The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-11
MISDIRECTED ZEAL.

| everywhere.
MISDIRECTED ZEAL.
! The pitiful thing about this whole
| free silver movement, which is partie-
uIarly well illustrated in the tripartite
meeting the other night in the interest
| of silver monometallism, is the amount
| of energy, zeal and real public spirit
that is being dedicated to an unworthy
cause 1t is not a new phenomenon. 1t
runs through all history. Wherever
! the people have been widely and deep
| ly stirred, and great popular move
| ments have swayed them hither and
thither, they have generally shot wide
of the mark. While the ultimate con-
sequences Of their work have been
good, the immediate objects accom-
plished have been either trif1ing or I'M
worthy. History working through hui
man nature is repeating itself. 1t is
impossible not to believe in and ad
mire the great enthusiasm in the
| cause of humanity that broke out at
the Chicago convention. While some
of the men there rendered lip service
only, and had a vivid realization Of
honors and emoluments to come, the
mass Of delegates were inspired, we
are convinced, by q faith in the just
ness and necessity of their cause. Miss
taken, they were, it Is true, but not
evil-minded. Therefore, the heart
rending pity of 1t is that with evil so
rampant all about them. they should
leave it to flourish unrestrained and
unrebuked, while they ran off after q
delusion which, if they could work
their will upon it, would only do more
than all the legislation now in force
to buttress and strengthen the money
power and rob the weak and enrich
the mighty.
This is the irony of political destiny
and the mockery of human emotions
when they thrust aside the bonds Of
logical control. We can appreciate this
situation much better when it comes
within our local field of vision and
deals with people whom we all know,
than we can in the larger arena of
the nation. Men and motives in the,
aggregate are the same, and we see
in this restricted circle singleness and
honesty of purpose, working toward
the end Of so much that Is well-meant
in our public life-futilism. One of
the speakers Of the st. Paul meeting
said that it was a magnificent sight
fn hn Ixy
to throw aside party ties and to unite
for the public good. And so it is. Mere
partisanship, rabid devotion to name
unthinking obedience to the dictates
the decline. That much is unqualified
gain. 1t is true, also, that a check
must be put to the influences now
strong and growing stronger in the re-
public, il our institutions are to be
saved and remain operative upon the
body Of our people. We have seen the
trust, defying state and national law
year after year, without let or him
derance We have laws enough ard to
spare and under every subject under
IL. 81
the whole people that could not be re-
dressed today completely and finally by
the mere enforcement Of existing stat
utes.
Yet, with this great body of restrain
ing legislation ready to our hand, the
tendency to combination and the
crushing out of the weak by the strong
grows Enthusiastically. How sad 1t is,
how unspeakably pitiful that the men
to whom this situation appeals, the
men who are really stirred by the fine
fervor Of humanity, the men who are
not self-seeking and are capable Of
looking to larger and nobler ends,
should be so blind as to place this de-
votion of theirs upon the altar of q
grinning idol. They are SHINING against
wisdom and against light. They are
doing the very thing against which
they themselves declaim. They are
stalking the hope Of reform upon the
operation of an act of congress. They
are seeking to add one fagot more to
the tumbled heap of unnecessary sta
tutes. They think that they are pre-
pairing to relieve the debtor, but what
they are actually doing is to cut down
the wages Of every working man in the
country, to authorize banks and other
financial institutions to scale down the
billions that they owe to the industri-
Gus and saving people Of this country,
and to place in the hands of the money
changers such a weapon as they have
never held before.
With suffering and wrong before
them, with the times clamorous only
for men Of stout courage and uncor-
ruptable honesty to enforce the laws
and bring the turbulent and unjust to
book, they tumble unwarily into the
pitfall. and surrender one OF the most
splendid opportunities eysr 5ofrered to