The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-24
OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH.


destroy it's reliability as a newspaper
1t has rarely accomplished, however,
the degree of bold mendacity reached
in q recent editorial statement, in
which it announces that "the gold
Democrats still declare they are for a
tariff for revenue only, but they do not
mean it," This is a part Of its attempt
to show that the protection idea has
conquered the country at a time when,
in fact, the revolt against it is more
general than ever before. The nausea
with which the public was afflicted in
1890, after the passage Of the McKin-
ley act, was mere qualm as compared
with the spasm with which it is racked
in contemplating the shameless aggre-
cation Of favors to monopolies and
trusts that makes up the bill of 1897.
local interests has seduced from their
allegiance many of those politicians
who formerly stood out against protec-
ton as equally an offense against
l.
free silver party has been the greatest
derelict. Declaring for the alleged in
terest of the people, it has aided active
ly in fastening upon them the shackles
of the most Infamous scheme of taxa
ton ever conceived. Without the aid
of free silver senators. this tariff bill
could never have been passed. If all
of them, including those absent and not
paired, had voted against it, it would
have been defeated by a good majority.
But this fact affords no basis for the
unblushing falsehood published by the
Tribune. The gold Democrats to a
man are for a tariff for revenue only
and against every form and species of
protective legislation, regardless of it's
effect upon any locality or interest The
Indianapolis platform was the only po-
litical document of recent times which
said what it meant and meant what it
said. The National Democracy, what
ever the people may think of it's policy
or principles, is sincerely and thorough
ly honest The men who have given
their adhesion to that movement are
not actuated by selfish motives They
have no present hope of administering
power or sharing in the spoils of office.
They did not hope for success at the
polls. They came into existence as an
organization as protest against the
policies which they believe to be moral
ly wrong and industrially ruinous. They
were not out fishing for votes. They
desired nothing except to rally about
their standard those who believed as
they did. Their purpose was patriotic,
and the plain-spokenness of their posi-
ton left nothing to be desired
He who imagines that, because the
circumstances of the time gave special
emphasis to the protest against substi-
tuting the silver standard for the gold
standard, therefore this summed up
the whole of the party's faith, lacks
either intelligence or careful investiga.
ton of facts. The declaration of the
party for the gold standard announced
principle no dearer to the hearts of
those who made it than the principle of
tariff for revenue only Indeed, as
matters stand today, the chief reason
for the existence of National Democ-
racy is to voice the sentiment of the
country against the horrible corruption
of the protective system, that is not
only transferring the control Of our in
! dustries to a few hands, but is reduc-
ing us to a people divided into two
classes-the givers and the takers of
bribes. Last year the financial issue
stood first and the tariff second: today.
owing to the action of this administra-
ton, it is the tariff that takes prece-
dence. If the voters had offered to
them again the choice presented last
year, between the evils of a great
financial collapse and Of the shameful
bargain and sake Of a Republican tar
1T bill. we believe that they would
choose the former. From financial and
industrial distress we may recover
When the whole conduct of govern
!
ment degenerates into a game of grab
and legislative bodies exist only to pro-
mote private money getting by public
| taxation, the evil strikes deeper and
is more dangerous. Between fantas-
| tic scheme of finance and a regime of
! corrupt commercialism, the former Of
| fers the chance of speedier recovery.
The National Democrats are the onIv
party in existence today that can be
/ depended upon to fight to the death
against protection, and they mean to
! do it. Whether they number a thou
sand or a million or ten times a million
they will not be found Offering apolo-
gies for tariff taxation that benefits
| their constituents, but have flung out
the flag of tariff for revenue only and
will keep it high in the air. The as
sertion of the Tribune, made without
warrant, since it cannot name a sin
! gle National Democrat IN the United
States who does not believe either in a.
tariff for revenue only or in absolute
free trade, is a disgrace to it's author.
! RESPECTFULLY DECLTNED