St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-24
Lacking in Weight.

Energetic, courageous. honest, he has
been, but he has lacked, or has seemed
to lack, the weight which commands
following. He has never been mem
Der of the ways and means committee;
ii is not suspected that he has any large
and luminous view of the issue which
has become the absorbing aim of his
party. His selection shows too much of
the discharge of an obligation and Il
preteXt to turn down and degrade a
man who has done eminent and efficient
work IN great movement, and who has
engaged the confidence of Democrats
everywhere. Whatever Mr.. Springer
can do he has yet to do. We hate to
prophecy evil against him. On the con-
trary, it is our purpose TO render him all
the aid we can in his difficult undertake
ing, and to support, if possible. his plan
of campaign. But we should not he
true to ourselves, to the occasion and to
the party if we left these things UNI
written. OF the possible bearing on
national affairs outside of congress, Mr..
WatersOn says: We shall not believe,
until we know more than we now know.
that this reconstruction of the ways and
means committee has been
Made With a Purpose
to belittle and subordinate the cause of
tariff reform by intrusting it to mex
perlenced or inferior hands. We have
thus far relied upon the assurance of
Mr.. Crisp on that point; but if it should
turn out that these have been carefully
framed to mislead. and that the extra,
ordinary disclosures of the current week
point. as has been so often intimated. to
a deal of the regulation New York pat
tern between the new speaker and
his immediate hackers and Gov.
Hill and his immediate back
ers. by which Democratic prin-
clples are to be SACRIFICED TO con-
gressional and presidential bargain
then, indeed, will the hosts of Democ-
racy rise in their might. and in their
wrath scatter these impiOus despera-
does of truth and faith like a herd of
cattle. The future alone can deter
mine. Much will depend on the course
OF the new ways and means committee
But the present is no time for mincing
words. 1t is time for plain talk.
The new speakers organization of
the house is revolution, both
theoretical and actual. 1t is an
yet to be tested. Ii starts out with the
clear and almost universal distrust of
Democrats in every part of the Union.
The overcoming OF this and the estab-
lishment of its claim on
The Public Confidence
can only be achieved by the display of
great earneStneSs, perfect fidelity and
undeniable competency. The brain and
heart of the Democratic party, which
still lead, will submit to no equiv
OcatiOn. They cannot be made
to surrender their convictions
to temporiZing politics. no mat
ter how practicalI MIR. Crisp should
from this time forward keep ever be-
fore his eyes the awful specter of
Keifer, and, if he has any hope of an
honorable future, should steer clear OF
the breakers. In conclusion, the fol-
Of compensation to the new speaker: 1t
is our duty. not our choice, TO say these
things. In the struggle over the speak
ership we took no part. Regard
ing it as contest among Demo
Gratis, wholly personal in its
character, we carefully abstained
from the expression of any individual
preference. We bring to the present
situation temper free from prejudice.
If The result shall prove disastrous to
Mr.. Crisp, 10 one will be more cha
grined than ourselves. Let us hope
that ii may not; that he has builded
wiser than we known, and that instead
of mere adventurer upon the sea Of |
public life, which he now seems to be, |
he will prove a successful revOlutioniSt, |
and thereby a statesman and a patriot, !
battling all our i'll forebOdings, and |
bringing US out of the darkness TO light. :