The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-02
THE YANKEE IN FINANCE.

lIldAcS uicu lISc
THE YANKEE IN FINANCE.
One of the, interesting features Of
this campaign Of the standards is the
division along the lines of the nation
alities of our heterogeneous population.
Not that the7line is sharply drawn, for
some Of each Of the voters who are
either of foreign birth or trace their
ancestry to foreign lands, are to be
found under either standard; but by far
the greater number are to be found
massed on one or the other side While
this is the case with our foreign born
or derived population, the native vot-
ers, those Of American stock, are sin
gularly, strongly infected. with the
cheap money idea, those states where
they predominant being now, as they
have been in former campaigns where
the money question was in issue, given
over to the silver delusion. The vari-
Gus national characteristics are
brought out strongly by the contest
and determine largely the attitude of
voters.
Where the national character is
phelgmatic, cautious, conservative, one
finds its representatives among our
people ranged almost solidly on the
side of the gold standard, while, on the
other hand, those who trace descent
from peoples whose sentimental ma
ture dominates reason and responds
readily to appeals to the heart, quite
generally are ranged under the silver
standard. Caution and conservatism
hesitate to accept a change whose eff
fects are, at least uncertain and, any
way, involve risk of loss; while senti-
ment discards prudence in it's anger at
the wrongs to the masses so wildly
portrayed by the silverite orators.
Some of the best traits Of our nature
are thus made to serve a bad cause
now, just as they have been and yet
are in the misnamed cause of protec-
ton.
Experimentation in government and
finance have nowhere in the country
found such general advocacy as in the
state of Kansas and there one finds
the native stock largely predominant
ing. It's settlers came from New Eng
land and the Middle states, and it's
percentage of fol eigners is the lowest
of the Northern states. Why is
it that these proverbially shrewd,
acute intelligent people are thus sus-
ceptibIe to departures from the tried
and established in government and in
finance? One would expect them, with
their hereditary disposition to thrift
and economy, their money-getting in
stincts leading to frugality If not to
parsimony, to want the dear instead of
the cheap. dollar the one with the
greater instead of the less purchasing
power. But it was this element in our
population that gave strength to the
greenback movement and now forms
the backbone of the silver cause. Why
is it?
The Yankee is proverbially an ex-
perimenter and an inventor. He is
never content with what is the custo-
mary way of doing things and is con-
tinually on the hunt for some better
way. His successes have bred an
| overweening confidence in his abilities
and powers and luck. He has a hearty
contempt for old-fogyism He is an adj
way &c
vanguard Of settlement across the con-
| tinent, and while his fellows who have
remained in the East show little dis
| position to Join in the monetary
proposition, the more adventurous ones
who sought fortunes in the West, rush
into it as confidently as If the attempt
had never been tried before and failed
Reminded of this they will tell you
that we know more now, that we can
| do things our ancestors could not do
| that q people who have harnessed cleo
| tricity to industry's wheels are more
capable Of doing what they will thar
were the men who travelled by stage
and read by tallow dips at night. His
faith in his power of invention covers
the money question as completely as Il
does mechanics, and the very fact that
others have tried experiments in
finance and failed is the strongest spu1
to him to try it again. His mistake is
in failing to see that his successes arc
where he has acted in conformity with
natural law. and he has yet to learr
that he will fail when he attempts tt
| thwart it.