The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-28
A GERMAN MIRROR.

A GERMAN MIRROR.
If there were no mirrors in the world
no one would know for himself or her
self how he or she looked. Beyond
question the vanity innate in all of
us would be vastly greater had not
some beneficent genius discovered the
effect Of backing the polished plate of
glass with silver, because, without it,
we would each think that the beauty in
our soul was figured in our features.
Even with the aid of the unfiattering
mirror there are enough men and
women, not yet past their callow stage,
who persuade themselves that there
are lines Of beauty in the very plain
faces with which the truthful looking
glass confronts them. But there are
other mirrors, equally accurate, in
which we can see reflections of our
selves. We can see in others the effects
Of habits in which we indulge our
selves. If we are foolish we persuade
ourselves that courses leading others to
evil ends will lead us only to good
ones; but, if we are wise, we learn to
correct our habits from what we OBJ
serve of their effects upon others.
In larger way nations in their pol
1cies, are mirrors in which other ma
lions, if they are wise and not lost in
self-conce1t, may see themselves as
they are, see to what end their own
policies inevitably lead, and amend
their ways before dire disaster over
takes them. All the wisdom man or
nation has accumulated has been gain
ed by just such lessons of the mirrors.
And still nations, like their units, reject
these lessons, believing themselves ex
empt from the natural laws the effect
OF whose violations are so apparent on
their neighbors. Nations can be quite
as foolish and vain-glorious as men or
women. Germany is today mirror in
which we can plainly see consequences
of policy we have pursued with less
impetuous, but none the less certain
feet. There we can trace similar re-
suits from like courses, and there we
may DC WIllIu0I our course leads
deviatingly.
1t is eighteen years since the Iron
Chancellor embarked Germany upon
the policy we had been pursuing. os
tensibly, at least, as war measure
since 1862, but to which we have only
been committed as distinct and def
mite policy, to be pushed. for it's own
sake, since 1890. Bismarck. like Nc
Kfnley, was logical. If the state is to
protect and foster it must apply the
stimulus of bounties as we'll as of tar
ifs. The one is the necessary compile
ment Of the other. Where the one will
not reach the other must be sent 60
German tariffs shielded German manu-
facturers, while bounties fostered in
ternal production. Agriculture needed
diversifcation. The country was i'm
porting immense quantities of sugar
and sending abroad annually immense
sums in cash Or products to pay for it.
Let US save this money and make our
own sugar. We are being familiarized
with this talk and argument. Bis
marck acted. No obstacle, such as
our Democratic majority of 1892 has
impeded there the development of the
policy and its effects We can see
there the full effects of growing indus
tries under glass;
1t is long story. Let us condense It.
A bounty was given based on the then
known TO re
cent. The acute agrarians soon in
creased this bounty by raising the per-
centage to II and IA per cent. The
home market was soon overstocted
Then came bounty on exported SUI
gar, given to enable Germany to COM
pete with other countries in foreign
markets. To raise the money to nav
these bounties tax was laid on sugar
production. What were the effects?
With increased income came increase
OF expenditure among the junkers the
landlords, on whose estates tenant
farmers grew beets. A land mania set
in and estates were enlarged and mort
gagged. The plane of living lifted info
extravaganza. Habits were formed
that needed ever increasing income.
The junker grew less independent and
more dependent upon the state. the
tenant on him. With the exports Of
surplus with it's bounty, came the in
evitable result of falling prices. Ger
many made sugar cheaper for England
and somewhat for US, less because of
tariffs and trusts There ensued de-
mands for higher bounties on product
and export. The infants grew weaker
instead of stronger. With it came in
crease of taxation, and the incidence
was increased cost of sugar to the
home consumer with decrease Of con-
sumption. sThere rapidly developed the
Social Dernocratic party, casting, in
few years,Esorae three million votes.
made up ofAmen who found themselves
burdened to help others with no COM
pensating benefits. The government