St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-24
the Democrats in North Dakota to stiffen
their spinal columns this season.
MERRIAM ION THE ISSUES

Minnesota is rapidly becoming no
table literary center. Only month ago
our senior senator contributed an essay
to the Forum on the needs of inland
commerce which attracted general at
tention and elected, as it deserved.
much praise. Not to be outclassed in
any line by man with whom he may
have to measure swords one of these
days, the genial governor of this pros
porous commonwealth now jumps into
the arena, pen in hand, and in the cur
rent number of the North American Re
view discusses the issues or the coming
campaign for the public enlightenment
with much vigor, marked self-restraint
and commendable brevity.
1t does not take Mr.. MERRIAM very
long to do up the Democratic party and it
must be admitted that he accomplishes
the job gracefully and completely. With
an heroic superiority to the facts of his
tory, he calmly declares at the outset
that 1.-THE Republican party in the past
has always stood firmly and unltedly
against the issue of fat money in any
form, or of governmental assumption of
currency that was not based on coin
redemption" Anybody who has ever
heard of the legal tender act. or how
Republican president packed" the
supreme court of the United States to
secure decision in favor of its consti-
nationality, will find some difficulty in
reconciling this with truth. But this
does not detract from its interest. Hav-
ing established his structure thus
firm and imperishabfe on a foundation
OF veracity, the governor proceeds with
great rapidity to the end.
His argument is that the Democracy
has to choose between the free coinage
OF silver, after the BLAND plan, and the
sub-treaSury scheme on the one side,
and inconsistency on the other-or,
again, between absolute and lnStan-
taneouS Tree trade on the one side and
inconsistency on the other. If it en-
braces the BLAND PLAZA of free coinage
and the Subtreasury scheme or abso-
lutte and instantaneous free trade, it
stands to reason that it is in bad shape.
If it does neither of these things, it will
readily be convicted of Inconsistency,
which is very serious offense, punish
able, probably, by death or imprison-
ment for long term. Here endeth the
Democracy. The Republican party, on
the contrary, is away up. For one thing,
it is unalterably in favor of honest
money, as it has been from the time it
passsd the Legal Tender act until
it passed the present SHERMAN
silver law. Then it is strong
on the tariff question. 1t believes in
protection for one consideration, and
one consideration only. And this is be-
cause protection raises the wages of the
American .wOrkingman. If it were not
for this, all the manufacturers of the
country would come out for free trade.
But they cannot submit to seeing the
poor laborer suffer. or to having his dig
nifty impaired. Such Ioftness of prin-
ciple is enough to move strong men to
tears. The GLOBE thinks that it will
hardly be worth while to hold a national
convention at Chicago this year. 1t sug-
gests that BENJAMIN HARRISON be re-
elected by reclamation on a platform
of honest money and devotion to the
80. b. n