The representative. [volume], May 23, 1894, Image 1

About The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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SI.OO 1te a arl in advance.
PATERNALISM.
The St. Paul Globe’s Theory Illus>
A Simple Government and Suicide.
The St. Taul Globe said, the other
day:
“If Democracy stands for anything,
it means the minimum of interference,
by the state, with the individual: it de
nies that theory of government which
regards the aggregated power of the
community as always properly used in
taking care of some one or some class:
it limits the state to the protection of
the property of its citizens, and security
for their “life, liberty and happi
ness.'’ Paternalism means the ever
increasing transmutation of the liber
ties of the citizen into state power, to
be used in promoting and l'ostenng
and encouraging and protecting those
individuals or interests or classes
which may manipulate Congresses and
Legislatures successfully, under pre
tense of the public welfare.”
Wouldn't it be well for the writer to
move an amendment to that part of
the constitution of the United States
which declares that one of its main
objects is “to promote the general wel
fare f”
Would it not be better for him to
demand the abolition of the public
school system—for a man can have
“life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness” without knowing A from
“Izzard?” And may it not greatly in
terfere with one man’s “happiness” to
be compelled to pay taxes to educate
another man’s children?
Would it not be well for him to op
pose the postal system, since tlie sav
ages of Timbuctoo possess “life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness,” after
their fashion,, without knowing apost
age stamp from an electric battery?
In short, would it not be well for
him, —we make the suggestion in all
kindness. —to go out and hang himself,
and thereby relieve the world of the
burden of supporting at least one in
consequential, unreasonable fool.
Paternalism does not mean, as this
man says, “transmuting the liberties
of the people into state power,” but
using state power to increase the
liberties of the people,—and with their
liberties increasing their “welfare”
and happiness.
If the Globe preaches true democ
racy then the inhabitant of Dahomey
is in an ideal democratic condition
of pure government. The king trims
the citizen's head off, or sells him into
slavery, or robs him of all his posses
sions; and there is no "paternalism;”
in all the armory of their simple and
charming government, to protect any
of his rights—not one. There is no
“protection of the individual,” which
the Globe so strongly deprecates;—the
individual is nowhere in that beauti
ful land. Why does not the Globe re
move there and enjoy the luxury of
a simple, non-paternalistic govern
ment? There are no Populists there.
They are the fruit of a high civiliza
tion. There are no schools; no post
othces; no asylums for the deaf, dumb,
blind and insane; no sanitary commis
sions; no poor houses; no writ of
habeas corpus", no public parks; no uni
versities; no anything that goes to
make up civilization, and which rep
resents the paternalism, the fatherly
love, of the government.
In the same issue of the Globe in
which this man put forth his non
sensical views appeared two news arti
cles. Here is the lirst:
A ienna, May 13.—A sad affair oc
curred here to-day. A poor widow,
named Jerabek, had two children, a
girl and a boy. aged eleven and nine
years, respectively. The woman was
compelled to work hard to support
herself and her children, who were too
young to give her any assistance. The
children determined to kill them
selves, and thus relieve her from their
support. To-day they went to one of
the bridges spanning the Danube and
mounted the parapet. They then
hastily embraced and kissed each oth
er, and, clasping hands, jumped into
the river. Before assistance could
reach them their bodies were swept
out of sight. A\ hen the mother re
turned from her work she found her
lodgings deserted. She began to look
for the children, thinking they had
gone into the streets to play. Not
finding them, she returned to her
home, when she found a note that she
had overlooked, in which the children
said that, as they were only a burden
to her, they had decided to commit
suicide. The widow is frantic because
of the loss of her children, and it is
feared that she will become incurably
insane.
Isn’t it a beautiful condition of
things when the very children commit
suicide to escape from the horrors
that surround them? Docs not the
Globe think that a little “paternal
ism” would have been a good thing, to
prevent such results? Or, is this an
evidence of the beauties of a simple
form of government, where the powers
of the state are not used to improve
the condition of the people, but they
are allowed to scramble for life with
out a helping hand being extended to
them?
