The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-23
HOT SHOT.
1t Is Time to Educate the Yard
Stick.

1T Is Time to Educate the Yard
To the Editor:
Much has been said about the farmers
which is true of their apathy and ignor-
ance in voting for their destroyers, the
hybrid old political parties, whose leaders
chief ambition has been to plumber the
people, evade just taxation, centralize
power in the hands of the few, encroach
upon the liberties of the people, weaken
love OF country and patriotism, and de-
stroy our government and return to
barbarous form of government of kings,
despots and of might makes right, but
what about our merchants? Thirty-four
years since the merchants of our farmer
republic by their energy and commercial
enterprises, fioated their country's flag in
all the trading seaports of the world, from
ships owned by them. This meant if there
was profit in the carrying trade, an Amer
lean merchant made it. 1t was a national
defense, for in time of war they covered
the ocean with privateers, manned with
brave and skillful sailors, the pride of our
nation and the admiration of the historian
and of the world. 1t was a training school
for sailors in times of peace to recruit
from in times of war for our war vessels.
Let us remember that it was the sailors
from our merchant service that humbled
that proud old buZzard, the robber on land
and pirate of the high seas England
Alas! Our country's flag has disappeared.
1t has been banished from the ocean-that
flag that JONES' Decatur, Perry and other
American seamen fought and won victor
les under, which makes the pages of our
national history sparkle like the stars in
our Northern winter sky-is gone, not cap
tur00 commenced in fight
cred, disgraced, dishonored, torn from the
proud heights on which the former mer-
chants and sailors of the republic had
placed it, by the insidious, treacherous
legislation of our national congress, aided
and abetted by the gold of England and
the ignorant. degenerate American mer-
chants. The instruments used to dis
grace and disarm their country have been
the old, mongrel Democratic and Repub-
lican parties. In the foremost ranks of
these old, putrid parties will be seen the
American merchant, from the wholesale
dealer to the peanut stand, bowling for his
own destruction and his country's shame
The old political parties are vieing with an
auctioneer who is selling his bankrupt
stock, for the of the public Nor does
he cease to ren.1i the air with his howiiiing.
only to go to the usurer's den, and with
pieous whine beg the Shylock for mercy
on his protested paper, and to the election
to vote for the candidates of the old par
ties to destroy the money of his own
country and adopt the coin of an alien
enemy, whom the patriotic old merchants
in two wars helped to humble; to rob our
national government of it's sovereign new
er; to coin money and vest it in the
Shylock that he may again sprawl at his
feet cringing suppliant for mercy But
there Is some mercy to be shown the mer-
chants for do they liot have the chamber
of commerce (some call it a pool room
to educate them? body of patriotic. Gull
tured gentlemen who petition our ma
tional congress to pass laws in the inter-
est of trusts and corporate greed?
Is it not time to let up on the pillow han
dies and educate the yard-stick?
A. G. SEXTON
Annandale Mimi, Dec H.