St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-22
FLOODED y1rfs CHEAP GOODS.

ELGOassSD " a III SfH IA L sOOasS.
If the good people Of this country do
not know the awful fate that awaits
them, it is not tue fault of all of the
organs Of protection, for they are now
foretelling the deluge of cheap goods
which will sweep in from the countries
across the Atlantic and overwhelm the
poor, dear, misguided old public who
was so foolish as to be persuaded to let
the miSchievous and rascally Democrats
have chance to tear down, even a
little bit. that wall of paternalism that
has so long preserved them from the
terrible calamity of getting things they
want cheaper than paternalism thinks
it best that they be allowed to buy them.
There is something contradictory in
this; it does not jibe with that other
claim that the ultimate effect of pro-
lection is TO stimulate a home competi-
ton that results in a cheapening of price,
Or with the pride with which these same
organs have pointed to the fact that the
prices of some protected articles, nails
and cotton cloths, for instance, were less
than the tariff on them; but we appre-
bend that this apparent contradiction
was but concession to that foolish and
unsound notion some people have that
it is for their veal to get the things they
want at as low cost as possible, while
the real purpose of protection to make
things dearer was getting in its work
quietly.
The true protectionist, when he
'loafs and invites his SOUL" and lets
loose the true inWardness of his thought,
is firmly convinced that cheapness is a
dangerous thing, like some contagious
disease, against which the dear people
must be quarantined. 1t is to character
and morals what smallpox ami cholera
are to the body, communicating thing.
So we had the apostle of protection re-
vealing to Kalamazoo audience, in the
campaign OF 1891, the esoterie doctrine
of his cult. "Well," said Mckinley,
"now they say you would have things
cheaper if you only had Democratic
revenue tariff. CheapH and his Ma
poleonic nose wrinkled in scorn; 'cheap!
L never liked the word. Cheap and
nasty go together. This whole
system Of cheap things is badge of
poverty, for cheap merchandise means
cheap men, and cheap men mean a
cheap country. and that is not the kind
our fathers builded." And Apostle Ben
Harrison gave earlier expression to the
same thought that year in speech in
Chicago. when he too reviled cheap
things and declared that "a cheap coat
means cheap man under it,"
But in spite of these philosophers the
perYerSe people insisted that they did
not like things to be dear in price, and
commissioned the Democrats to make
them very much cheaper "a job that was
not fully done because few Democrats
had imbibed the philosophy of Mr.. Nc
Kinley, but which was sufficiently done
to warrant these organs of dearness to
send forth their warnings of the flood of
cheap goods about 10 overwhelm US.
!! There are great many indications that
the people will not only not be alarmed
at the coming flood, but will fooishly
and mistakenly welcome it. The very
morning paper that editorially hoisted
the flood signal to its readers contains
ing TO draw customers by setting forth
the enticing cuts made in the prices Of
their goods. The clothing merchants
placard their goods in the show Win
dows with cards showing the former
| price and the reduced one.
The simon-pure McKinleyite who
| thinks that cheap and nasty go together
mo- nd nj n
/ cheap men and women under them
should visit the bargain counters anC
the cut sales Of our large dry goods
stores. Possibly these ladies who throng
them, eager to get bargain, may no
be the eminently respectable person!
| their dress indicates; possibly they art
only cheap women masquerading il
silks: but they pick up the.cheap thing!
with avidity, oblivious TO the awful
possibility that they are also nasty
| Even the men are not averse to getting
what they want as cheaply as possible
and are constantly on the outlook fol
bargains. Railway passenger agent:
could tell interesting tales of how very
wealthy men beg for free passes or
their roads-and get them, too, in spite
| of the interstate commerce law; anC
Secretary Kobbe, of the Atchison re-
! organization committee, says that thai
! road gave back to shippers in rebates
| over s., 900. 600, and that all the roads DE-
it. 1t isn't the poor only that like and
! want to get things cheap.
Then the same paper that warns the
| people against the coming flood recently
cheapened its own price--its subserip
ton price, we mean three-fifths, re-
CARELESS of McKinley's dogma thai
cheap and nasty go together. 1t moi
only does this. but glories in it, and
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