St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-04
A COWARDLY POLICY.

The opening sentence of Senator
Voorhees, tariff speech is an apology for
an imperfect work,an attempted justiti-
cation of the non-performanee-or half
perfOImance-of public duty. 'Great
abuses i'll government" he says, 'strong
by the sanction and growth of years,
imbedded III the powerful Interests of
privileged classes, created, fOStered,
encouraged and protected by the laws
themselves, have rarely, if ever, in any
age, been promptly and totally eradi-
Gated, except by forcble revolution
and blOOdShed. Such is the concurrent
and unbroken testimony of history.
The spirit of peaceful and practical re-
and progressive matter. moving forward
step by step, no matter how selfish its
aims may be, and overcoming the most
gigantic evils with patient wisdom and
courage, rather than by violent and
wholesale assault"
Perhaps Mr.. Voorhees, is right in the
reading Of past history, but he is far
astray in the conclusion he reaches, that
the way to cure an evil is to temporZe
with 1t: that the proper way to ampu-
tate dogs tail is to cut it off by inches
Admitting all that has been charged
against the protective tariff system. he
asks the people to endure its continu-
ance rather than run the risk of the
pain that might be inflicted upon the
privileged classes by heroic treatment
of the disease from which the body poll
words; they are not wise; they are not
polite; they are eOwardly.
For years the same arguments have
been dinned into the ears of the public.
We have been Informed that the robber
protective system has become thor
oughly engrafled upon our laws, and
cannot be shaken Off at once, but must
be gradually deprived of its sustenance.
And yet year by year it grows stronger,
and its 0eneliciaries more rapacious.
They were given a few privileges years
ago; they now demand them as vested
| rights. They were allowed protection
| against foreign competitions; they now
demand protection against domestic
| rivalry - the privilege of forming
trusts whose purpose it is to
overturn the natural laws of trade and
| to concentrate capital and industry in
| the hands of few at the cost of the
great mass of the people. Each year
| the expressions of these trusts have be-
| come more onerouS until the people
| have rebeiled. The last presidential
| election was fought upon the distinct
| issue of tariff reform and the curbing of
| the tendency of the trusts. The repre-
seDtatIves Of the triumphant party. in
| convention at Chicago. solemnly de-
nounced the Mckinley tariff law as ''tne
eliminating atrocity of class legisla-
tion," and promised its repeal as zone
| of the beneficent results that will follow
the action Of the people in entrusting
power to the Democratic party" And
| yet, in the face of this pledge. Mr..
Voorhees, would have the people accept
in lieu of the repeal an enactment that
as whole is an emphatic Endorsement
of McKinleyism, and is as much Of IAN
atrocity of class legislation as is the
law for which it is substitute
1t may he necessary, as MIR. Voorhees,
| says, that a revolution should overthrow
the system that has become so thor
oughiy engrafted upon our laws. If so,
the people want revolution, and will!
abide by its results. 1t is useless to
| attempt to destroy noXious weeds by
Topping off some of their leaves; they
must be uprooted. The people are IN
no mood for such temporizing policy
1t his speech is an indication of Mr.
Al
reform.h he is not fit man for the leader.
| ship Of his party in the senate, and is
especially disqualified from speaking
for his party on the pending measure.
The whole country is disappointed,
chagrined, Disguised with his cowardly
treatment of an evil that is responsible