The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-11

are recent object ssssone fhsch enforce
the truth that no people caA escape retri-
button who insist ou vioIatitg the immu-
table laws of sound traiefaad finance.
Australia is an object iesA,r in govern
meut ownership of s.eam AID horse rail-
ways and other Internal Improvements
paid for in borrowed mon&y; il is an OBJ
ject lesson of the pernicioUf policy of ex-
trayagant concessions to tse despotic de-
mands OF short-sigted lals,r, which led
up to the tremendous aad disastrous
strike of 1890. Eve. since 200 this patent
paradise for workiagmen' Mas been sui.
fering from hard times, arAi now comes
this general collapse Of als ;ae banks Of
the colonies.
IT il the old story: he weo gets drunk
cannot escape q hAadaches The effect of
this Australian collapse WI; be severely
felt in England and will sepd to depress
the value of American Securities. The
spectacle of the disastrous sanination of
'paternalism" in gnvernmesasan Australia
ought not to be lost on the ;Pdpulists who
believe that in America it Is she business
of the government to supactt the people
instead of the people supporting the gov
eminent. 1t 10 high time that sensible
men of both parties acted n the spirit OF
Tom Jefferson's maxim, Shat 'the best
government is that which fo7erns least"
Frank B. Tracy. in the csar-ent number
of the Forum, traces bact tae growth OF
socialism at the West to the diff to pater-
nalism in government which began in the
necessity for militsry and financial pster-
nalism during the war. :he enormous
gift of lands to the people Snd to the rail-.
wavs; the extravasant pensioa appropria-
tions that followed the warshave helped to
develop this belief in patertalssm until to
day we have the populist Ear:y in utterly
senseless revolt against Eli social and
economic laws and full of ,senseless faith
in the ability and obligatior. o; the govern
ment to give the people aid. ,n;i relief from
all calamities. private or pys.blbc, foreign or
domestic. individual or national.
The cry for "free silver's cSmes from q
class of men who have this Stumble bee Of
paternalism in their .bonfaet They re-
member 1.-The greenback" ':ss1e of 1862;
they forget that il was viciGns finance that
was defended only as q traS.s:ent military
necessity for a nation that could not bor-
row cash for way expenses AID was COM
PEELED to issue legal tenders--& forced loan
from the people. n patriotic eacrifice sub
mit.ed to by the people, jp',s! as they sub
mitted to other grim and etusl necessities
,r 81, IL:
of peace.
The Populists instead OF ;reating the
legal tenders a. practically merely the
governments certificates OF Indebtedness
quote them as proof that 1t lis the bust
ness of the government to tissue" money
to the people at all times IN peace and
war; issue it in unlimitess quantities SO
that sail may have an abundance Of it."
Mr.. Tracy says:
The free silver,as IN the W.st do not stop
with demanding the free coines,e of silver; they
favor the free coinage of gold, copper, lead, or
anything else which the govers ,3ent will stamp
as money. This Is only another phase of pater-
nalism. They reason that III: government is
their guardian ami benefactorsp finance in
oflcs,, pensions. tounties andsacmes. "What's
the use of the government bet'9wing money!
Why can't II make all il neesse" screamed q
hotel orator last July in Omaht, end thunderous
cheers greeted the speech. frs m this idea came
quickly anu naturally the abolition OF national
banks. the sub-treasury, and %Jssrument ware
house schemes. senator kyle,s famous "com-
posite coin," etc.
This absurd view dates back to the
I'm litary necessity" os our popular
forced loan, "the greenbask," which was
as much a military necessity a. the sus-
pension of the u rit of hatS,as corpus was
during the war. Paternaltsna has wrecked
Australian prosperity for shd present, and
the Populist insanity of e? trsme paternal-
ism in government Wills jest as surely
wreck our industrial and financial health.
WHAT is wanted is a stern .rS Of "Haltw
from both the great polsical parties to
this dangerous march to l.eshicious pater-
nalism in government. IL ,he words of
Mr.. Tracy:
We need careful and iudcicss:laws. no longer
IN the direction 81 psiernalssa and at the same
time no longer discriminss ing IN favor of
classes. The lire must lie Srsiwn sharply be-
tween warranted interyeniit.l sol the govern
ment and unwa:raptsd a,suls p;ion OF powers
not inherent IN government The nice distinc-
ton between government sul.,rtision and gov
eminent control must be maze We
I'm the West especi ally nesS statesmen who
will not be afraid TO jeopsrd3ti,elr chances OF
temporary success by preachisg the true prin-
cipies OF govern mcnt
-.-.-
II would not be at all surprising If the