St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-01

street car travel and the wayfarer. AT
present there is more concern to have
frequent and rapid facilities than in re-
gard to the tariffs.
We might just as well stop talking to
the contrary, and admit that the race OF
political prophets is rapidly becoming
extinct. Of course there is any number
of men who call themselves seers. but
the evidence that they were ever prop
erly anointed is exceedingly unsatis-
factory. In the old days it was differ
ent. The prophesying profession was
very popular then, and in many respects
did quite well. But the last fifty years
have been as hard on political prophets
as they have on the buffaloes. and we are
afraid that they are dying out.
The trouble with making predictions
in the field Of politics seems to be that
there are so many factors which go to
bring about any result that the prophet
cannot feel quite sure OF having grasped
them all. And, if he has grasped them
all. he never can feel quite sure that he
knows which is likely to prove the
most efficient in shaping the result. Ii
we take two chemicals and mix them
and an explosion enSues, there will be
an explosion the next time we mix
the same two chemicals in the same
proportions. This is because, the i'll
gradients in the experiment being iden-
tical, the result is bound to be the same.
But it is another matter with social
problems. 1t is utterly out of the queS-
ton to be sure that, because certain
conditions have brought about partic-
ular crisis in society at one time, the re-
suit will be repeated. The wise prophet
understands that in social matters there
is never a complete identity of any two
political situations. There is always
something in one little different from
the other, and it takes a prophet of
kind with which the present generation
is not very we'll acquainted to tell
whether the factor which is absent
when he is about to prognostlcate is not
really the one which did the business
before. PASCAL says something to the
effect that, had CLEO PATRA'S nose been
somewhat differently shaped. the politi-
cal history of Europe would not have read
as it does. None of your ordinary seers
are much good where details of this
kind have to be considered and accu-
rately calculated on.
Men in general, we think, are quite
willing to admit that this is SO. There
is no end to the prophets shouting that
the country will be ruined if the tariff
is not lowered, and the woods are full
of others with just as loud voices who
are sure that the country will be ruined
if it is not raised. They are, all and
not believe them. People are willing
one, CAssANDRAs, however. People do
to admit that they do not themselves
know what the result is going to be in
general from any political measures. and
they do not believe that the prophets
do. That is what makes it so hard to
rouse anything like really popular in
terest in a campaign based on economic
principles. 1t is difficult to conduct a
political fight Oh reason, as the Demo
Gratis tried to last time, because people
are distrustful of themselves when it
sure that they arc right, because there
is so much to be said on both sides. The
problem is too hard and complicated.
The only way to excite real interest
in people is to appeal to their feelings.
Men may hesitate when their reason is
their only guide, but they know how to
act when their heart directs. 1t was
not the political axioms ofADAM SMITH
nor the accurate syllogisms of RICHARD
CoBDEN which freed England from the
letters of the corn laws. Free trade
| came to England because men felt that
the tariff was making the conditions of
life harder for them and robbing their
wives and children of food and comfort
that few might prosper. The work
was easy after this was brought home to
them. 1t excited their moral indigna-
nation to realize that wrong of this
kind lived. They had their feelings to
guide them, and they were prompt and
ready to act on them.
In our own tariff question and silver
question, and the other economic prob
lens of the day, abstractly, there is
good deal of reason on every side. Some
kinds of tariff reform are going to hurt
some people at the same time that they
benefit others. Ours is government
of compromises. in which everybody
gives up something to everybody else
for the common good For that matter,
no government under the sun can be
run on principles of abstract right, even
if there is any such thing. The basis
of all political action must be expedi-
eney. And the way to arrive at what
is expedient is for every man to strug-
gle for what he wants, and take all
that he can get. The compromise amid
these million conflicting demands will
be measure which, on the whole, is the
best in any event for the time being.
In order that the Northwest should
etwhat she ought to have in the pres
ent political struggles, the first thing is
to educate the feelings of her people so
that they may know what they want.
| 1t is not the easiest thing to do, because
there is so little homogeneity OF feeling
here. In older communities society is
like well-drllled army. which under
stands and responds to signals and pass
words WlIHOuG oApldHdtioii, OOOouo0 ~
appreciates their significance and their
| reason. But among us there is great
deal of intellectual confusion. because
we are an irregular mass of people
with many languages, and without
capacity to respond to or appre-
ciate the same appeals. Our well
fare is bound to suffer, therefore. when
it comes in conflict with that of the
older sections of the country, because
we do not seem to know really what is
good for US, and we are not quite in a
position to learn. Unless it is mat
ter of certainty to each of us as to where
| our welfare lies, how can we demand it
with vigor which will procure US a
hearing? Such state of affairs shows
that we have need for great leader
whose personality is strong enough to
make US understand what we want. 1t
also makes the position of our present
| leaders one of great responsibility. One