The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-16
BAND WAGONS AND OTHER VEHI.
Giles.

The Glob acknowledges the re-
ceipt of several communications from
concerned and occasionally loving
friends, who advise or implore it to
take a position upon what they are
pleased to call the band wagon of this
political campaign. They are quite
sure that free coinage Of silver is the
band wagon. They urge us to recon-
slider our present course, to mediate
upon the unpleasantness of being found
in minority next November, and to
ponder the profit of joining the pro-
cession at this moment, with the pos
sibility of being invited to ride with
the gentlemen who are footing the
trombone and pounding SO vigorously
upon the big bass drum.
While expressing our gratitude for
the suggestions so kindly and some
times so emphatically offered, we have
to remind these correspondents and
critics of the G / o b e that those who
conduct a great daily newspaper have
something other than band wagons
friends that the determining question
in the case of the G o b e, as, we doubt
not in the case of ninety-nine out of
every 100 newspapers, has been,
not a choice between the van and
the rear Of the marching army, be-
tween the elegant creature who swings
his staff as drum major and the small
boy at the tail of the procession, but
a question of individual conscience and
of duty toward the people? If the
Globe had positive assurance and
proof conclusive to it's own mind at
this time that the people would declare
for free silver in November by vote
of three to one it could not and would
not alter its policy in the slightest
particular While we will acquiesce in
and make the best of whatever the
people of this country may decide upon
for themselves, our judgment of what
do does not depend upon count of
noses.
We have taken the position upon
the financial question with which the
Globe s readers are reasonably ia
miliar by this time, simply and solely
because the history of all nations, since
men began to use money, all the teach
ings of economic science and all our
own experience, past and present, go
to show, to our mind, that the adop-
ton of free silver would be, first, an
act of national dishonor, and second,
an act destructive of the interests and
prosperity of capital and labor alike.
Believing this, as sincerely as we be-
1ieve that fire will burn and water
flow down hill, there is left to us no
option. Popular or unpopular, accepta-
BILE or disagreeable, winning or losing,
as the case may be, we must, as
honest men intrusted with the privi-
1ege of speaking daily to the people.
tell the truth as we see it, and proph-
esq of the future only those things
that seem clear to our vision. We may
be mistaken, but we must be honest.
To direct the policy Of metropolitan
newspaper W1lnOQl reference TO DT1n-
ciple, but solely according to what
public opinion seems for the moment
to approve, or according to what ap-
pears to us the probable result of some
election about to occur, would be to
descend to the level of about the mean
est, most despicable, most treacherous
and faithless to duty of all the crea-
lures on Gods footstool.
We have, therefore, to remind our
friends, whom we thank for their con-
sideration, that neither in this matter
of finance, nor in any other with which
the G o e has to do editorialIy, has
1T ever been or will it ever be a cues
ton of band wagons We are quite
satisfied to ride in the place of winner
If so be that we can deserve it. or to
trudge along on foot with the major
tty of people, who, we are sure are lust
like ourselves, neither better nor worse.
trying to do, on the average, about
rs near right as they know how This
seems to US a pretty good work in the
world. Furthermore. it consoles us
much to reflect that those with whose