The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-15

with the aid of the sound money and reform
Democrats, to pass through the body any
tariff bill it desired to pass, or To defeat any
tariff bill it desired to defeat, and conse-
quently, it cannot escape responsibility to
the people for the unjust and oppressive
measure which is now about to become a
law While some of its members, who have
not yet abandoned all of their Democratic
convictions, consistently opposed this spolia-
ton OF the people, a sufficient number Of
Their political associates to pass the bill,
either gave their votes or purposely
withheld, their votes, in order that it might
receive majority, and thus by their act,
1t will soon be placed upon the statute books
to harness our industries, oppress our citi-
zens and obstruct our trade for many years
to come.
The tariff act of 1928, which was so exor-
bitant in its rates Of duty that even Mr.. Clay
the great apostle of protection denounced
1t as bill of denominations was moderate
in its eXactions in comparison with the meas
ure which the free silver party, by the action
or Its members in the senate, is about to
fasten upon the country. political party
can be no better than its worst elements
when the cooperation of its worst elements is
essential to its success at the polls or 10
the execution of the policy after it has Sc
cured power, and it has now been demon
strated beyond the possibility of denial that
the free silver party, although claiming to be
Democratic is, for all practical purposes, a
protectionist organization. and that, as now
constituted. it is not only not willing to re-
duce taxation, or to impose it for public pur-
has the undisputed power to do so, but that
on the contrary, its influence will be effective
ly used to increase the rates of duty for the
exclusive benefit of the private individuals
the barriers which obstruct the free access for
farmers and other producers. to the most
profitable markets in the world.
PRINCIPLE BETRAYED.
The purpose of the Democratic betrayal of
the cause Of tariff reform at Chicago by the
fT1ts inf1n nYl1io nf no,,1 II
declaration on the subject from the platform
is now fully disclosed; it was the price de-
manded by Republican and Populist protec-
tionists for their support of the ticket, and
the very men whose support was thus Sc
cured directly responsible for the iniqui-
tous bill now about to become a law. In ad-
herring to the policy of a tariff for protec-
tion the advocates of free coinage at the ratio
of 16 to l are perfectly logical and consistent.
A Chinese monetary system to expel gold
from the country and give fictitious value
to silver for the benefit of mine owners, and
Chinese wall to exclude competition and
give fictitious value to the products of other
favored classes, depend for their justification
upon precisely the same economic fallacies
and precisely the same paternal theory of
government. The theory is that our people
should be separated, financially and CONNER
cially from the rest of the civilized world,
and that they all be made rich and pros
porous by act of congress.
1t is true that the government can increase
the prices of certain commodities by pre-
venting competition and creating monopolies,
but it can add nothing whatever to their
intrinsic value. If prices are increased by
the free and unlimited coinage of silver, it
is simply because the money in which the
prices are paid is not worth as much as
the money previously in use, and when prices
are increased by tariffs, it is not because the
commodities are really worth more than
they were before but simply because the pur-
chaser is compelled by law to contribute to
the seller a certain sum in excess of the
real value of the article. The government
Continued on Third Page.