St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-28
SAMPLE REPUBLECANISM.

Senator Nelson has now eased his
mind on two great subjects; the tariff
and the finances. AS to the former.
he has seen fit to back water upon the
position that he once took: the indie
pendent action to which, we have little
doubt, when one gets down to the bot
tom of things he owes his later public
prominence, including even the office
that he now holds: It is the foolish
habit of men who have obtained their
ambition to do this sort of thing; to
kick away the ladder that helped them
10 rise: to "scorn the base degrees by
which they did ascend" They al
ways live to rue 1t later On the sec
ond subject in his repertoire, Mr.. Mel
son spoke to the senate yesterday. All
that he had to say was very true-and
very trite. He affirms the impossibility
OF b1metallism on the basis of indie
pendent free coinage by this govern
ment; he saws that this would give us
silver monometallism, with all that the
term implies, for which we have only
to look at the condition of labor in the
silver standard countries OF the world.
He looks toward the star-a very dis
tant enc just now-of International BIZ
metallism. and to it he whispers gently
his future hopes and dreams.
This is performance So character
tstically Republican that one cannot
avoid the obtrusiveness of it's trade
mark. We have given MI. Nelson due
credit for his declaration against free
coinage. We have also listened to his
lullaby that tells Of the currency sys-
tenn of some happy day to come. But
what Of the present? What of the con-
dition of this country and it's finances
today? Mr., Nelson is not a PHILOSOPHER
droning out his theories Withdrawn
from the world, he is part of our law
making body. On him devolves, first
or all, the duty Of dealing as a prac-
teal man with present conditions. They
are before him and about him. He can
tell what the greenbacks are doing to
business and prosperity, here and now.
much better than he can guess the re-
mote effects of non-existent conditions
like free silver or international binaetal-
ism. He sees a currency that is het-
erogeneous, illogical, full of elements
OF danger He knows that his partv.
as the majority, is charged with the
duty of reforming it. That party made
1t what it is. That party introduced the
g 1OIKyr
that have destroyed public confidence.
Now it is in the majority once more.
what does it propose to do about it?
Has the Republican party a financial
policy; not negative, but positive
one; not one for next November or next
year or next century, but one for a
disturbed and distressed business world
OF today? These are questions that the
people would like to have Mr.. Nelson
stand up and answer, instead of deliv
ering an essay on topic which, how
ever agitated in the United States
senate, has no possible relation to Our
present practical affairs. For every.
body knows that in the life of tbis
congress there is nc more chance for a
free silver bill to become law than
there is for the walls of the capital TO
crumble under the eloqLence that beats
in pillows upon them.
We have had enough Of generaIities
and distractions. Does Mr.. Nelson
stand with Mr.. Sherman for the green
backs, and so approve the perpetual
issue of bonds to redeem them? For
that is only a quicker and less honor
able way of reaching the gulf of repudi-
alton at last. Does he approve of the
new bond bill. that Narefully shuts out
all relief from the treasury, authorize
ing it to borrow mon.y which it would
not need but fo~ the existence of the
legal tenders, and then still further in
ereasing popular distrust by deIiber-
ately Insisting upon the use Of the
word coin" at this time? Has he any
views on the imr ediate financial needs
OF this country? If SO, what are they.
and what his remedies? We can talk
about international bimetallism any
odd hour. In the present state of az
FAIRS, and with an appeal to the people
hear at hand, they want opinions and