St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-29
CESARISM.

The action or Supt. PORTER III fequir-
ing recount of st. Paul's population is
fairly in keeping with the arbitrary
course pursued by this Republican adj
miniStration in almost every matter
with which it has to deal. 1t only brings
the Casarism of the administration
nearer home to us.
From the beginning down to the pres
ent time the HARRISON regime has been
characterized by series of arbitrary
acts that are repugnant to both the
form and spirit of popular government.
There has been reckless disregard OF
equities, and an audacious defiance Of
popular sentiment. The seating of the
two Montana senators and the creation
of states out of the mining camps i'll
Idaho and Wyoming are fairly illustra-
tive of this truth. The Napoleonic pol
icy pursued by Speaker REED is in the
same line, while the MCKINLEY
bill and the LODGE force bill
are part and parcel of the same
Cesarean methods. The silver bill
makes the secretary of the treasury
the autocrat of our national finances,
constituting him a coiner of moneys,
and giving to him the power to contract
or initiate the currency at will. In fact,
in whatever direction we may turn. we
observe everywhere the same tenden-
cies toward absolutism, and the same
disposition on the part of federal Off
Gals to arrogate power never intended
to be conferred by the constitution.
1t is no wonder that with such nota-
BILE presidents and examples before
him Mr.. PORTER should imagine that
he, too, is a little tin god on wheels.
and, taking advantage of the little brief
authority with which he is clothed,
should cut such fantastic capers as to
make high heaven weep. He is simply
sustaining the policy of the administra-
ton of which he is part.
The autocracy of this administration
is abominable. Our people here have
never had such forcibIe evidence of this
abomination until it was brought
straight home to them by this man
PoRTER's conduct. Yet he is neither
worse nor better than the rest of the
gang at Washington, who propose to
rule the country with rod Of iron in
order to perpetuate the reign of protec-
ton.
PORTER was put in charge Of the CEN
sus with double purpose in view. One
was to manipulate the tariff statistics
in support of the protection theory.
The other was-and that was QUAY's
idea-to swell the population of Repub-
lican sections beyond legitimate proper
lions. and to reduce the population cor
respondingly in Democratic sections, in
order that the Republicans might have
the advantage in the next congressional
apportionment.
QUAY's success in politics is said to
be largely due to his capacity for
selecting henchmen to do his dirty
work. He made no mistake when he
selected ROBERT P. PORTER for the
SUPPLEMENTARY of the census bureau.
The latter seems to be capable of doing
anything that QUAY requires of him.
When Mr.. PORTER shuts himself up in
the census Office and goes through the
returns that are sent in to him from the
various cities he is complete master of
the situation. He has the reputation of
being something of padder himself,
his ability in that line having been
demonstrated when he was secretary of
the tariff commission. His figuring on
tariff statistics was marvellous exhibi-
ton of the power of figures to lie.
While. in common with all our citi-
zens and with all fair-minded people
everywhere, we are outraged by Mr..
PoRTER's action with reference to the
st. Paul census, we say frankly we
are not surprised at it. Nor are we sur
prised at anything this administration
does. After seeing Republican con-
gressmen sit tamely under the auto
cratic rule of Boss REED. and approve
| all the Infamous propositions that have
been before congress during this ses-
sion, we are prepared for display OF
any sort of Cesarism. Under ,Repub-
| lican direction this has got to be gov
eminent of one-man power, and the
people are not in it.
There will be backward sweep OF
the pendulum after awhile. and then
the REEDS and the PoRTERS, and all the
self-made autocrats at Washington will
disappear from view, and the places
| that now know them will know them ne
more forever.