St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-05


under consideration by other high
church authorities. and it is predicted
that a decided stand will be taken
against wine list on any social occa-
sion. a new departure i'll this connec-
ton is the decision to admit ladies to
the banquet to be had in connection
with the annual convention. This is
another evidence of the growing fact
that the women are coming TO the front.
THE FIT T-FIRST CONGRESS.
The Fifty-first congress will be remem-
bered as a vigorous and interesting
body, which contained many men of
high character and great ability. 1t is
one of the most gratifying features Of
our political life that the congress OF
the United States is so completely free
from the charge of venaity and cOrrup-
ton often made and often proved
against our local Legislative bodies.
This is particularly true of the house.
The senate, because it is smaller in
membership and less directly reSpOn-
sible to the people, is more or less COM
posed of representatives of particular
interests, chosen frequently more be
cause they can be relied on to labor
for their creators than because of their
general fitness. But the great majority
of representatives of either party
are young men without fortunes, alert
and incOrruptible, in touch with their
constituents, ambitious for the triumph
of the right according to their under
standing of it, and industriously labor
ing to this end. This state has only to
look at Alr. SNYDER. Mr. DUNNELI., Mr..
LIND, Mr.. COMSTOCK and Mr.. HALL, its
present Republican delegation, to be
satisfied that these things are true of its
representatives. And the same is the
case with the delegations from other
constituencies. Whatever criticisms can
justly be made OH such men on other
grounds, they are unquestionably court
eOuS, honorable and able gentlemen,
taken for their work from among the
best of our citizens. Nobody has any
right to despair of the republic when he
reflects on the character of its house of
representatives.
Apart from this view, this congress
has achieved the most important re-
suits, not in the way of legislation. but
in the opportunity its contests have af-
forded for the reassertion and mainte-
nance of great constitutional principles
IS for the legislative work. it has been
less valuable in itself than i'll the educat-
ing effect it has had on the public mind.
The copyright bill and the bill for the
relief of the supreme court may be
classed among its most noteworthy
positive measures. But neither of
these is to be compared for a moment in
the good it has done with the MCKIN-
LEY bill, the whole theory and purpose
of which are incapable of defense.
There has been no law since the one
repeating the Missouri compromise
which has wrought such a rapid
and wonderful change in popular
opinion as the tariff bill Of the Fifty
first congress. 1t tore, in one short
week, from the eyes of the American
people the bandage which had blinded
them TO the sin and horrors of pr0tec-
tiOniSm. our modern slavery. ii brought
home to them as no arguments of the
free traders had ever been able TO do,
that our present system was taking
from one man the fruit of his labor and
giving it to another If Mr. REED and
his friends had done nothing but this,
they would be entitled to lasting remem-
brance.
But in the fight in the house against
the speakers tyranny, and i'll the SEN
ate against the enactment of the force
bill, the grand old doctrines of liberty
were repledged and burnt again into
the c0untry's heart. There may be
some question us to how far a minority
has the right to go in obstructing bust
ness for the defeat of measures to which
it is opposed. But there is no question
that Mr.. REEDS method of solving this
problem was revolutionary in the high
est degree. Tue difference between his
course and that of CROMWELL, debating
legislation at the head of armed sol
diers, is too small to be measured. The
vigorous resistance offered by the DEM
Ocratic leaders to such an attack on our
institutions lighted anew the torch of
liberty, and klndled responsive beacon
fires. on every hilltop IN our land. The
only apology for war is that it knits to-
gether with the firm bonds OF patriotic
devotion the peoples who engage in it.
and all the time consumed in protests
and circumstances against one-man
power in the house was we'll spent, be-
cause in the same way it gathered into
! one compact body the friends of Amer
lean liberty.
The Gil ODE does not intend by this to
/ question the patriotism of the Republi-
can leaders in this congress, or in a
spirit of silly partisanship to accuse
them of reasonable designs. But the
| effect of even well-meant efforts to one
end may often be far-reaching in fatal
, directions never contemplated. The
! force bill may have been freighted in
| itself with no more serious purpose than
to gain temporary partisan advantage.
But if to accomplish its passage impor-
tant constitutional principles had to be
| and should have been disregarded, nc
! one could accurately measure how much
| undermining our institutions would
have suffered in the achievement. This
| paper feels that such law would have
in itself been clog and a menace &c
our progress, and it therefore applauds
very enthusiastically the effective work
of MI. GoRMAN and his colleagues
which secured its defeat. But it es-
pecially applauds the Democratic sen
ators and the party'S leaders i'll the
house, because they were so vigorous in
insisting that neither it nor any other
law should go on the statute books III
an unconstitutional method until they
had been overpowered by the force OF
numbers, and the nature of the means
employed had been brought home to the
minds of the people.
TARIFF POINTS.
But the past week in this city an adj
vocate of the protective system, in a
public effort, 10 insisted upon the ole
claim that high duties are for the ben