The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-01

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problem Of the relation between the state
and the nation in the light of the limita
tons of a written constitution, deyel-
oped narroWness OF vision, teehnicality
Of construction that has ever since hung
like pail over the leaders of that party.
and united them for leadership.
The First Charge
Their first grave charge will be the
usurpat1on OF two years ago. Two years
ago the American people stood face to
face with a cold and cherries winter
The great fuel supply was locked in the
embrace. OF an encounter between two
temptuously rejected by the mine Oper-
ators. But this great third party voiced
their demands until arbitration took
Immediately Democratic leadership de-
clared that the president was guilty of
usurpation of authority.
Last winter when congress met the
American people had another purpose.
For years they had looked forward to the
building of the great isthmian canal; and
In the congress preceding the route had
for constructing that canal But Dem
| oeTatlc opposition, always the same in its
purpose, but Of necessity ever shifting its
object, got in the way of that canal We
made an offer to Colombia. most generous
in its terms. by which we offered to give
them $10.0O0.000 and an annuity of $780,
600 year
She rejected it. The state of Pana-
ma insisted that she was not legally
part of Columbia. and she revolted.
And And. then the American people. in the
where silence meant bloodshed and one
word meant peace, and our president
spoke that word, and peace came. And
the same Democratic leaders that had
shed crocodile tears over the alleged
wrongs Of the Filipinos. that had de-
nounced us because we. did not give the
Filipinos liberty. turned around and de-
nounced the president because he had
given the people of Panama liberty. Such
is the consistency of Democratic opposf-
ton.
The Most Important Issue
turn now to the last, and in my mind
coming campaign. We hear a great deal
about the tariff and free trade. 1t is a
m1snomer. There could not be free trade
have to collect our revenues. Startling w as
1t may seem to some, free trade England,
so-called, during the last ten years with
the exception of two years. has collected
larger sum per capita through her Gus
tom houses than has the United States.
But by common acceptation free trade
has come to mean tariff without the ele-
ment or suggestion or the object of pro-
lection Down to 1882. think (speaking
now from memory; may be at fault in
the date, both parties believed in this
doctrine. There they separated, and
safe to say that from that time the DEM
| ocratic party has opposed tariff based
upon the idea or the purpose of protection.
We passed the Dingley bill In 1897. I
| would not gentlemen of this convention,
even II time permitted. tarry amid the
darkness and gloom of the four years that
preceded McKinley's election Immediate
~ upon the passage of that act our indus
tries sreviyed-reyivedS with such remark
able rapidity that by 1903 we had reac hed
| a degree of development where our pro-
duction, our wealth, our deposits, our In
ternal traffic were SO vast that the very
enumeration of the figures tends rather
| to confuse than to instruct
OF the 100000 American operatives,
only 815 per cent are employed by the
trusts and 911s per cent are employed by
Industries outside the trusts, the abb
surdity of striking down a protective pol
icy that not only kept the S1s per cent
employed, but also the other 911k per cent.
struck the American people in full force.
And yet Democracy called that states
mansh ZIP policy that would not only
American labor home at night to a sup
PEERLESS wife and child.
Gentlemen of the convention. in closing
let me remind you that towering above
| platforms and policies. above purposes
and declarations stands the spirit and
genius of party that, after all, shapes
and mods "a, and guides its purposes The
genius looks back upon the mistakes OF
its opponents for the mournful lesson
! found there; looks back upon its own
grand achievements for the inspiration
that it may receive from those achieve
| ments, and moves calmly and majestically
amidst the complex conditions of the
hour, hopefully joyfully, courageously
facing the problems of the future But
the purpose and policy of a party can be
| nothing until crystallized into a living
force through leadership, and we have
| placed in nomination our leader, grand
| and great, because the very incarnation
of American purpose and policy, the very
| embodiment of American ideal in private
life and official station is Theodors
Roosevelt