The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-12

Having IOrndily transferred the SER
vices of himself and his virile journal
to the Republicans, Mr.. Dana should
take to task the shams into association
with whom his change brings him.
There is never any Of the sniff1e and
cant Of the hypocrite about the Sun,
which is virtue even in its excesses,
but he will find lots of it among his
new associates. Take the matter Of
trusts, for instance. The Sun follows
the logic of it's protective ideas to their
conclusion unfalteringly. If exterior
competition is bad thing, to be ex-
cluded by legislation, interior compe-
tition is equally a bad thing, to be ex-
cluded, in the absence Of congressional
power, by private enterprise through
the media Of combinations and trusts.
There is no pretense of a virtuous and
outraged Indignation with him; no
beating Of tomtoms, no Chinese mouth
fighting, but an upright .espousal of the
trusts and a stout declaration that
they are "a distinguishing feature Of
the development Of modern civiliza-
tion.'
Mr. Dana's ire must be stirred as he
witnesses the sham fights on the trusts
waged by his new associates of the
press. For instance, there is the Chicago
Tribune. 1t knows as well as
Mr.. Dana knows and as every one
knows, that the trusts are the alter
ego of tariff protection, applying to in
ternal trade the policy the Tribune
lauds when applied to external COM
merce; but, instead Of manfully TAX
ing the consequences of it's policy, the
Tribune affects to be outraged at their
existence and works, and, with well
simulated indignation, not only demands
their humiliation, but has the audac-
ity to upbraid President Cleveland for
not having crushed them. It knows its
prattle and roar is all claptrap, but
trusts are unpopular and can be safely
abused because they are immune from
attack whether legislative or newspa-
perial. 1t knows that the antitrust act
was lHtSHtlOidlly ITdiIleU SO as 10 De
innocuous, merely to pIaeate a public
that had not yet arisen to the height
Of view taken by Mr.. Dana, but stu
pid1y refused to see in the trusts "a
distinguishing feature of the develop
ment of modern civilization"
after having ignored the subject of
trusts for nearly four years. says the
Tribune, with a Pecksnifian sniff1e,
President Cleveland has awakened
suddenly to realization of their ex-
istence and dangers. When did CIeve-
land make any attempt to enforce the
laws? When has he shown any dis
position to do SOP" Here is a good
subject for Mr.. Dana's irony He might
comment on it under the caption,
"Claptrap From Chicago" He can tell
his venerable contemporary that he is
too old to be making such show of
his asininity. He can remind him that
it was a Republican president and his
attorney general who instituted a suit
against that cream of the trusts, the
sugar combine, which Mr.. Cleveland's
attorney general prosecuted to the final
judgment that revealed the hoIIoWness
of the antitrust act, and left these
distinguishing features of the develop
ment Of modern civilization safely in
trenched on that norman s-land which
lies between federal and state jurisdic-
ton. And he might invite his fellow
ancient to pluck UP his courage and
come out into the open with him and
stand by the logic of their mutual pol
ley of protection, instead of skulking
behind stumps and firing blank ear
tridges at their friends and fellows, the
trusts.