St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-22
JUDGMENT ENTERED FOR BLAINE

A cartoonist, Wishing to represent
Mr.. McKinley's position on the public
questions that are among the issues
OF this presidential campaign, might
eptly draw him with a resplendent
halo Of protection about his head, and
q dense fog obscuring the lower Dor
ton Of his body, hiding his views of
money. In the fog one will really have
TO place his conception Of the policy
bof reciprocity, inasmuch as prominent
members Of his party differ so widely
as to the position he occupied towards
1t In 1890, when his famous bill was
being considered. Here we have so
Femlnent statistician as William Ell
roy Curtis asserting that, after Secre-
Tfary Blaine had compelled the senate
finance committee to add reciprocity as
"a counter balance to the "driveling
Fdiocy'' Of the house, he saw Mr.. Me-
fkinley, and that gentleman gave the
senate amendment his cordial APPROX
al. Mr.. Grosvenor, also, we believe.
INSISTS that Mckinley was alb initio a
ireciprocator, If the term is admissible.
gThe platforms adopted indicate that
this impression is quite general.
4 Now comes the Des Moines Register
ledlted by National Committeeman
EClarkson, and says that "the friends
of Maj. Mckinley are making unwar-
ranted use Of reciprocity in order to
advance the interests of their favorite 1"
tlt then proceeds to say that Senator
Gear was a member Of the house WAYS
and means committee in 1890. that Sea-
Tetary Blaine appeared before that
committee and urged his scheme that
me did not create a favorable imnres-
slon' was sharply cross-questioned bv
the committee. and that the committee
rejected his plan. After the senate had
adopted the most famous FEATURE of
the act of 1890, without which the da-
.1eat OF that law would have been much
more pronounced than it was" the on
position to its acceptance by Mr.. Nc
hlnley's house committee was largo
ana long," Eat times it seemed as if
2t would wreck the tariff intentions Of
fhe Republican party" 3" .Mr Mo-
ahlnley was one of those who stood out
against Mr.. Blaine's reciprocity. no
matter what they may write now on
Mck1nley campaign buttons"
We think the preponderance Of e,,,
pence is with Senator Gear. His state
ment Is entitled to greater credibi1i+v
than is that Of Mr.. Curtis where thew
con1llct He was a member of tho
mouse ways and means committee and
knows what occurred before and in it.
lie. too, shared McKfnIey's opposition
70 the secretary's plan. That the latter
submitted it to the house committee is
probable without Senator Gears
statement Mr.. Blaine would
naroIy have displayed the heat
he did when he smashed bis
SILK hat in the senate finance com
m1ttee room had he not been. still on
ragged by the turning down the house
committee gave him. Then there are
presumptions in support of Senator
Gear. Reciprocal trade is free trade
when 1t has its widest expression. Anv
modification Of it is still an admission
of the benefit Of free trade. ANYTHING
that bears any relationship to free
trade is abhorrent to the true protec-
zionist. Mckinley and his comnoittee
were true protectionists. Besides the
experience of the party with quipine
and hides had shown how dangerous
1t is to permit the people to get even
q taste of the benefits of unrestricted
trade. So it was but natural and log
IcaI that Mckinley and his committee
should set their faces against the prop
osition of the secretary. On the whole
case, then, Judgment must be entered
that Mai. Mckinley is not entitled to
the ownership or possession of the pol
icy of reciprocity. and that the same
Is the sole property Of the political es-
tate of James G. Blaine, deceased.