St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-27
MENACING SOCIALISM.


groups In the Forum all the indications
showing the growth and prevalence OF
socialistic ideas in the Western states.
and traces them back to their source.
He notes. what every thoughtful OBJ
server has seen, the utter confusion
which exists in all political parties of
conceptions as to the proper functions
OF government. AS the GLOBE has re-
marked, this is seen in the session OF any
legislature where Democrats present or
support measures purely paternallStlc
in principle, and Republicans OPP
pose them because they are paternal-
istic 1t was Democrat who pro-
posed a bill to prevent smoking or
cigarettes, and it was another Democrat
who seriously offered a bill making 1t
crime to make or wear hoop skirts. Re-
publicans opposed the elevator blllS be-
cause they were an unWarranted as
sumption of power by the state. 1t was
the Prohibition national party which
declared for absolute freedom of trade,
denying the right of government to
prevent or hinder exchanges of products,
while 1t declared it the right of the
same government to prevent its citizens
from drinking what they wished to-
Democrats in the federal senate and
house of representatives supported the
bills to tax all to buy the product OF
part, for the sole purpose of enhancing
the value of that product, and to tax out
of existence the business OF buying and
selling for future delivery; and it was
Republicans in the same houses who
opposed these measures on the purely
Democratic ground that they were in-
Engagements on the liberties OF the cit
izen.
No better Illustration of this utter
confusion can be found among men
whose Intelligence, education and pub
lie experience should have brought
them clearness of conception of the two
radically antagonistlc principles of gov
eminent than is afforded in the person
of our justly distinguished fellow cit
iZen, IGNATIUs DoNNELLY, who sup
ports with all his mastery of rhetoric
all of the SOcialistic schemes OF the
Populist party; who on one occasion
turned his battery of ridieule on those
who are opposing the strong tide of
paternalism which is sweeping the
country into the tempestuous sea OF
socialism, and asked with scorn:
What is a government unless it is
paternalstic?" Aud yet the same man
in his new paper propounds with serl-
BUSINESS this sound democratic doctrine
of government: 'The true doctrine is
r. 1 %l,o mt
as near his own hearthstone as pos
sible; every remove increases the dan
ger The township government is an alb
soute democracy; the people meet and
act direct upon all questions submitted
to them. County government is one re-
move further-say twenty miles. State
government is another remove-say
three hundred miles. Corruption.
which hardly shows itself in coun-
ty government, here rides ram
pant. But when you get to the ma
tional government, it is thousand
miles from the f1resides of the voters
the voters are blowing with ploW-han-
dies thousand miles long-and every
mile adds to the responsibility of the
agents and the wrongs of the govern
ment. Hence, everything should be
turned over to the township govern
ment that can be, and so with the 9TH
erS."
What is the remedy? 1t is in the re-
iterated teaching of the different.
the two antagonlstic ideas of govern
ment: the democratic, which restricts,
and the paternalistic, which expands
governmental functions. Men must
measure all propositions for govern
mental action by these standards and
sturdily, eouragously apply one or
the other of them, no matter what the
inducement or provocation to use the
other. Democrats must carry with
them their democratic principles, and
use them as carpenters use their yard
sticks, to test the democracy of all
measures. Teach democracy; what 1t
is in its essence: what it has done for
mankind and will do; that it means
liberty as socialism, paternalism, in all
their forms, mean slavery. There is no
question where the Judgment of the
majority of men will go when the lines
are distinctly drawn.