The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-07
SAUCE FOR THE GANDER.

oACCE F'Oh OANDEHs
OF all the newspapers in the United
States which are given to daily incon-
sistency with a calm disregard Of the
logical consequence Of their own state
ments, the New York Tribune is easily
foremost. 1t would be practicable to
prove from the files of that remark
able exponent of interested journalism,
the high muclS-a- muck of protected mo-
necessary and entirely evil. 1t is i'm
possible for even the most thorough
going McKinleyite to write day by
day on live questions of the hour and
never by accident fall into the mistake
of being logical. We admit that the
Tribune avoids this painful error more
frequently than it's fellows and more
consistently than we should think pos
sibe without tremendous and exhaust
ing effort. Still the Tribune is mortal
and mundane, and it mods in a way
that must give it's protection support
ers and readers a severe attack of in
ternal pain.
For instance, the Tribune takes up
the record of Secretary Morton, which
is subject of general and lively COM
ment at this time, because 1t is hot
shot at the calamity howlers and the
advocates of paternalism. Now the
Tribune is, for the moment, interested
in being on the side Of Mr.. Morton,
because 1t wishes to have it appear
that farmer is a fairly prosperous
individual, who can stand little more
taxation, Unnecessary, to help along
some ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS So it appIauds
the report of the secretary of agricul-
ture, and quotes with explicit approval
the following statement: 'The intelli-
gent, practical and successful farmer
needs no aidifrom the government The
ignorant, impractical and indolent
farmer deserves none" A fine state
ment Of a magnificent truth this is
The Tribune does well to quote it with
encomiums
But suppose we put side by side with
1t parallel statement, and one which
must be true if the other is. 1t runs
this wise: 1.-THE intelligent, practical
and successful manufacturer needs no
aid from the government. The ignorant,
impractical and INDECENT manufacturer
ence in the world between this asser-
ton and its companion piece, except
that the latter Is more reasonable than
the former, and that it puts the boot on
the other leg? The only reason which
anybody has dared to give for the ex-
istence of a protective tariff is that it
is necessary to prevent the American
laborer from being ruined by the COM
petition of cheap labor in other coun-~
tries. Now, if there is anything in this
argument at all, it applies with equally
compelling force to the agricultural in
dustry. The cheapest labor on the face
of the earth is farm labor The worst
paid employe in any manufacturing
business In any country on earth is in
princely circumstances as compared
with the farm 1aborer Of India and
Egypt and even. Russia. Theirs is the
competition which the farmer Of the
United States has to meet He must
sell the product of his toll in an open
market, unguarded by tariffs, at
price fixed by the laborer who re-
ceives cents a day. This is the man
whom the Tribune says needs no aid
from the government. If that is true,
then what claim has his fellow, wno
is engaged in manufacturing and who
has to meetfea competition far less
strenuous inIthes matter of wages, to
call upon thegpeople to help him?
We indorser every word that the
Tribune says concerning the farming
| industry in the United States. It las
demonstrated it's ability to stand alone
and to face the f1ercest competition
known in the history of the world.
But by that fact it has proved that
the imposition upon it of a tax for the
benefit of other industries far better
able to sustain themselves is a GRIM
inal injustice. Out of the mouth of the
Tribune is the protective system con-,
victed and condemned.