The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-09
NOTES IN OUR OWN EYE.

The ancient augurs, it is said winked
They did not fool each other if they
did the populace. Were Secretary Oh
ney other than a good Democrat, were
he of the school that breeds Republi-
canism and Populism and socialism.
one could imagine him thrusting his
tongue into his cheek and tipping a
wink to Germany when he wrote his
solemn protest against the latter's ac-
ton in putting obstacles between her
subjects and our meats. And the Ger
man minister for foreign affairs would
give the reciprocal signal of wink and
tongue thrust. to show that in the
were understood by the masters of the
art, however much of a mystery
they were made to the common herd.
AS good Democrat, the secretary
fell short of his opportunity and his
duty, If one may judge from the brief
synopsis of what he says anent the
acts Of Germany which restrict or
wholly debar access to that country of
our meats. While it is proper that he
state the conditions that have de-
pressed the domestic price of our beer
and pork, and show the groundlessness
OF the German pretense of their un-
healthfulness, he should, as a Demo-
crat, have followed this up with the
frank avowal that we are not in a
condition to either complain or pro-
test, and that remonstrance was use
less and the efforts of diplomacy vain
as long as Germany found in the policy
Of this country the recognized plea in
justification of the first assault. If, in
the language Of one patriot in congress.
hardly ask abroad" to have any spe-
cial regard for us.
OF course, the pretense of Germany
is false one and we are very simple
know it is false. We know it is, they
know 1t is and they know we know it
is. Knowing this, we have been spend
ing several hundred thousands yearly
on inspections and certifcations of
healthfulness of our meats destined for
export, ostensibly to assure Germany
that our meats are jnnocuous, but, of
course, really, to keep up the solemnity
Of the international farce, Fostering
Home Industries" In spite of it, Ger
many has gone on adding restrictions,
diminishing or cutting off a legitimate
market, cheapening the price here of
that consumed by her people. Mean
while, meat producers here, who can
not see beyond their noses, are going
for the Populistic remedy Of free coin
age as the sole and sufficient remedy.
All this the secretary might have
said, in that smooth, suave language
in which diplomacy sheathes it's claws.
He might then have gone on to give
this congress the salutary and much
needed information that, if we know
that the German pretense is false, Ger
many also knows that our pretense for
laying extraordinary taxes on her
products imported here is just as false
We do not lay them for revenue, for
they are far above that revenue point
which is the lowest tax that will yield
the largest amount of revenue, and she
knows as well as we that the begin
ming of protection is the ending of reve-
nue. She knows that our other. pre-
tense of solicitude for our own work
ingmen is a fiimsy sham because she
knows that we have practically free
trade in labor and our employers ha-
bitually get their worlmen at the low
est possible wage. So long as we keep
up this fraudulent pretense to cover
our own actual selfish purpose, the Sec