The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-30
THE PEOPLE ARE NOT FOOLED.

after know 1t as only a Jersey Lily?
THE PEOPLE ARE NOT FOOLED.
The conference that has just taken
place among the Indiana Republicans
shows how much better Is the common
sense Of the average voter than the
smartness Of the average political
leader. The dispatches state that 'the
unanfmity Of the party in the state on
the position that the currency must be
reformed was a surprise to q good
many Of the men attending the confer
ence." This Is rude shock to the COM
Portable belief Of the Republican politi-
clans at Washington that they might
be permitted to go back on their pledg-
es, smooth the ruff1ed feelings Of the
country with the solemn assurance that
it was no use to try to push currency
so sit down at the full feast provided
for them at the last national election
without performing the promises by
which alone they obtained admission to
the festal board. The masses of the
Republican voters are not as dead to
all sense of honor or as blind to the re-
quirements Of expediency as are their
political supeiioTs. We have witnessed
a perfect storm of excuses and apollo
giles ever since congress assembled for
intended inaction on the financial ques-
ton. One Republican leader after an
other arose to- tell the country how eager
he was to support a proper currency
reform, how disappointed he was not to
have chance to vote, but how
thoroughly convinced he was that, in
the present constitution Of the two
houses, it was plainly useless to hope to
carry such legislation through.
The party managers are now learn
ing, to their surprise and consterna-
ton, that these futile pretexts are not
accepted even by their own supporters.
When Senator Allison, whose word is
supposed to be supreme in his own BALL
wick, declared himself against any ac-
ton on the currency question, he was
amazed to discover that the most in
fluential section of the Iowa press was
dead against his position. The Indiana
Republicans are anything but martyrs
to principle. Politics in that state have
been on pretty low level for a good
many years, and the Indiana Republic
can is not building affairs in order that
sessions as sacrifice to principle The
clcseness Of the state in the ordinary
election has, however, developed po-
litical shrewdness and everyday horse
sense. Therefore it appears, on the
gathering of this conference, that there
is an almost unanimous opinion that
the Republican party must do some
thing to make good it's professions Of
devotion to sound money and currency
reform.
Probably these Indiana gentlemen
would be as delighted as any others if
they could give the whole perpleXing
question the go-by. What they see is
that such a policy will be accepted by
the voting rank and file as an act of
party treachery. confession Of insin-
and a confession Of both falsehood and
incompetence. They see, as practical
politicians, that any losses which they
may suffer from taking forward posi-
ton on the currency question are but
a small fraction of those they would
experience from abandoning the main
position upon which the election Of 1896
was fought out. The speech Of Senator
Fairbanks and the assurances that
he conveyed Of President McKinley's
sincerity, indicate that the Republican
managers are beginning to see that
they will have to face the music. With
whatever distaste and heart palpita-
tions, they realize that, If they are not
to be ingloriously beaten in every state
in the Union at the next election, they
will have to make at least a pretense
! of performing their pledges. We shall
see presently whether they are as I'M
able to treat a business question In a
businesslike way when dealing with
monetary reform as they proved them
selves to be in the legislating upon the
tariff.