St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-28
A PARALLEL.

| Nothing strikes the unprecedented
observer of public movements with
greater force than the family re-
semblance between political events
and methods in Great Britain and
| the United States. We do not refer
| to the disgraceful events occurring
( during a campaign where the mob
| does exactly as it pleases, of which
| the English have a monopoly. We
do refer to the insincerity of politi-
| cal leaders and platforms, and the
right-meaning earnestness of the
| great body of an oft-befooled peo-
| pie. To this may be added the sure
punishment that falls on a party
that betrays it's promises and neg
| lects its duty, however deserving
its principles may be. It is instruct
i've to see how surely these things are
! exemplifed in the course of events
in another country than our own.
1t only increases the Observers
wonder that politicians should so
uniformly choose the losing side Of
falseness to their trust, rather than
to win by fidelity to conviction.
Taking up the first proposition,
the stiffness Of the average politi-
cal leader, we find it exactly the
same in Great Britain as in the
United States. The Conservative
party is just summing up a tremen-
dous victory. 1t has carried the par
liamentary election by a majority
that fixes it firmly in control for
at least six years to come. But it has
not done this on the basis of any
positive programme or promise to
the people whatever. He who reads
the speeches in parliament and on
the hustings of the Marquis of Sails
bury for the Conservative, and Mr.
Chamberlain for the Unionist, might
imagine, for the moment, that he was
in the familiar atmosphere of a
hot American campaign. These gen
tlemen were deeply solicitous of the
welfare of the people, with a capital
P. But they abstained with siren
uous care from committing them
selves to any positive pledge or
policy.
Lord Salisbury, in speaking of
the problems of government at
the opening of the campaign, said
that they were worthy of the most
careful study" That is as near
as he ever got to declaring him.
self on any of the practical questions
of the day. Mr.. Chamberlain has
addressed the electors in language
which is worthy of a Popu1ist or
ator, and may we'll have been taken
from the speeches of his American
imitators in the third party move
ment. Nothing could exceed his
solicitude for the workingmen. He
proposed, in one Of his election
speeches, to ''better their conditions
the protection they are entitled to-"
He lives only for the purpose of
raising and elevating all classes
in the community" There are col
umns and reams of this sort of
defamation, intermingled with loud
cries of Hear! Hear!' from his
lo13 rrI,4 O1
did Mr.. Chamberlain say of the
practical measures by which he
| proposed to bring about these beau
tiful changes. What he and his coll
leagues were after was to get votes
by soft promises. And they got
them. The Conservative party goes
into power unhampered by pledge.
1t can do precisely as it pleases
for a half-dozen years to come, and
it will please to do a great many
things which will make the En-
glish nation deeply regret it's eleva-
ton to unlimited authority. 1t has
got into public favor by precisely the
empty and high-sounding phrases
which have carried many a man
into political office in the United
| States, and are still regarded tsJ
the average politician as the most
valuable part of his stock in trade.
He would deceive himself, how
ever, who should regard this plaus-
ible avoidance of issues and pro-
| fusion of pointless promises as the
real secret of the political revolu-
| ton in Great Britain. That lies
| deeper. But again, it is only a repe-
tition and reinforcement of the les
son taught over and over again,
| and as often ignored, in our own
political history. No intelligent man
who watches the progress of po-
litical changes among the ma
tons can have failed to be
arrested by the singular CO.
incidence of the fortunes of the Lib
eral party in Great Britain and the
| Democratic party of the United
| States. The Liberals have been
beaten by Liberal votes, as the
| Democrats were beaten a year ago
! by Democratic votes. Great Brit
ain is today a nation of Liberals
| by large majority. The United
| States is today just as certainly
| Democratic nation. AS the Conserv-
/ atives have been carried into office
by a tidal wave, without a single
promise to whose performance they
can be pinned, so was the Repub-
lican congress elected last fall with
no predominating issue, and with
out pledge which it is bound to
perform. The astounding reversal
of public sentiment in each instance
was due not to desire to reward