St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-27
"soRRY FOR THE POOR MANI

"SORRY FOR THE POOR MAN.H
Last Wednesday there assembled in
Chicago the members of the National
United States. 1t was a remarkable
gathering of the sharp, shrewd, alert,
energetic, brafny men of the nation.
They were the proprietors of great fac
tories, employing men by the hun
dred thousand and representing prod
ucts Of their sagacity and mems labor
reaching annually value of S., 000,-
100000. They were a gathering capa-
BILE, as one of them said, Of formulating
a tariff or currency plan and making
1t go. The farm implement men were
there. The iron and steel and tin
plate men, and the wooden and cotton
men; and Dolan, the silk plush man Of
Philadelphia, was their president
They were there to consult as to all
matters relating to their interests; to
take counsel together as to what they
could do or get done that would adj
vance them. The scope Of their in
Quiries spread byond our territorial
limits and took in the trade of nations
1t turned to smaller details and COW
cred interstate trade. That there were
other interests in this country, natur-
ally, did not occur to them; or, if it did,
was put aside as a sentimental matter,
not to be allowed to Interfere with or
impede the movement Of business.
There was a tone Of conscious supe-
riority in all their speeches and reso-
lutions. Naturally, too. They were a
generation of men nurtured on the idea
that there is something about manu-
featuring that makes it the especial
care of the nation; that eXalts it above
other vacations and entities it to ten
der guardianship, while all others are
left to the working Of the stern law of
the survival Of the fittest. For thirty
five years, a generations span, they
have seen the legislation of the nation,
its mighty taxing am, stretched forth
to shelter Manufacturers. No wonder,
then, that these men regarded them
selves as the favored children, the
elect of the nation. Trained in that
school they could not help it.
And they proceeded to tell congress
what they wanted in their, that is, in
the interests of manufacturing. They
wanted protection in their home mar
ket; they wanted the protection Of for
eign manufacturers in the latter's home
market lessened by reciprocity treaties
that would not inJure while it would
benefit them. They wanted congress
to turn the consular service into a
commercial travellers agency for the
foreign marketing of their goods, with
the privilege of selecting the agents
from their own trained servants; and
they wanted recognition in the cabi-
net by the creation Of department Of
Manufactures, with a manufa cturer
for secretary. 1t will be observed that
nothing that would add to the profit
side of their ledgers was omitted, and
that no false modesty prevented them
from telling what they wanted. There
was little note Of Inconsistency in
the Complaint IndC some states ndQ
sought to protect their own children
by imposing restraints on the manu-
facturers of other states $40 invade
their territories and cause an uncom-
Portable competition, but it passed I'M
noted by these men of business.
Among them was one manufa cturer
who was plainly out Of place. He
should be a poet, molding dreams into
verse; or a minister, preaching the
brotherhood Of man; or a painter put
ting dreams into color, or any other
vocation where sentiment not business.
Is the motive. But he, if one lone man
among the multitude, had the courage
of his convictions. He asked these
business men to declare for a policy
of manly independence and self-help
and self-reliance. He had the temerity
to offer resolutions asking for "the
divorce of business from the state"
SO it night ;'be founded solidly upon
our skill, honesty, industry and natural
resources He wanted free raw ma
terials, and would concede a proper
tional reduction Of taxation on prod
ucts. He wanted taxes laid On Iuxuries
Imported ana the deficit made UP by