St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-07
VIEWS OF THE REVIEWS.


Dental Campaign" is fifty given leading
place in the March number. The Re-
publican situation is outlined by Sena-
tors Mcmillan, of Michigan; Hiscock, OF
New York; Hale, of Maine; aud Gov.
Merriam. Representatives McMlllln,
Bland and Breckenridge tell us what IS
the prospect of the battlefield from the
watchtower of Democracy. The unan-
unity is striking. Senator Mcmillan
sees the tariff, the finances and the fran
chise as the three great centers of attack
and defense. Senator HiScock regards
the Mckinley act as the leading issue,
with possible but not probable minor
issue on the silver coinage, and his party
stoutly defending the positions taken
on it by both. Senator Hale
put the tariff first. the currency
next.sand adds immigration. the centen-
NAL Celebration and the Endorsement of
the administration as being what he can
see in prospect for the campaign. On
the other side Mr.. McMillin'S view
point presents to his vision as the queS-
tions to be debated and decided, econ
only or prodigality in public expenses;
the force bill and protection. Ii the
arrangement of these questions is IN
their order of Importance in the opinion
Of Mr.. McMillin. it is very significant
indication of what the country may eX-
pect of tariff legislation, as Mr.. McMll-
lin stands close to the head of the ways
and means committee, and will serve to
corrobOrate the impression that putting
Mr.. Crisp to the front meant putting
the tariff to the rear. The order may
be only accidental, but it Is none the
less illogical and Inartistic. Sand
wiched between HiscOck and Hale is
BANDS contribution, and he limits the
issues to the tariff, which he puts first.
and the free coinage of silver. His for
bearance in thus placing second the
darling of his isms is at variance with
his determination to make his "silver
swindle," as Mr.. Harter bluntly terms
it, take precedence of the tariff in the
house. Mr.. Breckenridge, of Kentucky,
is strongly of the opinion that the tariff
is the only issue on which the Demo
Gratis should force the fight. Gov.
Merriam wallis over the silver plank
which his party has laid down for the
faithful to tread OH with firm and I'M
waverihg step. and proclaims it the
chief plank in platform which has but
one other,in his judgment-a protective
tariff. With a record of having issued
some 400,000,000 silver dollars which are
worth, in the melting pot, but SO cents
each, he 'points with pride" to the
claim that his party has firmly set its
face against the issuance OF any
dollar that is not worth the equal
in value of any other dollar. Should
the governor, weary of his political
labors, take trip across seas, we trust
hD 10 tn q fnC nd
take with him to defray his expenses
only either our silver dollars or their
representative, the silver certificates.
He might find employment for his
powers of persuasion in trying to con-
vince the foreign landlords that his sill
yer dollars or certificates were 1.-The
equal of any other dollar" coined or is
sued by our government. But when he
leaves the financial plank and steps on
the tariff plank of his party his step
loses its firmnesS, and there is apparent
painful wab0ling. Evidently the gov
ernor has not forgotten that address he
made to the Farmers Alliance in
March, 1888, before his party, in June,
swung the party out for ultra protection,
and he walks the tariff plank with an
endeayor to keep one eye on 'SS and the
other on 1872. 1t is this shifting of his
political center of gravity from his own
free trade record to his party'S protec-
tionism that occasions that perceptible
unsteadlneSs of gait while treading the
tariff plank, which no other word so
aptly describes as '.wabbing." Thus,
1.-THE Republicans must adhere firmly to
their policy of protection; they must
stand squareIy on this plank of their
platform" MANY Republicans have
felt in the past that on some items in
cluded in the Mckinley bill the rate of
tariff is excessive, and there was feel
ing among many Republicans, and is
today. that certain schedules should be
revised" at is we'll to have it
understood that the people desire re-
vision of the tariff upon the lines of re-
duction of taxation (the tariff is tax,
then p as the changes of conditions and
the needs of the country will permit"
There will be IAN adjustment of rates
to the point of compensation for the diff
ference in wages between the labor of
Europe and America" Taxes "to cover
the expenses of the government" should
be collected Through the medium of in
direct taxation and protection to our
own labor" whatever the latter phrase
may mean. Recovering his equilibrium,
the governor steps off the plank with the
stiff assertion that ''The Republicans
must take and maintain strong and de-
cided ground upon the question of pro-
lection to American labor" The gov
ernor evidently refuses to accept Gov.
McKinley's admission, when pressed by
Gov. Campbell to point to single in
stance of wages raised since the McKin-
ley bill, while offering a long list of re-
ductIonS, that wages cannot be raised
by legislation.
But by far the most thoughtful and
earnest Of these papers is that of Mr..
Breckenridge. 1t is one which may be
read with benefit by those Democrats
who are following those flights which,
if not false and set up for our destruc-
ton are by no means thus far recog-
nized at Democratic and are by no
means known to be right" Assuming
that the Democratic party has uOt
already thrown away the presidency"
IS the opening sentence of his paper,
and il expresses what many thoughtful
Democrats regard as an actual present
condition and not merely an argumenta-
tive assumption. The selection of the
issue on which to wage campaign is
becoming yearly more important be-
cause of 1.-THE increase of those trouble
some voters upon whom party ties sit
llSuLIY, DuI WIN I0ScINc W themselves
the right to vote as they please. And it is
not exaggerating the Importance of this
increasing .elaSs of voters to say that
they have much to do with the forma-
ton Of issues in given canvass. They
hold the balance of power" This he
regards as especially true of the Demo
cratic party. To win it must carry the
solid South and New York, Connecticut,
New Jersey and Indiana. The sue
cesses in Iowa, Massachusetts. Wiscon-
sin, Rhode Island and New Hampshire
do not make any of them dependabIy
Democratic; ''they have simply in
Dictated their willingness to become
Democratic upon certain conditions"
Free coinage will lose us all these states
and render defeat probable i'll the three
Eastern states. lin the approaching
canvass the main issue between the
parties will be the question of
taxation, and the success of the
Democratic party will depend on
the earnestness and aggressive