The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-21

of the extra session Of congress just
closed, and thus have thrown wide
open the gateway to a financial millen-
num-
Had some Democrat made such a
statement relating to Democracy and
Democratic concept of government and
its powers, he would have merely stat
ed an axiom Of his party's political
faith. For a Republican to state it Is
for him to deny his party's faith and
the primal, basic article of it, What
have our ears been dinned with for
four years? That we have hard times;
that industry has been oppressed; that
it has been prevented from creating
wealth; that mines and mills have been
closed and hands willing to work have
been denied it and men have eaten the
bread of idleness. Why? Because, five
years ago, a party came into power
which, it was merely apprehended,
would alter the revenue laws by reduc-
ing taxation; because it did, later, re-
the remedy? What was to set the
mines and mills and the idle workmen
again to creating wealth.? The resto-
ration of Republicanism; the election
of the Advance Agent of Prosperity to
the presidency; the .re-enactment of
law infused with the spirit of the
Great AnOSt1a of
And what have we seen? The resto-
ration effected; the Advance Agent and
Great Apostle elected; a congress of
the same kidney; months following il.
which the country was bid to wait for
the beginning of the creation of wealth
until that congress could enact the
wealth-creating law; the Republican
leader in the senate presenting the bill
with the statement that the industries
of the whole country are in suspense
awaiting the completion of the bill;
the president telling an audience that
half tariff bill was not a whole one
and we must wait for the whole one
before prosperity would unfold her
wings. And when the bill became law
by the signature of the president affix-
ed with 'mother-of-pearl" pen," we
had general outburst all along the
line of Republican organs proclaiming
that now prosperity was here. Indus
try was againat work creating wealth.
And all because congress had enacted a.
law. What is the whole logic of all
the argument of the Republican party
since 1893, if it is not that one law de-
stroyed and another law creates
wealth?
Mr.. Hart is correct in saying that an
act of congress cannot create wealth,
but he is grossly inaccurate in saying
that his fellows do not believe that it
cannot. They believe it, they teach
and preach it, and their whole theory
of government is based upon it. Akin
to it is their dogma that it is the for
eigner who pays the tax on imports.
and if Mr.. Hart can see the absurdity
of the idea of making everyone a mill
ionaire by act of congress he is doubt
less able to see the absurdity of the Sc
quent doctrine; for it would follow that
the foreigner could be made to pay all
our taxes by a SO per cent tax on ali
he sends us. If congress, by tariff acts,
cannot create wealth, such laws oper-
ate upon wealth and affect it some
how. If they neither create nor de-
stroy, then they must disturb it's nat
ural distribution, diminishing the share
of some and augmenting that of others.
That is precisely what and all they do
and all they can do. Under them no
man in all the land is permitted to
enjoy all the wealth he creates by the
labor of his hand or brain. Sometime
of it he must give without recompense
to some other one for wealth he has
created; not equally, but in proportion
to his necessities. And Republicans
worship this monstrous injustice as
their divinity.