St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-04
A GROUP OF LOCAL ISSUES.

Those who suppose that political
economy had, since ADAM SMITH first
stated its claims to recognition by sci
ence, taken its place among the exact
sciences, with its well ascertained views
and clearly defined principles, feel as If
the solid ground under their feet was
quaking in these days of unrest, OF the
discovery of alleged new fields in the
domain of the ''dismal science" whose
occupation involves the entire abandon
ment of the old. They had settled into
that comfortable feeling of quiet Sc
curity which led THOMAS III. BENTON
to commiserate SUMNER when he en-
tered the political arena in the fifties on
the inglorious prospect before him be
cause all the great questions are settled,
and all you young fellows will have to
do is to administer the government,
which involves only hard work, and
neither fame nor glory" Now, when
men assert that the fiat of the United
States can establish silver on parity
with gold; when one section OF the agri-
culturists are asserting it to be The
province of government to buy
their produce and store it; when
they are demanding as legit-
innate exercise of governmental func-
tons that the federal treasury shall
lend owners of real estate money at a
nominal rate of interest; when another
class are insisting OH their vested rights
in the power and duty of government to
foster and aid their especial industry;
when laboring men are demanding that
the state shall determine how many
hours day they may work; and when,
on every hand, the state is being be-
sieged by class or special interests for
its interference in their behalf, those
trained in the school of individualism
and narrowed governmental functions
rub their eyes in wonder and ask them
selves if, after all, they have been wan
dering in error all these years.
While it is improbable that we are on
the brink of a revolution in economics,
which will set aside established prlncl-
pies and launch us on new course
with newly discovered principles to
guide us. still the new movement can
not be set down wholly to ignorance nor
to the vagaries of crankism. These
doubtless bear their share, but these
movements are bottomed on condition
which is general. and of which they are
but the eXhalatiOnS, as fogS rise out OF
the sea. The conditions out of which
they sprung are found in the wonder
full. the amazing progress OF this gen.
Grafton in the material development.
Isit to be wondered at that men who
have seen the telegraph enclrcle the
world. the steel ship and its triple
expansion engines replace the sailing
vessel or the wooden paddle-wheel
steamer, the telephone carrying the
human voice hundreds of miles and
the photograph preserving it for
repetition at indefinite future times,
the electricity of the air harnessed to
cars, driving machinery and illumIHat-
ing houses and streets, as dOcile to the
hand of man as his domestic animals,
the fatal rabies yielding to PAsTEUR
and the dread consumption surrender
ing to KOCH its conceded invlncibility,
10 IL pllOlliS llltlC WIZ CNN IiiiH
imagine that all the old is passing away,
and that anything and everything,
every utopian dream of human pos
sibility, is now attainable by man if he
only reaches for it. Forgetting or ig-
noring the vital fact that, marvellous as
they are, these are only discoveries of
application of forces which existed be-
fore ADAM, operating under laws which
are as immutabie as that of gravity.
these modern vagarists assume them to
be the creation of man, and reason that
the same power can perform in econom-
les what it has done in mechanics and
dynamics. They are hardly to be
blamed for their credulity, but, in spite
of it, the law will operate, unchanged,
immutable.