St. Paul daily globe., 1894-08-16
FROM FURGoT rO CLEVELAND

utility of the senate this fact is import
ant.
FROM TUESGoT 10 CLEVELAND.
The progress of the race is upwards i'll
spirals that bring successive genera
tlonS around to circumstances and con-
ditionS that are so like preceding ones
that they are called historical parallels
Never precisely the same, because the
later generation moves on higher in
cline, there is enough of similarity to
make the lessons to be derived from
what men did, how they met the condi-
tions of their times, their failures as
well as their successes, instructive to US
who have similar problems 10 solve.
Similarity of some of the conditions,
Identity Of the opposing forces of TO-DAY,
make valuable a study of the conditions
OF France preceding the revolution of
1890. In many respects the comparison
is startling in the likeness of condi-
tions. Substitute for Louis XVI. the
people Of this nation. the people whom,
as Carlyle wrote of the French, 1--WE
lump off into kind OF dim, compendious
unity, monstrous but dim. far Off las the
canaille, or, more humanely, as the
Masses" for the rapacious clergy and
the nobility, intent on their pleasures
and eXacting from the toilIng millions
the money wherewith to crafty them.
while bearing none of the common bur-
dens of the state, put the men here who
have usurped the power of the govern
10 i,aI,
conditions here and now so like those of
Frapce a hundred years ago that one
reading them and comparing them may
we'll wonder if we are to pass to
higher freedom through the same travail
that rent that country.
Louis there, as the masses here, heard
the complaints. saw the wrongs. and
there set rurgot 10 the task as here the
people set Cleveland. Both men saw
the difficulties of their task. Each
knew the power Of entrenched privilege
which must be oyertnrown; each felt
that the hand that commissioned him
must sustain him if wrong were to be
weeded out. Turgot sad to Louis when
made comptroller general: "Yvur
majesty will not forget that when /
accepted the office Of comptroller gen.
eral perceived all the danger
to which was exposing myself. 1 fore
saw that l should nave to fight, single
handed. against abuses of every, sort,
against the efforts of such as gain by
such abuses, against the host of the
preJudiced who oppose every reform,
and who, in the hands of interested
persons, are so powerful means of
perpetuating disorder. l shall be
feared. shall be even hated, bv the
greater part of the court, by all who
solicit farors. This people to whom
! shall have sacrificed myself is so easy to
deceive that shall perhaps incur its
hatred through the very means l shall
take TO defend it against haraSsment. |
Shall be illuminated, and perhaps with
sufficient plausibllity to rob me of your
majesty's confidence. You will re-
member that it is on the strength of
your promises that 1 undertake bur-
den perhaps beyond my strength. and
that 1t is to you personally, the honest
man, to the just and good man rath er
than to the king, that commit myself" !"
| Cleveland had received his commits.
| sion from the uncrowned kings of this
nation to redress wrongs to which they
had awakened, ''abuseS of all Sorts" in
which he was TO be opposed by "such as
gain by such abuses" by "all who
solicit favors," who would strive to de-
prive him of the confidence of his
crownless kings, and in which he would
find enemies and opponents even in the
court. Speaking soon after to party
of gentlemen whose guest he was, but
addressing the kings of the ballot.
Cleveland said: ''When l consider ali
that we have to do as party charged
with the control Of government | feel
that our campaign, instead of being
concluded, is but just begun. What
shall our performance be of the con.
tract we have made with our country
men, and how we'll shall we justify the
trust they have reposed in US? If we
see nothing in our victory but license
to revel in partisan spOils we shall fail
at every point. If we merely profess to
enter OH our work, if we make apparent
effort to do it only cover for seeking
partisan advantage. we shall invite con-
tempt and disgrace. The light
we see is the illumination from the
principles of true, honest and pure
Democracy - showing the way in all
| times of danger and leading us to full.
fillment of political duty and the re-
demption of all our pledges. a
Let US not be misled to our undoing by
other lights of false Democracy which
may be kindled in broken faith, and
which, shining in hypocrisy. will, if
followed, lure us to the rocks of failure
and disgrace. Who in our party
charged with any responsibility to the
people has not pledged his devotion to
the principles of true Democracy, and
who among us has made pledges with
intent to deceve?"
Turgot began his task. His two funda.
mental principles were economy in ex.
penditure and freedom in trade. ''It is
by trade alone, and by free trade" said
he, "that the inequality of harvests car
be corrected" 1mposts were removed;
the octroi taxes were abolished; talliage
was equitably distributed; the privi-
leges Of the noblesse and the clergy were
threatened; one edict abolished the
tyranny Of the jurorships and master.
ships among the workingmen, another
abolished the enforced labor of the peas.