St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-30
Elk Congressman j. L. Macdonald,

Ex- Congressman j. L. Macdonald,
who is now assiduously devotng him
self to the practice of his profession in
this city, still takes a deep interest in
the political issues of the day, and Oc-
casionally finds time to discuss them
with his friends. In the course of a
conversation with representative of
the GLOBE yesterday Mr.. Macdonald
said:
II am watching with good deal of inter-
est the antics and contortions of the several
Republican conventions of Minnesota upon
the tariff. Knowing that the Republican
body and breeches-by the protectionists of
the East, waited patiently TO see the tariff
bill which the protectonists dictated reported
and 1t came in the form OF the Mckinley
bill, which proposes to increase the tariff Gin
stead of lowering iD to all average of so per
cent 1t raises the tariff tax on such neces-
saries as window glass, and proposes to
compensate don't smile) our farmers by
imposing duty of S1.5O per head on for
eign hogs when we don't import single
hog. l am waiting and watching to see how
many of our Republican farmers will prove
''gudgeons" enough to be caught by such
bait as tariff on wheat, oats, corn, lard,
butter beef, coal, coal oil, cotton and other
tnally looks as if many of them
will be fooled by such chatf
Let me tell you that no matter what you
hear, the senate will not materially reduce
the Mckinley bill. 1t will pass 1t without
any substantial change, or congress will nd
journ without giving us any relief from the
present robbing high tariff law that we are
now living under. Mark the prediction!
The Republican in Minnesota who supposes
that the senate will do better than the house,
little knows that body and the influences
that control it. They don't mean to reduce
the tariff npon the necessaries OF life. They
dare not. The men who furnished the
money to enable them to carry the elections
won't permit it. see if they do.
Their talk about protecting home indus
tries and our being free traders is all of
piece, and absolutely dishonest You will
remember that it was charged, from one end
of the country to the other, by the Republic
ans in the last campaign, that the Mills bill
was free trade measure, etc., ETC., and yet
in mis- recent article in the North American
Review Mr.. Mckinley actually claims
that under his bill 80 per cent
of our imports will be admitted
free. while he says under the Mills bill the
proportion of free imports would not have
been greater than 40 per cent. Andremark-
able as this admission is. Mr.. Mckinley is
correct. But what will the Republicans who
were led to believe that the Mills bill of two
years ago was free trade measure, now
think? Will they think at all? Won't the
great majority of them simply wait until
their party nominations are made and blind
ly VOLo lHSlu! lue lnchlulGy Dill SuDWS~Iue
leaders think so. BY such legislative leger-
demain as putting sugar on the free list, they
make them believe they increase our free
list, but providing that the sugar producer be
paid direct bounty instead of the indirect
tariff tax protection, they expect to fool
the masses.
1.-The West especially should be a unit On
this question, and there should be but one
party as to it. But unfortunately our parti-
san divisions and dssenSiOns are the reliance
and hope of the nigh tariff lords and trust
monopoly barons of the East. Candidly,
have but little confidence in our farmers and
people on these questions. They won't think
for themselves. even when told they are
robbed. would be glad to know that / am
mistaken in this"
The Sauk Rapids Sentinel, heretofore
staunch Republican organ, has again
refused to swallow Gov. Merriam, and
the Republican state ticket does not ap-
pear i'll its columns. Editor Benedict
seems to be we'll up on the cordial rela-
tIons which exist between the present
head OF the state administration and the
railroads, if one may judge from the
editorial headed Merriam Masquerade
ing" which appeared in the last issue
of the Sentinel. 1t is as follows:
We would by 10 means be party to such
raids as are continuously being made to in
cite the farmers and others against the rail-
road companies unreasonably, as we believe
there is better way in which 10 reach a fair
solution of the question of transportation
upon an equitable basis. But we would call
attention TO the fact that Gov. Merriam is
masquerading between the farmers and the
railroad companies. His addresses to the
farmers have been designed to convince
them bow greatly he sympathiZed with them
in their controversies and contests with the