The Irish standard., 1900-05-12
THE GLOBE AND DEMOCRACY.


For nearly twenty years the St. Paul
Globe was the leading Democratic daily
in Minnesota. In national, state and
municipal politics it was always con-
sistent and ardent advocate of Jeffer-
sonian principles. In 1896 it abandoned
the support of the party to which it
owed allegiance, and fought its candi-
date for the presidency. In 1893 it sup
ported the Democratic state ticket as of
ycre, and in the recent St. Paul city
election it lent its influence to the
Democratic candidates. But Judging
from, its tone during the past ten days
it will not support the national Democ-
racy in the coming campaign. What
causes the Globe to be so inconsistent
as Democratic paper? 1t is sufficient
to answer that it is the personal organ
OF James J. Hill, the railroad magnate,
one OF the most influential men in the
commercial world at the present day.
The president of the Great Northern
is said to be Democrat, but he is only
one in name. He cares nothing for
politics except so far as the interests OF
his corporation are subserved. Two
years ago his emissaries went forth dur
ing the campaign and besouglt the peo-
pie to vote against the Democratic nom
inees for the supreme bench who had
rendered an important decision adverse
to railroads in the celebrated Steiner
son case Judge Mitchell, one of the
finest jurists of the country and an orra-
1nent to the bar of Minnesota, was de-
feated for reelection, and corporation
attorneys of mediocre ability were
placed on the bench to dispense justice
for six years. The agents of ]. J. Hill
labored increasingly to bring about the
result, and so noiselessly did they pur-
size the "still hunt" that many voters in
the commonwealth do not know to this
day who is mainly responsible for the
discontinue of Mitchell, Canty and
Buck.
Though ]. J. Hill is nominally a
| Democrat, yet he wields considerable
influence with the Mckinley admins
tration That was demonstrated in
signal manner at the beginning OF Nc
Kinley's reign. At the suggestion OF
an eminent ecclesiastic Ex-Governor
Hubbard filed an application for the
Italian mission. Senators Davis and
Nelson, old friends of the governor,
urged his appointment. just when
everything looked favorable for the Red
! Wing statesman, the great railroad phi
lanthropist appeared on the scene, and
the subsequent proceedings interested
the ex-governor no more. He wrote a
lengthy epistle to Mckinley explaining
why Hill was opposed to him, and what
do you suppose he said? He told the
president that while governor of Mime
sofa vacancy occurred in the judiciary
and that because he refused to put Hills
man on the bench he incurred his en-
nifty, and was now being opposed by
him surreptitiously.
L
Globe is gold standard man and an
advocate of imperialism" though he
calls it expansion. We already COM
mented on a speech delivered by
him in Spokane last year when he urged
the retention of the Philippines in the
interest of commerce He thinks that
trade follows the flag, and not that the
flag follows trade, as was lucidly and
convincingly shown by Professor
Laughlin, of Chicago. He is perfectly
willing that standing army of even
100000 men be kept in the Philippines
to help trade, but he is not willing that
corporations be taxed for their mainte-
nance. He is not even willing that rail-
road lands be equitably taxed for the
support of the state government. He
is continually repeating one speech to
the farmers about oriental trade and
thinks the Chinese and other Asiatic
people are ready to substitute wheat
for rice at ffty-6ve cents bushel un-
der the British gold standard. 1t may
be said parenthetically, that Mr.. Hill
is Canadian and employs Canadian
as the managing editor of the Globe,
fact which explains why his organ has
kept eloquently silent on the Anglo
Boer war and has expressed no SYM
pathy for the struggling burghers.
The Globe has also preserved mas
ter1y silence on the Anglo-American al
lance and has kept mum on the Hay
Pauncefote Nicaraguan treaty. So far
as the Globe is concerned it does not
care for the inter-oceanic canal. 1t
wants all commerce via the Great
Northern and the line of steamers OF
that corporation from Seattle to the
oriental ports. The Irish Standard ia
vors trade with all nations, but does
not believe that it should be promoted
for the benefit of corporations con-
trolled by foreigners and at the expense
Of the American people. ]. ]. Hill asks
no subsidy like Payne and Hanna, but
when his fleet OF merchant marine is
built he may request Cushman K. Davis
to get few dollars for him out of the
enormous surplus growing out of the
k..,o, ,..f.:.1, ILL T.. ....I