St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-09
A CURIOUS ARGUMENT.

The Butte Miner has an article in
the tone of many that have appeared
In the far Western Press on the posi-
tion of the Twin City newspapers on
the money question. In a vain en-
deavor to be witty and sarcastic, it
congratulates them on their lists Of
new subscribers in Wall street. and
the reduction of support in the Rocky
mountain communities. 1t says fur
ther that "the wisdom of their gold
bug policy is demonstrated in the
large and numerous orders of goods
which have been secured for the mer-
chants of st. Louis and Chicago, and
the steady stream of trade which flows
from the Rocky mountain states to
the great wholesale centers of Illinois
and Missouri" 1t is perfectly unable
to understand, assuming that these
conditions actually do exist, how any
great public journal should take an
editorial position in defense of that
which it believes to be right, if such
should happen to be contrary to its
pecuniary interest
We find arguments like this of the
Miner exceedingly interesting and in
structive, because they exhibit care
lessly to the world the standard of
action of those who advance them.
Obviously, the gentlemen who hold
these opinions have enthroned self-in-
terest as the all-powerfuI deity of their
lives. They cannot comprehend why
man should take a position that
may cost him money and valuable as
slstance in his business. To them the
fact that for the United States to pass
to silver monometallism would cut in
two the savings of the people and
the wages of labor, ruin our credit and
benefit nobody except a few producers
of silver bullion, has no weight what
ever as long as those few producers
Of silver bullion are among their own
friends and constituents. To pull for
their interests is the highest object in
life which they can conceive of.
AS for the press Of the Twin Cities
and it's position on the money ques-
tion, the G o b e,speaking for itself. can
say honestly that it has never allowed
itself to be swayed for one moment in
the treatment of the financial ques-
ton by any question of self-interest,
of profit or loss. This issue goes so
far beyond the circle of personal in
terests, and affects for good or i'll so
many millions Of people, and genera
tions yet unborn, that any journalist
who should dare to subordinate it to
the demands of a present and COM
mercial necessity would be utterly false
to the great trust in his hands The
attempt of this nation alone to estab-
lish bimetallism on ratio of 16 to
must fail. The consent of this nation
to adopt silver monometallism d
bring untold calamity upon us. is
being the case, the G lob e is COM
PEELED to fight for a great principle
and a truth demonstrated by the ex-
perience of ages, at whatever cost
may be.
We may add, in this particular that
we are not in the least distracted or
worried by the situation which the
Miner depicts. We have always found
that the people. in the long run, take
the best newspapers that they can get
for their money. We have always
found that the man who stands for
what he believes to be a vital principle,
even at some personal sacrifice, gains
a larger and more steadfast constit-
uency in the end than the man who is
willing to shout good Lord or good
devil' in order to gain a new subscrib-
er or few dollars worth of adver-
tising. Newspapers of that stamp have
never succeeded, and we think they
never will. AS for business considera-
tions, we have no doubt that the mer-
chants of the Rocky mountain region
will buy their goods in whatever CEN
ters they can purchase them to the
best advantage to themselves. They
will not be so silly as to pay more in
st. Louis or Chicago, any more than
they would pay more in st. Paul and
Minneapolis, if they can get what
they want at lower prices somewhere
else.
The delightful incoherence and alb
surdity of the Miner and its kind are
brought into the strongest relief by
this illustration. Chicago and st. Louis
are as pronounced today in favor of
the gold standard as is New York city