The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-12

the financial panic 1t, therefore, comes
with clean skirts to tender it's apology
for the recent reverses it's party has
met with in the municipal elections all
over the country. and 1t can say, with
out qualification, what very shame
should keep those who did not hest
tate to use deception then from saying
now. Even now it Is hardly candid in
saying that the simple explanation Of
the defeats lies in the fact chat a
great many voters, who had suffered
disaster or hardship in 1893 and the
following years, persuaded themselves
that Mr.. McKinley's election would re-
store prosperity Perfect candor would
have said that "a great many voters
were persuaded" Aside from this in
advertence it's explanation is accurate
and its comments on the folly of ex-
pecting that a government can create
prosperity are sound. Particularly
sound is its observation that govern
ments can do much more to make peo-
pie miserable than towards making
them happy"
The New York Tribune, at the other
extreme among it's party papers, feels
obliged to admit that many persons
sincerely feel and others express. more
or less insincerely disappointment be-
cause the improvement expected to re-
suit from Republican success does not
come fully and at once" But, true to
It's nature, instead of admitting that
those expectations were based on fnten-
tionally false assurances by it and it's
kind, it reasons with the disconnected
for their unreasonable impatience, as
sures them that times are mending be-
cause Of the promise of the Dingley
bill, and that they must be patient and
wait until that bill gets to work. Even
then ut will take some time to realize
| the full effect Of change in the tariff ;"
Meanwhile, it seems to have really
learned something, for it COOS the SEN
ate mildly and admits that that BODY
what, in 1890. It declared was "the
best and bravest tariff bill ever enact
ed" careful study. In order to pro-
duce "the best possible bill" But the
hope which the Tribune would again
defer has already been so long put
off that the heartsickness shown in the
elections will not be healed by any
such nostrum as the Tribune pre-
scribes. u..a
| Meanwhile there is a curious echo of
explanations for Democratic defeats in
1893 in the complaint that the present
defeats are due, specially that in Chi
cago, to the appointment of Mr.. Gage
as secretary Of the treasury We heard
something like this about Secretary
| Gresham's appointment. 1t would he
strange, indeed, If the one appointment
that received universal approval, could
operate as a cause for rebuking the ad-
ministration's policy. 1t would argue
for stupidity in the electorate more
dense than that which permitted itself
to be deluded by the balderdash about
the advance agent, or that saw the re-
lation Of cause and effect in the CO.
incidence Of the arrival, nearly stimuli
taneously of a Democratic administra-
ton and financial crash But, among
them all the Chicago Tribune manages
to extract some comfort having I'M
! boxed its free trade sentiments and LET
| them play with the Dingley bill. IT
remarks. with a quiet sarcasm. that
that embodiment of the Ohio idea "does
not seem to have aided the RepubIi-
cans" in that state, although it paid
! special attention to several Ohio inter
ests." The ''city vote does not indi-
cate that the wool dealers and potters
and other beneficiaries of the Dingley
bill worked hard for Republican candi-
dates" 1t is a grim retribution, with
more and heavier to come, that is Wis
tied upon our opponents, for which
our contemporaries are apologizing and
eVading, but, while 1t contributes to
the gayety of Democrats, there is little
ground for hope that it will prevent
Republican steerers from repeating the
same foolish tactics when party emer-
gencies again demand them.