The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-18

The president talked to q gathering at
Cliff Haven, on Lake Champlain, the
other day, in the course Of which he said
that ''whatever the government of the
United States has been able to accom-
plish since I last met YOU here Is because
the hearts of the people have been with
the government of the United States"
This is not a very weighty observation.
On the contrary. it is platitudinous Said
by Smith or Jones 1t would not b. con-
sidcred worth the cost of transmission.
If Mr.. CIevelands sentences We're some
times ponderous. Mr.. McIIinIey's are fire.
quently vapid, and this is one of the in
stances The president did not so on to
specify what the government of the
United States had accomplished" The
summary would not BE- long or g very
creditable one. To start out on crusade
for freedom and end with war of sub
jugation of those whom We set out TO
free, and that war not accomplished.
is nothing TO be mentioned except in the
general way in which the president
touched it,
But the remark suggests a distinction
between a government and the country
of which the president loses sight. We
have been aware for some time that a
large portion, nearly all. of the papers
and orators of his party regard the two
words as SYNONYMS and -1,o+ ~
government is now in the hands Of
their party. government. country and
party are all Synonymous. The gov
eminent" that is the administrative and
legislative branches. temporarily in con-
troll of one party. committed the country
TO a tremendous change in the 1licy II
had consistently pursued for over a CEN
tury. To this large and Intellectually,
an Influential portion of the people
made objection, both on grounds Of
precedent and upon the rightfulness of it.
Forthwith the party press belched forth
Objurgations upon them They termed
them ''copperheads," and charged them
with disloyalty Plainly they did this
because they identified their party with
the country, for criticism of a party can
not constitute disloyalty. That consists
in words or acts injurious 10 the nation
as 4 whole.
Nor is criticism of the course taken by
those temporarily charged with admin
istering the government disloyalty to the
country, although the presidents party
press assumed it was, and the presi-
dents remark indicates a sympathy with
that view. But. if it is disloyal to the
country to oppose a policy which may
be launched without previous discussion
and public assent expressed in national
elections by those for the time in con-
troll OF the machinery of government,
then will the whole theory Of our govern
ment he reversed, liberty of discussion
lost, the man on horseback have ar
rived, and the offense Of ENTHUSIASTICALLY
gung be written into our penal codes.
This condition has not come, and may
never come, but it is a striking and sig.
nifcant indication of tendencies that the
idea should be entertained by any polit-
zeal party. That so many men eminent in
the Republican party. men who combine
brains with conscience in discharging
their public duties, have braved the
obloquy of the subservient mass Of
their fellow partisans and made their
protest is the best assurance that the
distinction between government and
party is too widely and strongly held to
admit of the submergence of the former
In the latter.