The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-23
VOTES BY FAGsE PRErENsE.


him.
VOTES BY FAEsE PRETENsE.
There can be no objection to employ
ers, who regard with apprehension any
change from a gold to a silver stand
ard, explaining to their employees the
effects of such a change on their busi-
ness and on the employees, or to their
furnishing them with such reading
matter as will give them accurate in
formation. but there is ground for en-
phatic protest when they either at
tempt to coerce their werkmen to vote
as they wish, or to try to obtain their
support at the polls by false pretense.
We have heard much Of attempts at
coercion, but we have seen no proof
or 1T. Such methods, II any are
used, are as reprehensible as they are
unavailing and but increase the danger
they would avoid Men rebel against
compulsion, and the secret ballot gives
them chance to make their silent pro-
test.
But OF trying to get votes by false
pretense there are instances galore. AL
most daily some mill or factory shuts
down with notice to it's employees that
1t cannot operate until McKinleyism is
restored One Of these is another Wis
consin lumber company, the Northwest
r so Il
to its employees in which it says it can
make no sales of the lumber that fills
its yards because Of the silver agita-
ton and because of free listing of lum-
falsity we proved the other day, that
the millions Of unsold lumber in do
mestic yards Were There because Of the
imports of lurnber from Canada, the
fact being that 5the imports average
no higher under tree than they did
for years under taxed imports So far
as this company tries to get McKin-
ley votes on that ground, it is trying to
get them by the falsest of pretexts.
But the address incautiously gives
away the real cause of hostility to free
lumber It confirms the statement
made in our comments on the lamenta-
ton of that other Wisconsin lumber
man. that the real party hurt is not
the mill man, but the owner of the
stumpage. The address says: 1--WE do
not want to put the value of our stump
hof NIL
cheap Canadian lumber There is
where the shoe pinches. Under pro-
lection it is the raw material man
who finds that he holds the key to the
situation, the owner Of the ore in the
mine and the lumber on the stump
Protected, he makes his prices within
the limits of the tariff and commands
them. 1t was the standing pine that
became the prize to get hold Of, and it
was this and this only that had the
water squeezed 8out of it by the free
listing of the product We can under
stand why these men have no good
opinion Of the law that viii make them
let go their hold on the stumpage mo-
nopoly.
They tell their workmen that they
must take Canadian wages and the
company must sell stun1page as Cheap
as the Canadians do "or quit until we
can change the politics In the Wash
ington government" Here again is a
false pretense. The election of McKin-
ley and the return Of a Republican
house can change nothing, not even the
politics. No monetary or fiscal Iegisla-
ton can pass the senate for two years
unless at the price of dicker with the
siiverites. But what, is the pusillanimity
OF men like those. composing this COM
pany who say they cannot meet Cana
dian or any competition; who whine
and cry to the government to permit
them to make the Tltlmberless consum-
ers of lumber pay higher price for
it than that atF'which open, free COM
petition would let them have it. With
the millions of FARMERS who use most
of the lumber selling their produce un-
der a worldwide competition, how con-
temptible is thee attitude of these men
asking for shelter behind which they
can coerce the farmer to pay protected
prices for their, lumber Very shame
should keep them still