The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-06-19


here or abroad. "Only per cent of
on with foreign countries. while 96
per ceht of the business of our people
is domestic transactions, home busi-
ness" says Harvey Of "Coin's Finan-
cial School. In view of this fact what
is the wisdom of talking Of the COM
merce of the world, international ad-
justments and all that? Is it not
wiser to legislate in the interest of 96
per cent of our business than in the
interest of the remaining per cent?
The people are thoroughly aroused
on this matter and haZy and indef-
mite platform promises will not serve
longer to stave off the issue.
The political parties cannot serve
two masters, the people and the bank
ers. They must serve the one or the
other, and their fate de pendS on their
decision.
No one, we are sure, feels more
keenly the hardships of the people,
and more heartily sympathizes with
them in their troubles and trials
than the Archbishop of St. Paul, but
we firmly believe that the policy he
suggests will only prolong and in
I crease those MArdships Nothing will
serve now but financial readjust-
ment and the American people must
have the moral courage to undertake
it, just as they had to undertake the
war for the preservation Of the
Union. They have come to that
point when they must act. We freed
ourselves from the political domina-
tion of England in the Revolutionary
War-a war which business interests
protested against. The time has now
come when we must free ourselves
from her financial domination, even
though business and banking inter
ests again protest.
The Archbishop is not gold mono
metalist. To use a word much in
vogue during the Vatican council. he
is an inopportunist. He thinks that
any change whatever in our financial
policy at present without the consent
of foreign nations would be detrime n.
tai to our prosperity. It might be
asked here, what reasonable hope Of a
betterment of our present unfOrtun-
ate condition can we have from con-
tinuance of our present financial
policy, since it was this very policy
that brought on the condition Of af-
fars that is so bitterly complained Of?
We do not believe in financial homeo-
pathy, or that the continuance of an
evil is the best way to cure it.
The Archbishops position is like
that Of many citizens during the
anti-slavery agitation prior to the
war! They recognized and deplored
the evils of slavery, but they feared
that any attempt to abolish it would
fail, or bring about still greater evils.
Vested interests, business interests,
were too strong; disturbance would
unsettle the financial equilibrium.
Slavery is bad, very bad, but we better
let its alone lest worse may come to
pass. But the people once aroused to
its enormity did not let it alone.
They caught what the slave master
would call the anti-slavery "craze," "
just as they have now caught what
the gold men call the silver ''craZe," +"
and they did not stop until slavery
was thing of the past. II we are
not greatly mistaken in our prognosis,
they will continue the "silver "craZe"
now that it is on until gold monomet-
allism is as dead as slavery.
Has this great Republic sunk SO far
in the financial Quagmire that we can
do nothing for our own relief. but
must cry out to England, France and
VC1 IAduy, odVV uoS VI We PCAlSA. IL
so we are at the end Of the great ex-
pertinent and the Republic is fail
ure. But we do not believe it. AS a
nation we are like the horse, who, be-
cause he does not not know his
strength, permits himself to be driven
by whOmsoever chooses to apply the
spurs and hold the bride.
Mulhall, the famous statistician, in
an article, '"The Power and Wealth of
the United States," in the North
American Review, says: IF we take
survey or mankind in ancient or
modern times as regards the physical,
mechanical and intellectual force OF
nations, we find nothing to compare
with the United States in this present
year Of 1895"
And yet this phenomenal nation
cannot regulate its 'own currency
without the help of England, France
and Germany!