The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-03
TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1904.
A FEINT DISCLOSED.


The readiness of Republican news
papers in this neck Of the woods to
make gables of themselves on the cor
poration plank of the New York plat
form now finds its Interpretation. They
were perfectly Mortified that the DEM
ocrats in the state of Judge Parker
should announce the proposition that
corporations chartered by the civil
power should be responsible to the civ
IL power, and endeavored with ridicu-
lous logic to turn it into a denial of
federal authority to regulate interstate
commerce. We wondered at the time
what could be the cause Of this curious
line of comment. We find it's explana-
ton in a series of supplementary arti-
cles in which these same newspapers,
according to a preconcerted signal. the
Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis Trib-
une and the Minneapolis Times, ell
shout in chorus for the naturalization
of all corporations.
The discussion of the New York plat
form is shown to have been a sham
attack. 1t was a mere feint to prepare
the public mind for the startling and
revolutionary doctrine to follow. The
average Republican in this part of the
country, where a little independence
and slight respect for individualism
still remains, feared to lay before the
people in it's bald form the proposition
to turn all the business interests of
the country over to the authorities at
Washington. 1t is really comforting to
know that there is something in the
line of concentration, of Capitalization
and of despotic assumption with which
they fear to daily. 1t shows how COM
plete must be the revolution now to
be accomplished in American practices.
customs and ideas when its advocates
must pillow the ground for the sowing
of their dragons teeth by sham as
sault upon an imaginary doctrine sup
posed to emanate from the New York
Democratic convention.
Thrusting aside, then, this man of
straw, we find that the real purpose of
the Republican party is to prepare the
public mind for the most gigantic and
impossible transfer of private right
and freedom of business agreement to
the central political power that was
ever limited at in this or any other
country. A couple of years ago Presi-
dent Roosevelt amazed and terrified
his own party associates by declaring
that constitutional amendment ought
to be adopted giving to congress power
to regulate corporations. Those who
had not become red radicals imme-
diately disclaimed this, and the presi-
dent himself was forced to modify it
later into statement that this shoulS
be done only in case it was found that
the power necessary to curb the trusts
did not reside in the laws and the
courts. Since that time we have heard
no more of the revolutionary proceed
ing.
1t is apparent now that it is to he
brought once more to the front #
assumes the rank of an issue not sAr-
ond in Importance to anything since
the first ordinance of secession. AS
that was a declaration that the bonds
uniting this Union were to be broken
asunder, so is this a declaration that
they are to be drawn tighter and tight
er like cords of woven steel, until
they crush the life out of individual
enterprise and initiative and trans
form what was once a federated re-
public into vast centralized and me-
chanical despotism. No limitation upon
the power of the laws or the courts
has yet been disclosed. On the con-
trary, every effort to lessen the au-