St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-03

refrain, and argued that that act was
the only cloud in the sky. Nobody de-
Tended the act, for nobody was satisfied
with il. The silver men like Mr.. Crisp,
MIR. Carlisle and Mr.. Springer had voted
against it because it was too conserya-
tive, and Mr.. Sherman was no longer
supporting it because it had dis
appointed the expectations, or rather
the hopes, of all. Hence, the clamor
was all on one side, and when Mr..
Cleveland was inaugurated the coun
try was eager for the repeal. In the
house, Mr.. Bland and his friends, intlu-
enced by the threat that unless the re-.
peal was at once reported and voted OH,
the rules of the Fifty-first would be
adopted, consented to early action. But
the senate fingered and loitered and
dawdled until the repeal which might
have had some effect if passed in
August had no good present effect at all.
Over the action of the senate. or rather
its refusal to act, l shall linger only a,
moment. Undoubtedly that was one of
the causes of the popular overturn, not
great one perhaps in itself, but great in
often allowed itself to be ruled by its
minority, but this is the first time that
the public has been thoroughly aroused
in regard to it. When man is interested
ii is astonishing how clear things become
to him. The delay in the senate OH mat
ter which the people. whether rightfuily
or wrongfully, deemed vital reused them
more than ali the arguments about the
abstract right of the majority TO rule
could have aroused them in a hundred
years. Hence, there were, even among
men who had resisted arguments time
out of mind, thousands of converts who
could not resist experience These
men showed themselves at the polls.
1t should be added, the action of the
Republicans IN congress made many
converts. No attempts for party pur-
poses were made to obtain a party
triumph. Each man voted his convic-
tions, careless whether it helped the
fame of the president or not. Such a
contrast with the behavior of the Demo
cracy in the Fifty-frst congress could
not fail to have its effect. Even
IN politics character counts for some
thing. The attempt also at compromise
improvjsed by the Democratic majority
i'll the senate at the last moment was
such revelation of their lack of wisdom
and political sagacity and sound sense
that the country was filled with greater
feeling of distrust than ever before.
WheD the purchasing clause was at
last repealed we then found ourselves
face to face not with the only difficulty,
but with the greatest. 1t was in vain
that the Massachusetts Democratic
managers hurried to Washington beg
ging that the repeal might be consum-
mated before election. The country
was not to be appeaSed. 1t had learned
during these weary months of waiting
that while sound currency was
much, the main cause of disaster was
not that. 1t was deeper. The tariff for
thirty years has underIaid all our bust
ness enterprise, and when men began
to prepare for next years business no
jobber dared to order goods. for no
wholesaler would dare to buy them,
since the retailer might have to COM
pete, even before all his stock was in
his store, with the lower prices
of goods bought under a tariff
for reform. 1t so happened
that whatever may have been
the original need of the manufacturers
as to duties when they were laid, or
ganized labor instructed by self-interest
was everywhere demanding its full
share OF all profits, and was getting it in
most cases Hanpn there WAS no mar
gin Oh which to make reduction. Under
such circumstances the only thing to
do was to shut down or run short
time. Shutting down meant no
wages. Short time meant, for workers,
but bare living, scant beyond the ex-
perience of thirty years. TO add the
last feather, the chairman of ways and