The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-07
FREE TRADE ADMINISTRATION.

any party except its own, nor so preju-
diced as to withhold commentator of
it. 1t noted with glad readiness the
announcement of Senator Aldrich, in his
speech introducing the Dingley Bill in
it's senatorialized garb, that tariffs for
protection were no longer possible as
whole, and that some taxes must be
laid for revenue only. 1t is true that
we felt compelled to comment on the
absurd position in which this placed
our friends in the opposition, who
had so unanimously and vociferously
declared, since '93, that the panic was
caused by the mere fear that protec
tion would be diminished, and who had
taken up the author Of the act of 1890,
hailing him as the Great Apostle of
Protection and proclaiming him the
Advance Agent of Prosperity, to come
when protection, full width and fast
been something of sarcasm in our COM
ment, but we trust it was not so thick
ly laid on as to obscure the real salts
faction we felt that, in however slight
degree, the Democratic principle Of
taxation for revenue only had been ac-
cepted by our triumphant adversaries
| But We have more striking instance
of the progress the party in charge of
our destinies and affairs is making to-
| wards Democratic methods, guided by
correct Democratic principles, an in
stance we regret none of the organs of
that party have seen fit to note. We
refer to the recent action of the ad-
ministration, by it's interior depart
/ ment, in the purchase of sugar for the
supply of the Indian bureau for the
/ coming year. Bids had been invited,
! and six had been duly fled five from
! New York and one from Chicago par
ties. When they were opened the Of
ficials were nonplussed by finding one
that offered sugar at Az cents pound.
while the five other ones made a uni
form price of 4 Al cents. The quantity
called for was 1,250,0O0 pounds, and the
gle bidder amounted to only some
$4,000. The alarming discovery was
speedily made that the lower bid was
made by an importer-whose name,
Gustav jain, indicated his foreign ma
tlonality-and that he would furnish
sugar made from beets grown by Ger
man pauper labor, refined in German
refineries, exported by subsidized Ger
man exporters and transported in sub
| sldlzed steamships under a foreign flag.
! Whereupon the five made a stout pro-
! test. They were all Americans. Thev
| proposed to furnish sugar refined in
! American factories by American labor.
Some of the sugar would be made from
American beets grown by American
! farmers on American soil
Now we submit it to the candid judg-
ment of mankind that. by every canon
of party creed, by every demand of
party loyalty, under every specific
! pledge of Tarty platform and organ,
/ this protest should have been needed
and allowed What had the house lust
| done; what is the senate doing but
protecting American manufa cturers and
| laborers? Why was congress called in
extraordinary session, but for the sole
! purpose of raising barriers against the
! invading foreigner and his sugar
! What was the Great Apostle of Pro-
lection made president for, if it was
not to bar the foreigner and bar the
importer? But, acting Just as Demo-
Gratis would have done, the protest was
turned down and the contract awarded
| to the foreigner, and this by Secretary
Bliss after a serious consultation. "
Again, we approve of this action. be-
cause it is Democratic. 1t insists upon
the right of the nation to buy it's sugar
where it can get it the cheapest. That
is the pedestal of free trade, and is
the right Of the Individual as we'll as
Of the nation. However inconsistent if
may be with the theory Of the admin
istratiOn, We hail it as another vim
dication Of the correctness Of Demo-
cratic principle and as another adop-
ton of Democratic methods whose
number, let us all pray, may steadily
increase.