St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-04
THEY'LL ComE HOME TO RuosT

Political tricks played to gain par
the Arab proverb, are young chick
ems that come home to roost. Our
Republican friends will have more
occasion in the future to moralize
upon this truth when the congress
which they have captured assem-
bles and this ever-preSent and per-
sistent financial question comes up
for settlement in it. The election of
1888 give the presidency and con-
gress to the Republicans, and they
seized the opportunity to admit ineo
the union Of states a lot of unfledged
territories. Back of the pretense of
granting home rule and the right to
govern themselves to the people of
these territories was the hardly con-
cealed purpose of increasing the Re-
publican strength in the senate, and
thus buttressing the policy of pro-
lection against Democratic assault
for at least another decade.
In pursuit of this purpose the Da-
kotas, Montana, Washington, Idaho
and Wyoming were added to the
states, contributing twelve senators
to the senate. OF these, as territories,
all were Republican except Montana.
All of them are now represented in
the senate by Republicans. In the
progress Of political events the tariff
has become a subordinate and the
currency the predominant one. While
parties are not divided by their
original lines on this question, the
major part Of the Republican party
is committed to gold monometallism
and is opposed to any further utiliza-
ton of silver. This policy is some
times affectionately referred to by
the organs of that party "as the
ancient and honorable policy of the
party"
Opposing this policy and represent
ing the major portion of the Demo-
cratic party are those who, admit
ting that gold is the superior metal
still believe silver a suitable money
metal under safe restrictions, while
at the other extreme stands the sill
yer monometallist demanding the
Tree coinage of silver at the present
ratio of 16 to 1. Here the chickens
come home to roost. The states adj
mtted by the Republicans in order
to secure the policy of protection
send twelve senators to insist upon
the free coinage of silver. In the
next congress they, with the Popu-
lists, will hold the balance of power
and be able to make concessions to
their views the price of their SUD-
port to other measures and policies.
unlike the Democrats from the
Southern states, who have voted
Tor the free coinage of silver be-
cause of the financial depression ex-
listing in their localities, these men
Will vote for and demand it as but
another application of the policy of
protection. Mr.. Wolcott plainly puts
1t upon this ground: In no other wav
can the silver miner be protected.
The free coinage of silver will be as
compensatory to them for the bur-
den they bear in protecting others
as was the compensatory duty ac-
corded the manufacturers of wooden
goods to requite them for the tax
they paid upon their raw material
lald to protect the wool growers.
The position is perfectly logical, and
these Republican senators have be-
hind their position both the logic
and the interest. We look forward
with something of comforting ex-
pectation to the dilemma in which
our Republican friends will find
themselves when these Western
chickens of theirs come home to
roost upon the silver question.