
free with their denunciatiou of what
they denomlnate 1.-The outrage perpe-
trated by the Democrats of Ohio.'
1t is not for the purpose of indicating
the Ohio Democracy that we allude to
the matter at this time. We simply
want TO stick pin in these Republican
utteranceS so that we can refer to them
later on.
We admit that Mr.. BRIcE owes his
election to the money power. 1t is
equally clear that if the Democrats had
not carried the legislature, CHARLIE
FOSTER would have been senator. and
he would have owed his election to the
money power. After all, it was not so
much question of party success in
Ohio as it was the absolute domination
of those imperium in 1mperio masters
of America-the great corporations
over Ohio politics. With the people of
Ohio it was simply choice of partners
In that mammoth octOpus-the Standard
Oil company. 1t made no difference
which party controlled the state legis-
lature: the Standard Oil company
owned the party in control.
That was all there was of the Ohio
senatorial contest.
But it is not all of the lesson the Ohio
senatorial election teaches. IT there is
one fact established more firmly than
another it is that the plutocratS are in
the saddle. And they are there to stay,
unless endorsed by popular revolution
similar to that which dethroned the
slave oligarchy in 1860. The power ex-
erted by the Standard Oil company in
Ohio is simply an Illustration of the in
fluence welded by the corporations in
all the states of the Union. Their
course is common one, and they pool
tlleir issues everywhere. Corporation
power is just as formidable in Mime
sofa as it is in Ohio. We say it with all
respect to the gentleman himself, but
with the strjctest regard for the truth,
that Senator WAsHBURN is as much the
representative of the Standard Oil CON-
pany in the senate as CALVIN S. BRIcE
will be, or as CHARLES FOSTER would
have been if he had defeated Mr..
BRICE. We do not mean to say that
Senator WAsHBURN owes his election
directly to the Standard Oil company,
but we do mean to say that it was
brought about by the influence of cor
poration interests of which the Stand
ard Oil company is only part.
The corporations stand together. The
Interest of one is MADE the interest of
all. The representative of one is the
representative of all. That fact is well
enough understood by the senators them
selves. and let but one corporation. how
ever Insignificant it may be. be assaulted
in the senate of the United States, and
all the corporation senators will flock to
its support just as readily and as
promptly as they would TO the support
of the largest corporation. Their motto
is, Tickle me, Toby, and I'll tickle
you"
The plutocrats have control of the up
per branch of congress, and they are in
creasing their strength right along.
Their object is to make bulwark of
the senate IN protection of corporation
interests. They now begin to real
ize that it is just as impor-
tant to have Democratic plutocrats
as it is to have Republican plutocrats.
This becomes necessary in case of
change of administration, and the prob
abilities of change at the next presi-
Dental election grow stronger every
day. Hence the wisdom, from the pIu-
tocratic standpoint, of letting Demo
crat like Mr.. BRICE break into the SEN
ate, even though he comes from Re-
publican state.
As we have stated, the asceBdancy of
plutocracy is not altogether matter of
party politics. Henceforth it is to be an
issue pure and simple between monopo-
listic power and the masses for suprem-
acy in national affairs. The issue is to
be raised in the Iowa legislature agai nst
ALLISON. The Republican farmers of
that state are doing what the Repubii-
can farmers in Minnesota will be forced
to do sooner or later. They are array
ing themselves against the power of
monopoly. and are going to stand up for
square fight.
Let the battle go on without regard to
what party suffers in the conflict.
NOT SECTIONAL.
n