St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-07
"THoU ART THE MAN..

1t is little less cheering to one who
reads In the Republican papers the
fierce philippics against the Democratic
majority in congress for its concessions
To the trusts when the painful reilec-
ton comes over one that it is not trusts
they den0unce or concessions TO their
demands that these papers are de-
nouncing, but only the yielding that
The Democrats have male. One. if
careless in reading or forgetful, might
be mlsled to infer that there were no
trusts prior TO March. 1898; that they
are a subsequent, ii not a consequent
growth OF Democratic ascendency, and
that this perfervid indignation Is firing
its epithet at Some new and hideOus
monster OF mlSrule.
We had trusts galore, and never so
many as Immediately following the
passage OF what the New York Tribune
termed "the wlscst and bravest tariff
act ever enacted" The news columns
then daily teemed with statements of
their formation and operations, and the
stock reports of the exchanges reported
daily the transactions in their shares.
The General Electric and the Cattle IL
DiStillers'. the Cordage and the Straw
board, the Typefounders' and the Bis
cult, the Lead and the Sugar stocks be-
came the chips of the gamblers Of the
street and exchanges, while their hun
dred other imitatOrs tleeced the public
to their hearts content. And yet
these walchdogs of the public welfare
found no voice of warning then. muZzled
as they were by partisan obligation and,
too, sharing the opinion OF their leader,
that the trusts were private affairs and
none of CONGRESSES or the presidents.
Because the Democrats declared war
OH these noXions growths of paternal-
ism and marshaled their forces for the
attack, and because few traitors sit
ting i'll the seat of power made fruitleSS
the purpose to destroy, permitting only
small decrease of privilege, these
papers suddenly perceive the hideous-
ness OF the monsters, and virtuOusly up
braid the Democrats for permitting
them to exist at all. For the Republican
senators and representatives, without
whose aid the treachery of the few
Democrats would have awaited the
trusts nothing, these papers have no
reproach. For the policy which was
the spawning grounds of the trusts
these same papers have nothing to say
but praise aud demand for its restora-
ton.
Whatever of regret and humiliation
Democrats may feel, whatever of re-
proach they may heap on the unworthy
men who procured the defeat of our
high purpose, reproof or reproach
comes with bad grace from these hypo-
critical pretenders of a virtue they have
not. TO them the strong words Of Will.
lam l.. Wilson apply.
I'VE may ourselves deuounce or bit
terly condemn those who failed us in
this fight. We are not, therefore, sub
ject to condemnation by our opponents.
If we have done less in the way of re-
lieving the peoples burdens than we
had hoped and promised they would
have done nothing at all. If we have
anywhere uncovered trust and found
it too strong for our complete dislodg-
ment in the first attempt. we have never
failed TO find them sturdily and solidly
arrayed for its defense. The weapons
with which monopoly has fought US
they have forged and tempered and
supplied. The intrenchments and fort
resses behind which privilege has
shielded itself from our attack they
have builded for it. stone by stone and
stronghold by strong hold"