St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-13
THEY DEMAND THEIR SHARE.

banker, Republican, protectionist and
free coiner, a man who believes that
political principles are ever to be
logically applied because if right, the
consequences must be good, has created
CONSERVATION in the camp of his party
by movement designed to make the
party as logically protectionist to the
product of silver mines as to the prod
uct of wooden or steel mills or glass
works. or any of the other objects of its
paternal care. He has published what
| diplomats would term an ultimatum,
| signed by sixteen Republican senators,
| all, except Cameron, from west Of the
Mississippi, in which they whereas
| that the difference in exchange be-
tween gold and silver standard coun-
tries is equivalent to a bounty on or
protection for the products of the sill
ver-standard countries, and that Amer
lean labor cannot compete with them
coolie labor; and then they resolve in
effect that there is but one way TO res
cue the people of this country from the
impending fate, and that is by coming
silver freely at sixteen to one
This pronunciamento, Mr. Barker
kindly interprets into plain English in
circular letter he has addressed to
the protected manufacturers of the
East, in which he tells them squarely
that what these sixteen senators mean
is that there shall be no more tariff
they give their support to free coinage.
Not only that, he tells them that If they
do not want to see these same senators
joining with the Democrats to pull
down the whole temple of protection
about their ears, they must join in de-
handing that the Republican national
convention pledge the party to free
coinage. You must indorse such
platform" he tells them, land force it's
adoption by the Republican convention.
or there will, be, no Republican party"
act with the Republican party "if that
party is to become the party of gold
recommendation" He urges them to
sign and return the blank he encloses
you, the manufacturers, understand
that protection and bimetallism go to-
gether," and to prevent them from
Joining the free trade party and hur-
riedly throwing over protection, as they
surely will if the Republicans do not
yield to their ultinatum.
We fail to find in our Republican
contemporaries any discussion of this
remarkable demand, though our Demo-
cratic papers comment freely on it.
The silence is due to the confusion
produced and a feeling that there must
be a prudent waiting until some agree
ment may be made as to what is to be
done. 1t is very serious situation
that confronts our friends on the other
side. Reduction Of protection, they
said, caused the hard times, and they
were put back because they said that
restoration of protection would bring
good times. Just as they think they
can read their title clear to the presi-
Dental mansion, here comes this ulti-
matum Of the silver senators. If they
refuse them, they cannot redeem their
pledges. If they yield to them, they
lose the presidency. 1t is a very pref
| ty kettle Of fish, indeed, and we, hav-
| ing had in the Fifty-third congress. a
dose Of this same bitter medicine from
| the same fellows who spread Demo-
cratic nantes over them, can SYM
pathize deeply with our perplexed op-
ponents.
But there is a difference The five
renegades in the senate who made
their party stand and deliver up it's
free trade purposes. were simply trait
ors. These men are more loyal Re
publicans than are the twenty-five who
oppose them. They simply want the
share of protection that their states
are entitled TO. Iney are logical. Iney
have helped the Eastern brethren to
get what they wanted, and now they
insist that it is their turn Here Is
a proposition to protect sundry manu-
facturers, and they say that there shall
| be none of it unless they get some
also. They can get it only by the free
coinage Of one of the products of their
states, and they propose to have that
! Really, we cannot see how any Re
publican can resist their demand. II
seems to US to be full Of sweet reason
| ableness. We cannot see how blame
can attach to them if they say that
they will not. sit in and longer play
at the game in which the other fellows
have hogged everything, unless there
is a new shuttle and deal, and they
are given some Of the swag. We re-
main of the opinion that they will gel
something, if not all, then something
] good for silver out Of it yet.