St. Paul daily globe., 1894-10-30

Il
can they be led into changing their DE.
cisive verdict Of 1892. All can say OF
Mr.. Mckinley is that he has run mao on
the high protective tariff question. ana
he and other Republican party lead.
ers seem to have lost their reason.
1.-The distinguished author OF the NC
KinIey bill, in his speech at Newbprg
Saturday last, in advocating hign pro-
tectiye tariff, made use or this express
sion, namely: For this year politics Is
business and business is politics. ms
is indeed a most extraordinary sentl-
ment, and one which deserves analysis
at this time. The idea which Mi. NC
Kinney intends to convey to the people
is that in some form or another money
is TO be made out of politics. and that
therefore business and politics are in
separable. l repudiate any such seuti-
ment as
DemoEalizing and Repugnant
to the spirit of our former government.
"'He wants US to understand that
money can be made out of the tariff,
and that hence the tariff should be en-
couraged, increased and redOnbied.
The fatal error in his position lies in the
fact that he entirely ignores the
purpose of tariff and the ma
lure of its true function. Tariffs should
not be imposed TO enable any class
of people to make money out OF their
provisions, because tariffs are taxes i'm
posed upon imports. under the general
power of congress to impose taxes fer
the support of the government. He
ignores the fact now thoroughly under-
cff 4, a
tariff is a tax, ana, although the i'm
porter pays the tax in the first instance.
it is, as a general rule, eventually paid
by the consumer; and no man. no class,
no people, can legitimately make money
out of taxes strictly for the public ben
eft.
Politics in its highest and best sense
is the best science of government. and
has no intimate connection with busi.
ness or money making. Pure politics
demands that the government should be
conducted OH certain correct principles.
among which are that tariffs should De
imposed for public and not private pur-
poses; that tariff duties should be lim-
tied to the necessities of the govern
ment; that they should not be used to
build up classes as against the interests
of the masses, and that they should not
ut is unwise-yes, it is demagogy
itself to teach the people that this is a
paternal government and that money
can properly be made by mixing busi-
ness with politics. Mr.. McKinley's7 sens
timent is a vicious one. and should he
dscountenanced by every right-think-
ing citizen. Business should be
business and politics should be
politics. The business of private
citizens should be left as much as
possible to regulate itself, without
expectation of benefits to be realized
from favoritism in governmental taxa
ton. 1t is difficult to discover how men
can expect to have themselves made
rich. honestly and legitimateiy, by
means of equal tariff taxation. II can
only be done by fayOritism. by ~
Unjust DISCRIMINATORY,
and by an abuse OF the taxing power.
yet Mckinley seems to encourage bus
iness men to enter politics with the ex-
pectatiOn that thereby their selfish in
terests may only be subserved.
Taxation. whether tariff or other tax
alton. should not be made the instru-
ment of enriching people, and cannot
well be made such unless it is abused,
distorted and diverted from Its cOnsti>
tutional purpose. There is no mistak-
ing MIR. McKinley's tue meaning, be-
cause in the same breath he interprets
it by announcing that in Louisiana the
sugar producers proposed to vote for
their own business over which he Is
much rejoiced. He conceals the true
reason why he asserts that sugar pro-
ducerS in Louisiana propose to desert
the Democratic party. which is be-
cause in the new Democratic tariff
bill the sugar bounties which were pro-
vided to be paid in the Mckinley bill,
and which amount to between seven
and fifteen million dollars annually,
taken from the common treasury of the
people, have been repealed. In other
words. he seems to approve the doctrine
that every person should reap some
benefit or profit from legislation, or else
should take no interest III political legis-
lation. This is narrow. a selfish and
a dangerous view of public and private
duty. The great champion of protec-
tion fails to see that if sugar producers
Ill Louisiana desert the Democratic
party solely because they are not given
the privilege Of receiving
Millions of Dollars of Bountfes
from the general government. then
other citizens may discover that their
the repeal of sugar bounties, and may
conclude to join the Democratic party
by reason of that fact. Mckinley fails
is explain how everybody is to make
something by reason of the imposition
o high tariff duties, and whether some
b 'dy must not lose something because
that imposition. Nor does he explain
h Nv the government is to obtain the
Necessary revenues for the support of
the government, if tariff taxes are
placed so high as to prohibit foreign I'm
pOrtations. No wonder he expressed
great anxiety that the people shall vote
quickly this fall, because he does not
want them to deliberate. as reflection
will show the fallacy of all his argu-
ments." -
James Lindsay Gordon and Congress-
man Charles Tracy also spoke briefly on
the situation. s!fa (
A large overflow meeting outside. the
hall was addressed by Revenue Col
lector Pratt and James w. Often, -