The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-09-14
SECOND DISTRICT DEMOCRATS.

~ ~
of this congressional district at their
convention yesterday pressed into the
service Gen. J. H. Baker, the we'll
known politician and officer seeker OF
this county, who of late years has been
a member of about every party whlcn
would appease his love for of1ce, oy
Offering him a chance to run for one.
The hopelessness of their cause can
not be better illustrated than by the
fact that none of the old time Demo-
Gratis who have stood by their party
through thick and thin, cared to make
the HOPELESS race, and would not under
any consideration be pressed into the
service.
But the clear desperation of their
cause was most emphatically brought
to the surface in their platform, which
they have put forward with the wild
hope that they may capture the bulk
of the PoHulist vote, and to this end
they have deserted the position which
the Democrats of Minnesota have, of
late years at least, adhered to in rela-
ton to a sound money system, and
gone completely over into the ranks
of the cheap money crowd, and taken
a square stand in favor of fiat money
with all the dangers which are attend
ant thereto. Their financial plank
calls for the free and unlimited coin
age of silver without any reservation
whatever, and Gen. Baker in his ac-
ceptance speech said that he believed
that this was a free silver district. The
FREE PRESS does not believe that this
statement, in the sense in which it
was meant, is anywhere near correct.
That the people of this district are in
favor of the largest possible use of
silver, consistent with the safety of
our financial system, as they are in all
sections of the country, will be de-
MED by no one. But the declaration
of the second district Democracy goes
far beyond this and favors the break
ing down of all honesty and safety in
financial matters, and on this Gen.
Baker says he stands pat. 1t is a
position which will not commend it.
self to the intelligent voters of the
district.
On the tariff question the course of
Democracy is no less inconsistent and
deserves the careful consideration of
all voters before they commit them
selves. They commended the present
sugar trust tariff bill as a step in the
right direction. In other words they
commended the robbing of the people
of $40, 000, 900 for the sole benefit of the
sugar trust as being a step in the
right direction. They then declare
for further tariff legislation in favor
of free raw materials. How does this
strike the farmers of the second dis
trict? There is no demand for free
manufactures. All they ask in that
line is for somewhat lower duties. But
any product which the farmer may
have which may enter into the manu-
facture of any article in this country,
they demand shall be put on
the free list. All through
the years which have past has
Democracy declared against what
they were pleased to call class legisla-
tion, and yet here we find the Demo
Gratis of this district declaring in favor
of the most drastic class legislation,
and their candidate declaring it meets
his views, and that if elected he will
do everything in his power to help
bring it about. This one thing, if
there was nothing else, ought to con-
tribute largely to the overwhelming
defeat which awaits them next No
vember.