The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-21
USING DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE.


that find their source in the sufficing-
ness of duty doing, continue to come
to those Democrats who are trying to
preserve the old faith and construct,
in the National Democracy, an ark Of
refuge in which Democracy can find
present safety and whence it can
emerge and occupy the earth after the
subsistence of this twin deluge of Nc
quantity of sound instruction in solid
Democratic doctrine which the Repub-
licans are getting from their teachers,
however unwittingly given. 1t is one
of the humors of this campaign that
the Republicans are driven onto Dem
ocratic ground to attack the silverltes,
and it is one Of the things to be hoped
for that the Republican masses will
thus learn to know that Democratic
ground is the only stable foundation
for a Republican government.
One Of the campaign documents sent
out by the Republicans is a catechism
in which the convenient questioner
presents error to the learned instructor
for its sconfounding. It is no shorter
catechism," for it covers over sixty
pages, and on page We find this ques-
ton and answer:
@. Is it the governments business to
raise prices for a class of people who wish
to make more money?
A. No: on the contrary the government
has no right to compel taxpayers to pay
cent more for anything than they can buy 1t
for in the markets If left alone. Now, the
people or the government can get all the sill
yer they wish at the price of 81 ounces of sill
yer for one ounce Of gold. 1t would be
frightful wrong to induce the government to
pass a law fixing the price of silver at double
that figure, which the government wouid do II
It made silver worth 16 ounces to Of gold.
Now there is a denial of Mckinley
ism as clearly stated as any old school
Democrat could put it. 1.-THE govern
ment has no right''-"right," mind you
ito compel taxpayers Cor non-taxpayers
for that matter) to pay cent more for
anything than they can buy it for in
the markets if let alone" Had the
questioner followed this up with the
question: Where is the difference be-
tween silver and. say, sugar, or wool
ems, cottons, glass. steel, nails and the
hundred other things McKinleyism
makes it the governments business to
raise the price of for classes of peo-
pie who wish to make more money,
we apprehend that the instructor
would have seen the dangerous ground
+I,a
discussion on that line.
Then there comes the combination Of
artist, catechiser and catechised, con-
siderately supplied to enterprising
publishers by Mr. Hanna's literary"
bureau. One of these is'iyery refresh
ing. The silver orator is made to say
his policy is IAN American policy for
America An auditor wants to know
If Bryan's platform does not also de-
clare for free trade. The orator can
only affirm that he believes it does.
Whereupon he is asked If free trade is
not British policy. Asserting to this,
can support a British free trade pol
icy and reject British money policy,
a position the indignant auditor terms
"the worst kind Of political claptrap."
Thereupon the auditor takes the floor
and wants to know why yard sticks,
quart measures and bushels that came
from England are not also rejected for
American half-yards and quarts and
bushels, before which the silver ora
tor, of course, retires in confusion.
Just turn this table and put Re-
publican orator on the stand declaring
for McKinley's American policy for
America A Democratic nearer asks
if his platform does not also declare
for the gold standard. Is the gold
standard not a British policy? Then is
it not the veriest campaign claptrap to
be denouncing free trade because 1t is
British. while upholding the British
gold standard policy? And we cannot
see the avenue of escape for this ora
tor from the confusIDns that over
as.rsb