The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-12
Sentiment Under Stress.


Sentiment Under Stress.
Sentiment and realism, when the
pinch comes, never trot an1icably to-
gether. When sentiment would go
ahead realism pulls back. Before the
point of stress is reached they are as
harmonious as Damon and Pythias. but
when interests conflict, when pocket
nerves are touched, Damon and Pythias
use their arms for other purposes
than displaying their mutual affection.
Damon does not offer then to die for
Pythias. nor does Pythias come back
to meet his fate, and rescue Damon.
That is, not always.
For some recent years it has been the
aspiration of some political sentiment
talists with socialistic tendencies to
bring about a federation in politics of
all those whom they are pleased to
.denominate industrialists. These. they
hold, embrace the farmers on one side
and all those who work at manual
labor, earning their daily bread more
by muscle than brain. Generally they
are referred to- as ''the toiling masses"
They are supposed to have. common in
terests that are anita gonized by another
class Of men whom they term capitals
tic, with whom they include those who
gain their livelihood more by the use
Of brains than Drawn. We have an in
distinct recollection that there is now
in existence organization, taking the
nation for its field, that aims to unite
the toiling masses in one great political
party; anyway some such dream has
been entertained and sentiment has eX-
pended upon it some of her choicest
rhetoric
But a pinch arrived and the senti-
mentaliStS fall apart. A young gentle
man, belonging to the capitalistic class,
recently set himself up in business as
a wheat merchant on very extensive
scale. He had plenty of capital; at his
command and he thought he saw in the
worldwide conditions of wheat q COM
ing scarcity that would send the price
of that staff of life far above the fig
ures prevailing when he engaged in the
business. His judgment proved to be
good and the price of wheat went fly
ing up like a morning lark. Whereat
the farmers among. the toiling masses
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. They
swept their granaries clean of the last
kernel of wheat in order that the wheat
merchant might get all the wheat he
wanted for his business.
But there were others among the toll
ing masses who raised no wheat, but
who consumed it in immense quantities
when the honest miller had converted it
into flour, and their good wives or the
bakers had in turn made it into bread.
If their cO-induStrialiStS on the farms
were deeply concerned in getting big
price for their wheat, these were quite
as much concerned in getting cheap
bread for their families. But the two
are irreconcilables Dear wheat means
dear bread, and cheap wheat means
cheap bread. What made the farmer
teller rejoice made the shop toler
groan. Each took an object lesson in
the purchasing power of money; the
farmers dollars, that he got for his
wheat, bought more of things he need
ed, while the dollars the toiIer got in
wage bought less flour or bread. The
farmer got the benefit of dear monsy"
and the wage Garner that of "cheap
money" But this is DEPRESSION
So as the wheat merchant showed
the price Of his holding up the price
of flour went soaring after it. Here
came the pinch that dissolved the SEN
timental bonds. Farmers hailed the
merchant in wheat as their benefactor.
The other branch of the to.ling masses
got together and denounced him as
malefactor. Kansas farmers proposed
to erect for him some sort of monu-
ment; the wage earners would hang
him to a sour apple tree. So different
ly id their pocket nerves respond to
the touch Of self-interest. Pythias, the
farmer, rejoices at his escape and
leaves Damon, the wage Garner, to his
fate. And Dionysius, the wheat mer-
chant. sends Damon relentlessly to the
scaffod.