St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-15
IT WAS HIGHLY SIGNIF-
ICANTo 20

The Boston Herald, which has been
among the Democratic papers which
approved of the concessions made to the
policy of protection i'll the Wilson bill,
says of the speech Tom johnson made
to the lroquois club in Chicago last
week that "this gathering of 600 of the
prominent Democrats of Illinois ap-
plauded to the echo IN perfect frenzy
of enthusiasm the statement that the
Democratic party was doomed to defeat
because number of its congressional
representatives were bargaining with
trusts and private interests in the form
ing of new tariff law instead of acting
in obedience to the wishes of the people
declared in 1892. 1t was ques-
ton which should be supported, the
party or the principle, and, SingularIy
enough, in gathering made up largely
of Western politicians, when this issue
was presented, the principle rather than
the party was sustained;" and it adds
that lit seems to US that this is highly
significant incident"
There are plenty of straws flying that
are equally significant. There has not
been a Democratic speech made any,
where for the past five years, in con-
greSs or OH the huStingS, in which ultra
free trade opinions were declared. that
they have not evoked the Ioudest ar.
plause. 1t is common remark of Re-
publicanS to Democrats that as long as
the question between the two parties is
simply one of a difference of few
points more or less of protection, they
will stay with their party, but if the
Democrats ever swing out for free trade
they will go with it.
The New York Times is another of
this class of papers which is beginning
to sense the direction of popular opin-
ion. 1t was the Times that insisted
strenuously that MIR. Cleveland had
kicked the tariff plank of the Chicago
platform from under his feet and re-
pudiated it. 1t is the Times now that
sees in the elections of this year hot a
reversal of the decree of 1872, not dis
satisfaction with any act of the admin
istration, but a disgust of Democrats
with the shameful surrender made of
the potentialities of reform secured in
1892. This admission marks long step
taken in less than two years by this
leading paper.
The sober truth Is that Democrats
everywhere are convinced that danger
turks in any kind of tariff; that any
such tax is constant inducement to
selfish assaults on congress for an in
crease; that the entire history of tariffs
written i'll the laws of any country
cursed by them, is that they grow in
size, with spasms of reduction caused
by an aroused popular opinion. only to
increase again when public attention
wanes or is diverted to other topics, un-
der the impact of the selfish interests
which find profit in them. Democrats
are more and more asking themselves if
it is right to tax what men ear and
wear, their shelter and their fuel, apd
omit from the burdens the real and per-
sonal wealth of the country, and
whether there is possible any settle
ment OF these eternal tariff disputes
short of the elimination OF the tariff it.
self.
But the little cabal of trading, traf-
ticking collar-and-cuff senators lii
Washington who imagine that public
opinion takes its direction by their
gracious senatorial courtesy know
nothing of the deep current of the pub
tic mind. They are like tho nobility of
France, who went merrily on with their
frvolities unwilling and nnmindful of