St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-15
THE PROTECTION MYSTERY

THE PROTECTION MYSTERY.
/ Hon. WILLIAM B. DEAN delivered an
| Grafton the other day i'll the senate,
rafting with a whOleSale-and-retall-
| hardware business vigor, on the theory
of protection. He was particularly sure
that it was the states duty to tax every
citizen in order to help the mining IN
dustries. If anything could almost per-
| suade the GLOBE to be like the pro-
tectioniSts, including their bonds. cit
would be speeches like his. But one
consideration gives it strength to post
pone its conversion to some more con-
veDient season. Mr.. DEAN is i'll the
iron business himself, and perhaps he
overestlmates the Importance of the
black metal. Men. even of good judy
ment. who are very familiar with sub
ject lose their sense of perspective, as
far as it IS concerned. 1t counts so
much to them personally that it comes
to look much bigger than it really is.
Iron has played an important part in
the world history, but most people be-
lieve that its race is nearly run. When
we get cheap aluminium, and we
later, there will be sad havoc in
the iron trade. But, even as it
is, there are more important things for
Minnesota than the development CT her
mining resources, if these have to be de-
veloped at the expense of the men and
women who will get none of the profit
from the enterprise. 1t would be much
better for us to get our iron from Michi-
gan. if it can sell it to us cheaper than
we can produce it ourselves, and give
our attention in the meanwhile to some
thing of which we can make success
without enforcing involuntary contribu-
tons for its support from unwilling vic
tins.
Mr.. DEAN and his colleague do not
seem to agree with this view. They
think that it is so important that we
should have race of miners in this
state that the state ought to give a bonus
to everybody who will go into the bust
ness. The reason for this can not be
because race of miners would be a
valuable addition to our intelligent pop
ulation. The Huns and the Laps WHO
60 down into the bowels of PennSyI-
Vania in shafts have proved very dis
turbing elements in the society of that
commonwealth. They are guilty of such
breaches of etiquette that they occa-
Sionally have to be treated with the
gravest discourtesy by the local author
tiles, who use shotgunS for the pur-
pose of teaching them good manners.
As far as PennSylvania's experience
goes, it would appear that farmer
class were much worthier of encourage
ment. So that we shall have to look
somewhere else to find why it is that
our statesmen think that our farmers
ought to be taxed more heavily in order
TO relieve the burden of concerns like
the Minnesota Iron company.
The GLOBE cOnfesses that it does not
know where to look. But it thinks that
the secret is hid lii the same place
where is concealed the evidence that
the man who wants to give us some
thing at low price is, from that fact,
an enemy Of organized society. There
is nothing which gives the Republican
party, from BENJAMIN HARRISON down
to the humbleSt standard bearer, cold
chill so quickly as the fear that, by some
device. commodities will grow cheap.
Every discovery of mechanical nature
Is at once to be Offset by some measure to
prevent its having its natural effect. 1t
improved machinery makes it possible
to bring goods from Europe at less cost
than had been required, the tariff must
be raised at once. lest the dreadful ca
lamity of securing the necessaries of
life without excessive expenditures
should fall Oh our unhappy peo-
pie. If we discover tin mine
or an iron mine, it would seem
to the uniformed that there would be
here cause for rejoicing, because 1t
would mean cheaper tin and cheaper
iron. But this is great mistake The
reason why tin mine or an iron mine
is good thing for the country is that
il gives our legislators an opportunity
to put a higher tariff of some sort on
these commodities, and raise their price.
Exactly why this is So the GLOBE does
not profess to understand; but this is
only because it has had time to read Mr..
DEANS speech on protection over only
ten times. When the leisure of summer
comes. it is going to read it over every
morning before breakfast. 1t is re-
solved to fathom this mystery, or die
in the attempt.