The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-16

It is not often that the G O b finds
itself even partially in agreement
with Thomas B. Reed, fully as we'll
known as the Gear" as by his patro-
nymic, and familiarly called tom"
by congressman when away from
Washington. But we find much in
the syndicate article by that gentle
man published in the Sunday issue of
heartily agree. In fact, we could not
we'll dissent from all he says because
what he says is what the G o b
has said in it's diagnosis of this re-
viyal ei industry; while he lays down
sundry fundamental principles which
the Globe accepts as underlying
Democratic government We only
trust that Mr.. Re&d's vision may be-
come SO clarified as to see sometime,
not only these principles, but their
only logical Deductions For in
stance. he says that the laws
of inanimate nature we can easily un-
derstand to be infexible." While hu-
manity has not yet learned that laws
equally inflexible control its activities,
there is nevertheless reason to be-
lieve that mankind, as mass, acts
by determinate laws, the course and
directions Of which we are every day
more and more finding out"
Mr.. Reed would readily admit that
one of these laws is what is called
the instinct of self preservation, -
and he would halt at that phase of
this law that impels all men to obtain
for the surplus of their products the
highest price possible and get what
they wanted of the product of others
at the lowest possible cost. We as
sumo that he would halt there be-
cause he jammed through a bill at the
last session that fatty denies this
law, deems it a merely selfish impulse
that produces evil, stands in the way
of advancing civilization, and must be
suppressed by legislation. He is not
the first philosopher who has .ld-
lnltted a general principle and denied
its application. Nevertheless there
are other observations of the phiIo-
sophie statesman from Maine in this
article that indicate that he has a
Subconsciousnesss Of the truth of the
law of desire and its ultimate control
of human activities. Coming to an
swer his question: What makes pros
perity and what makes hard times
he replies that "Civilization is COM
plicated beyond all hope of unraveI-
ling. For the most part all you can
do is to let it unravel." Again: "Af-
ter a great smash like that of 1898, OF
that of 1873, there is nothing to dc
but wait and let the business of the
world settle itself" Ard again
inflated at certain periods it will sc
too far and then there must be a SET
tlement. 1t must be settled who owns
the property, and until that is estab.
lished nothing can be done" All OF
which is but saying that there are
inflexible laws of human action, inter
ference with which, as with laws Of
inanimate nature, produces only mis-
chief
Encouraging as it is to find the
speaker, in his pensive and reflective
moments, thus contradicting the
speaker in action, indicating as ii
does a growth into light, we ar
pleased to find ourselves in agree
ment as to the cause of this recovery
of business. While reckless editors OF
his party organs have been asserting
that the revival was solely due tc
Dingleyism, the speaker is in accord
with the G o b in ascribing it main
ly to the coming increased purchasing
capacity of the farmers anticipated by
TIE factories making the things farm
ers buy. Says the speaker: The r.,
turns from the wheat crop spent in
purchases Starts the nation to work