St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-05
THE CANkER OF PATERNAL-
TSNF

"God helps those who help them
Selves This seems to be the idea of
Secretary of Agriculture Morton i'll re-
latiOn to the determination of the Rus
sian thistle and other noxlous weeds.
And as the government stands much in
the same relation to some of the people
as the Deity, he proposes to apply the
same rule. The government will Co
operate with the farmers in destroying
the pests that threaten the destruction
of crops. but it will not undertake the
task if the farmers refuse to assist Ill the
work.
The farmers permitted the Russian
thistle to grow and to propagate itself
under their eyes. knowing that it was
destined to kill their crops and to over
run the earth. They were too lazy to
throttle the evil at its beginning. Now
that it has attained dangerous growth.
they appeal to the government to save
them flOm ito perform duty that
would have been unnecessary if it had
not been for their own neglect. 1t would
be quite as reasonable for them to ask
the government to provide food and
shelter for themselves and their families
because they had chosen to idle their
time away instead of taking the neceS-
sary means of providing against want.
But the appeal of the farmers is not
unnatural under the circumstances.
The tendency of latter-day political
teaching has been in the direc-
ton of intoxicating in the public
mind the idea that the government is a
relief and aid society. The fathers of
our protective policy industriously
sought to Instlll this theory in the public
mind. Our manufacturing industries
were carefully protected by duties oner-
Gus to the consumers of their products,
who were taught that it was their duty
to foster American enterprise. Taxes
were imposed, not for the amount of
revenue they would produce, but for
the amount of protection they would
afford. The government assumed pater-
nalstic functions over the mnutest af-
fairs of the citizen. 1t dictated the class
OF citizens who should be favored and
the class that should be burdened. 1t
ordered the farmer to pay tribute to the
importer and the manufacturer, and
eXacted from the mechanic tithes for
the benefit of his employer. BY this
means the people have been taught to
look to the government not only for the
redress of wrongs. but for that fostering
care that a father gives to his children.
1t is perhaps natural that the farmers
should expect some favOrs. For years
they have been promised a chance at
the favors in the gift of the govern
ment, provided they would only be pa
tient under the yoke that had been
placed upon their necks. But their
turn has never come. They have had
promises galore, but 10 fulfillment of
the promises. Now that there is
chance for the governments interfer-
ence in their behalf, they are Informed
that 1t would be illegal and improper to
do so.
And it is both. 1t is entirely foreign
to the functions of government to in
terfere in the private affairs of citizens.
1t is unfair to assist the farmer to weed
his land, and it is equally unfair to as
siSt the manufacturer TO sell his goods
and guarantee him large profit upon
his business. Yet the latter class has
long been enjoying subsidies which the
farmer has been paying it. By his
action in this matter Secretary Morton
has brought wholesome truth home to
the farmerS-a lesson they have re-
fused TO learn in the past, even though
il has been constantly before their eyes.
Protection is paternalIsn; paternal-
Ism dwarfs the energies aud destroys