St. Paul daily globe., 1894-07-21

OIuCS tucn dllOJueT STATE convention
has been held. and the same tendency is
to be noted. The Pruhibitionists have
gathered, and. with all enthusiasm and
earnestness entirely disproportionate to
their number or their prospects of sue
cess, have given to the voters of the
state their declaration of political faith.
With an Inconsistency which is singular,
they have clustered about their central
article, which glistens with the spirit of
paternalism, other articles instinct with
the spirit of democracy.
Among these is their tariff plank, which,
the Pioneer Press to the contrary not
withStanding, is not new, but is re-
production of the one adopted by their
national convention in 1892. Measured
by the Chicago plank of the Democratic
platform. it Is nltra-Democracy and is in
line with the free trade element of our
party. The gist of the plank is con-
tanned in the declaration that taxes
should be levied on what people possess
instead OF on what they consume. The
declaration that tariffs should be used
as retaliatory measures against coun-
tries laying taxes on imports OF our
products is reflection OF that absurdity
of McKinley's. swallowed without ques-
tion by so many of his followers. that
the foreigner pays the tax. In effect, it
Is simply au application in political
economy of the proposition to cut Off
ones nose i'll order to spite ones face.
The Pioneer Press. in commenting
upon this plank, affects an ignorance of
its meaning. and regrets that its pro-
ponents did not explain it. 1t would
be according that paper too great
degree of ignorance 10 accept its dis
avowal of knowledge of the significance
OF this proposition to levy taxes Oh what
people possess instead of upon what they
consume. 1t means that the revenues
of the government should be derived
from the wealth of the country now
exempt from contributing TO the ex-
penSes to the federal government. and
that men should pay towards that sup
port III proportion to the wealth they
possess. and not i'll proportion to the
necessaries of life which they consume.
lt means the taxation of real and per-
sonal property now exempt, and the
exemption of fuel, food, clothing, shell
ter and the other necesSaries of life now
taxed directly at the customs and Indi-
rectly by our manufacturers.
In the sixteenth plank the convention
adopted the demand made by repeated
Democratic state conventions, and en-
bodied i'll the measure rejected by the
last legislature, which would require
the railroads of the state to resume their
common law duties as common carriers
and provide warehouses and elevators
for handling grain and produce for all
persons on equal terms, thus freeing
our markets from the monopoly which
has seized them and which yet controls
them, i'll spite Of the pretended but
abortive remedial legislation of the last
session.
In this indication of the spread of be-
lief IN the necessity Of democratic prin-
clples of government may be found
fresh hope for those VINO, witnessing the
rapid development of paternalism in
recent years, have grown to despair of
the permanency of the republic and of its
free institutions. They indicate a grow
ing disbelief In the omniscience of gov
ernment; develouing consciousness of
the proper limits Of government and
relurn to the sane concept that that
government is best and strongest which
interferes the least in the activities of
its citizens, leaving them the utmost
possible freedom to develop the char
acter and capabilities with which ma
ture has endowed them.
BETTER LATff EEnN NEVER.
David Bennett Hill knows hawk
from handSaw. He knows when the
buzz saw is in motion, and he knows
better than to monkey with it at that
time. He may be trifie slow in catch
ing onto the currents of opinion. but
when he does catch On he is very nlm-
bic in getting into the swim. He has
no mind 10 sit by the wayside and let
the procession 20 by him and leave him
behind. We have. in some previous
comment which his conduct has at
tracted, likened him 10 political
barometer. indicating always what he
thinks, and often what is, the trend of
popular opinion.
Mr.. Hill has made a decided reversal
of position since the senate began the
consideration OF the tariff bill. He be-
gan with close association with the
GormaniteS, and was one of the six who
went with the Maryland trickster to
tell the subcommittee what sugar
schedule they must adopt to get their
support for the bill. He voted for free
sugar and for free ore and coal after
that. We do not believe that this was
due tc change of conviction, but to an
adaptatation to the popular sentiment.
1t would be too much to assume that
this change was due to the arraignment
made by the Minnesota Democrats, but
it is not too much to assume that the
universal commentator that address
received showed the senator Whenca the
wind blew, and ne was ShreWd enough
to face about.
1t would be pleasanter TO be able to
accord to him all sincerity in his pres
ent attitude. and praise for his really
praiseworthy speech which we give this
morning would be warmer if his course
bad been the same from the start; but
we regard the speech as being the
strongest possible tribute to the strength
of the freer trade sentiment of the
party, and as the admission by the
shrewdest politician that has sat in the
senate from New York since Martin
Van Buren's day, that the tide OF re-
form was neither checked nor stayed by
the panic, the hard times succeeding,
nor the clamor of the opposition.
The senator sees that the position of
the senate is untenable; that if it do
not recede from it the country will be
asked this fall to pass judgment on its
action, and that the verdict will be
overwhelmingly against the senate. If
he has faltered heretofore and left his
position in lncertitude, he comes man
fully aud bravely out into the open now,
and speaks in plain terms. '.The presi-
dent is right" he saws. "Party nledyes