St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-26
- Fall.
SOME CORRECT COMPARISONS.


If Comparisons are odious," they
are also sometimes dangerous. The
boomerang is apt to hit the thrower
on its rebound, and comparisons
may hit the one who uses them in
stead of the one at whom they are
hurled. The New York Tribune
uses this dangerous implement in it's
frantic and not consistent efforts
to get its party out of the
hole in which the tentative and in
adequate, but still promising venture
of the Democrats in tax reduction
has put it. Unmindful of it's recent
assertion that the recovery, rapid
beyond precedent, from the depres-
sion of 1893 is due to the protec-
ton accorded our infants in the SEN
ate act, it row proceeds to point out
its disastrous effects by instituting
comparison of imports and exports
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1895, with those for the preceding
year. In this it makes the same
mistake that one of our down-coun-
try contemporaries recently did in
it's wool price comparisons. 1t takes
year when changes were appre-
hended, but not made, to compare
with the one after they were made,
instead Of taking a year when the
policy whose departure it laments
was in full operation with no pros
pect of a reversal.
On this basis the Tribune draws a
narrowing picture of the misery of
the farmer and the artisan. eff
every workingman could realize the
true meaning of this report Chat of
the statistician of the treasury for
June) as to his own industries, there
would be small chance of strife about
the tariff in the future" The farm
er, it proceeds, would see wool i'm
ports increased AL per cent and the
weaver would see wooden imports
increased 269 per cent, because the
duties were cut down so per cent.
And so it goes on down the schedule,
. comparing the increase of imports
with the decrease of duties, in a man.
ner that is positively cheering to the
Democratic heart that has been
filled with some doubts whether
there was enough of a reduction to
cause any dismay to the protection
lists. 1t draws the conclusion that
this increase of imports means less
work for the workingman and less
returns to the farmer for his toll
because, necessarily, they have been
these imported goods. To it also it
attributes the flow of gold abroad, for,
in spite of the Knockout blows that
hoary old delusion, the balance of
trade has received, the Tribune in
sists that the gold has gone and
must continue to go out to settle that
imaginary balance.
The care with which all these
patriots avoid the year 1892 for one
base of these comparisons is singu-
lar. 1t is the stock year with them,
or was, for other comparisons When
they want to draw an especially lurid
picture of the folly of the majority
of the voters of this country in send
ing the Republicans about their pri-
vate business and installing the
iconoclastic Democrats, they point to
the year 1892, the apex of the re-
suits of Republican policy, as the one
year when everybody was prosper
GUS and happy. If they avoid it now
they have good reasons, as we will
proceed to demonstrate For the pur-
pose Of giving a wider view we will
tabulate the imports. for the years
30 to '95, while directing especial at