St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-14
"HoLD UP YOUR HANDS,

"HOLD UP YOUR EzANDS.o
No highwaymau ever confronted his
victim with cooler audaciiy or steadier
nerve. and made him hold up his hands
and submit to spoliation, than has the
sugar trust and its allied spawn of Re-
publicanism made the American people
stand and deliver. Its only parallel i'll
history is the assault of the privileged
classes of France hundred years ago
on the honest, patriotic aud clear-eyed
statesman Turgot, who attempted to
make them loose their grasp on the
Threats of the common people, and
whom they overthrow and drove from
power.
No Democrat can, and no citizen who
loves his country should. read the check
which the cause of liberty met with IN
Washington yesterday without blush
of shame mantling the cheek of the
Democrat and graver look finding eX-
preston in the face of the other. 1t is
not that tariff bill has been defeated
and another one has triumphed. Ii that
were all; if it were merely a question
whether the percentages of taxation
should be little more or less on this
thing or that one. the end of the long
struggle would be of no significance to
any one. But the very length and Bit
terness of the struggle shows that more
was Staked ON the contest than mere
percentages. A principle was staked
on the outcome, and that principle is a
fundamental one, one lying at the very
base of epublic-Whether the taxing
power of the government may he used
TO be given to the class on whom its
favorS may fall.
This is the deep significance of the
yielding OF the house 10 the imperlous
demands of the trusts and the holders of
the privilege of taxation entrenched in
the senate. This, as Mr.. Wilson truly
says,is the thing that is serious and dan
gerous. Are we free people when a
combination of capital accumulated by
use OF the taxing power can reverse
the verdict of the majority of the people?
Could there be more Impressive illus.
tration of the corruptlng power of this
vicious policy Of protection than this
one set before our readers this morning?
That the trusts should have the willing
support OF the Republicans is right. be-
cause the support of the policy which
made the trusts is the duty of the par
tisans of that organization; but that the
trusts should have been powerful
enough and the influences of protection
cOrrupting enough to make Democrats,
pledged to their eXtirpation, prove
traitors to their party and its cause and
compel virtual surrender to the enemy
of the fruits of one of the most magnifi-
cent victories party ever won, should
turn fashlight On the danger to the
country of such policy. Mr.. Wilson
truly says that ''if we have taken moth
ing else out of this fight than this, it is
great, an inspiring and valuable
lesson"
With the cynicism of Tweed the
trusts sneeringlY ask the American
people. "Wnat are you going to do about
it?'' 1t is question every Democrat
and every free trader must ask himself
and make answer. Will you lie down?
Will you say it is of nc use to struggle
longer? That would be c0wardly and
unmanfy. 1t would be weakness un.
worthy of any man who bears the title
of Democrat, On every such man the
end of the first stage of the great fight
for greater freedom imposes the obliga-
ton of girding himself a little tighter,
and nerving himself again for another
struggle with the baleful influences
that have shown themselves so power
full. There must be no faItering any
where along the liue. not a step In re-.
treat; but, setting the colors farther in
advance, form the lines anew On them,
and fight on, even If this century shall
| NV W AOiS3 SbO0SiA ~ CNO thO hboi IL l.
umph. Everywhere everything must
give way TO the necessity of the hour.
Where a representative has proved
faithful, see that he is returned; where
one has turned his back on the cause,
see that he is replaced with one of bet
ter grain. Where Republican or a
RepublicanlZed senator can be dis
placed, do 1t, at whatever sacrifice.
Drunk with the power their stolen
wealth gives them. these trusts and pro-
tected industries that have achieved this
triumph little consider the force they
have checked, or its purpose. If they
think they have conquered immunity
from attack; if they think tariff agita
ton has stopped, they have studied the
rise and struggle of the aspirations Of
men for greater freedom to little pur.
pose. The conflict is as irrepressible {
one as was that one fought out thirty
years ago, and just as then human
slavery fell before the impulse of mel
for freedom, so now the industrial
slavery of men is doomed to fall before
the same invincible force.