St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-03
SOUND DEMOCRACY.
Congressman Hall Sums Up the
Attitude of the Northwest.


Washington Correspondence n. Y. Times.
"What line of legislation do the farm.
. ers of the Northwest favor particularly
at this time?" Representative Hall
democrat, Minnesota was asked today.
''The Northwest insists upon reduc-
tion of the tariff taxes. 1t regards tax
levied upon things imported into this
| country as, in effect, tax upon our
products exported to purchase those
things. Upon this question we are in
earnest. We seek to increase the pur-
chasing power OF our agricultural prod
ucts by reducing the tax upon the things
purchased with those products. Upon
this issue, in my judgment, the battle
Will be fought in the Northwest"
"Will the farmers of that section in.
dorse the proposed reduction in the tar
if on woOl?'
'YeS, OH wool and on wooden goods.
The two things are inseparable. We
use great deal more wool than we
raise. WoOlens are necessity in the
keen and cold regious of the Northwest.
and the cheaper we can get them the
better it is for us all.''
''Are the Democrats of Minnesota and
the Dakotas in favor of free coinage
bill?"
No. Free coinage is not an issue
| with us. and outside of the extreme AL
| lance ranks has few supporters. We
sell our products at gold prices for
| gold"
! "How do Western Democrats regard
the early convention in New York;"
1T is all exposure of Mr., HilPs actual
| weakness in that state. The fact that
| his necessities compelled him to sum.
mon the convention at an unusually
ri fOfn L.
| tlce. and that he abSented himself from
the senate for every hour of the time in
| tervening between the call ana the con-
ventiOn, and has been compelled to give
his personal attention to tie manage
ment of the caucuSeS and the conven-
ton, is almost proof positive that he
dared not leave his candidacy to the
| free choice of the Democracy of New
| York, and that he had but little conf
! dence in the fidelity or ability of his
friends. This is the first instance in
our history that an avowed candidate
for the presidency has shown so little
regard for the dignity of the great Office
| to which he aspires as to devote his
| personal attention to the running of the
| primary caucuses in his own state. The
idea is unwhOlesome. and the people
will not take kindly to it.
"Mr. Hill is either desperate or very
unwise. The New York delegation is q
machine-made delegation. 1t is the
product of Tammany's power and Hll's
methods. The politicians have spoken,
but the voice of the Democracy of New
York has not yet been heard. l regard
Hill as less formidable now than at any
time since his candidacy has been prom
inent. His nomination would be fatal
mistake. 1t would, in the present state
of feeling, practically disrupt and disin-
] tegrate the Democracy of the North
| west. The regular Democrats, the
| Bourb0ns, would, of course, support
| him. But the Bourbons are small in
numbers, and without influence on cleo
tion day.
"More than one-half of the men who,
in the North, have voted the Demo-
cratic ticket for the past twelve years
are former Republicans. They have
come over to the Democracy upon the
tariff reform and similar issues. TO
them the Il am a Democrat argument
is an absurdity and without force. The
independence which led them to aban-
don the Republican party will lead them
to abandon the Democratic party just as
readily, when it appears that it repre-
sents nothing but a greed for spOilS.
MIR. Hill represents this and nothing
more. He can poll the Bourbon vote
of the country. but the BourbOns are
too few in number to electa president.F