The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-07
THE woRKINGMAN ALSO.

THE WORKINGMAN ALSO.
The demagogue has leaned upon an
other staff and found it but a fran
reed that bent under his weight One
Of the dependencies of the cause
launched at Chicago was the man who
works at manual labor for his living.
The other was the farmer. On these
two crutches the aggregation hoped to
make the journey to the White house
Could these two sections Of our popu-
lation be combined their force would be
irresistible. They form an overwhelm-
ing majority of the voters in every
state. The Populist was the guardian
angel the guide and friend Of the farm
er. The Democratic party has always
been regarded by the men who labor
as their honest friend. Hitherto the
two elements have stood apart, refus-
ing to unite or fuse. They could not
feel the identity of interests essential
to any such movement The farmer fed
the laborer, but the higher prices that
delighted the farmer meant increased
cost Of living for the worker, while
the increase Of wage for the latter
meant lessening profits for the farmer.
If these differences could be hidden un-
der the glamor of silver cloud, fusion
could be effected and the boards swept
clean. 1t was a situation that appealed
strongly to the demagogue who spells
principle principal and defines it as
interest"
For twenty-five years the paternalism
of the Republican party has been rip
ening its fruit of classism. 1t adopted
the policy of protecting and fostering
manufactures, at first for the sake of
having them, but. for years for the
ayoWed purpose Of enabling the en-
ployer to maintain a high wage rate
here that would comport with the dig
nifty Of the American Workingman.''
The manufacturer was sure Of his
gains, but the workers share Of it was
unavoidab1y left to the sense of JUS
tice and generosity Of the employer It
did not take the 1aborers long to find
that their employers had very distinct
ideas about their right to buy their
labor in the cheapest market. How
ever stiff might be their conviction of
the benef1cence of protection for their
wares, they were staunch free traders
when it came to buying labor. Then
there sprouted and grew the antag-
onism of labor and capital Out of
this baleful policy came the idea nat
urally, unavoidably, that the employer
was the enemy Of the man he en-
ployed. Then followed the combinations
Of labor to obtain by force that which
the policy promised and which they be-
lieved their employers withheld.
1t was to this class feeling that the
Chicago convention and the ensuing
efforts appealed. Labor must unite
with agriculture in the common cause
of overthrowing capital, represented
by employers, bankers, capitalists, cor
porations, the money power" all en-
trenehed behind the gold standard. To
the farmer higher prices and scaled
debts were held out as the lure; to the
workingmen the opportunity to smite
their oppressors. No wonder that men
feared this combination and trembled
for the issue. No wonder that the dem
agogues gloated over their cunning and
saw victory rewarding their trickery.
Gain and revenge are the strongest
passions that sway mems actions, and
the hydra campaign appealed
to both motives. Unions, declarations
knights Of labor organizations, strikes
and national labor party organizations
had proved futile because the farmer
element was in opposition. Here was
union through which was promised
all that separate efforts had tried and
failed to get. And the returns show
that the effort was a dismal failure.
Labor, as whole, rejected the tempta-
ton, as agriculture, as a whole, did.
1t refused to be exploited by scheming
demagogues. 1t indicated itself from
the suspicion Of it's unworthiness. 1t
proved itself truly American It's re-
Duke teaches needed and wholesome
lesson to the politicians of all parties.