And here is the other extract:
New York, May 13.— The body of a
man, supposed to be that of Anton
Stamm, formerly one of the editors of
the American edition of the Encyclo
pedia Britannica, was found this
morning hanging to a tree in Central
Park on Vault hill, near the lake, op
posite Seventy-second street. The
body was taken to the Harlem morgue,
where it awaits identification. A let
ter was fouiid on the body dated Bible
house, New York, Nov. 22,1891. from
William 11. Dupuy, recommending the
bearer, Trot. Anton Stamm, as a valu
able -editorial assistant. The direc
tory gives the address of Prof. Stamm
as 320 East Twenty-second street and
his occupation that of a teacher. The
tenants in this house said to-night
that nothing had been seen of the
professor since this morning. lie oc
cupied a small front room on the
The Representative i
trated.
fourth floor. He did his own house
work and no one was ever seen to call
on him. None of his neighbors were
on terms of intimacy with him. The
suicide was apparently sixty years of
age. He wore whiskers and had blue
eyes. His clothing was neat and of
good quality. Only 97 cents were
found on the body. Among other
things in the clothing were a pawn
ticket and a sketch of some mechani
cal contrivance. A magnifying glass
and a bottle half filled with an odor
less liquid were also found. The
liquid is supposed to be oxalic acid.
Up to midnight. Prof. Stamm had not
returned to his room, and none of his
neighbors had been to the morgue to
to see if they could identify the body
found in the park.
What a pitiful story! A learned
man, —one of the editors of the great
est Encyclopedia in the world,—hangs
himself, with 97 cents and a pawn
ticket in his pocket!
He died from too simple a form of
government. The powers of the state
were not used to promote the general
welfare and keep him alive. Where is
he now. Waiting for that St. Paul
Globe writer to hang himself also,
that when lie meets him in the here
after he may pound some sense into
his ghostly head.
Paternalism! Why government is
simply a machine, created by men,
paid for by men, for the enrichment
and prosperity of men. That is all
there is to it. The conglomerate man,
called the state, has the right to reach
into everything to prevent oppression,
injustice, cruelty, and robbery. And
the man who says no, is either a natural
fool, or he is paid to perpetuate the
oppression, injustice, cruelty and rob
bery.
Government will never do its whole
duty until there is not a darkened
mind, a hopeless soul, a bare back, an
empty stomach, a homeless head or a
hungry pauper in the whole wide
worid. I.D.
WOLF BOUNTIES.
A Premium on Usurers’ Scalps.
Montevideo, Minn., May B.—At
the tax judgment sale of delinquent
taxes so little land was bought by in
vestors, and the tax payment is so
small, that the county oflicers find it a
problem to meet current expenses.
The county auditor has issued war
rants for wolf scalps to three different
parties, in the aggregate of SBS.
Now why wouldn’t it be a good plan
to offer premiums for the scalps of
usurers? Make it $lO9 a scalp, and
how rapidly the mortgages would be
wiped out in the western half of Min
nesota! Why not? They do ten times
as much harm as the four-footed
beasts. The latter kill a sheep occa
sionally, but oh Lord! Look at the
hundreds of thousands of acres that
have been made desolate; the hun
dreds of thousands of homes that have
been wrecked; the hundreds of thous
ands of men, women and children that
have been turned out to tramp the
roads, by the fellows who have been
charging twenty, forty, and one hun
dred and twenty per cent per annum.
Hut some one will say,—“True; but
the usurers never killed any one.
They handle no pistols or rifles.”
So much the worse. If they took to
shooting their victims would have a
chance to shoot back. But as it is
they are sheltered behind the thick,
high walls of civilization and Chris
tianity; and the plundered people pay
the expense of maintaining the ma
chinery, of law and order, for the de
fense of the plunderers.
Let me tell you a little story. A
scientist took two live rabbits, and
put them in separate cages. lie broke
the leg of one rabbit; the other he left
unhurt, but tied a rattle snake in one
corner of the cage, but so that it
could not reach the rabbit. lie put
food in each cage. He returned the
next morning. The rabbit with the
broken leg had devoured all the food
in its cage;—the other had not touch
ed a mouthful.
Moral:—mental suffering is much
more terrible than physical. Ergo:—
the honest man who is robbed of his
home, and sees his life shattered, and
his wife and children beggared, suffer
ing tenfold more than the victim of a
highwayman’s bullet, who, with a few
minutes of pain, is ushered into eter
nity.
Tb.en are all money-lenders murder
ers? Not by any means. While the
practice of taking compensation for
the use of money may be, on the
whole, detrimental to the community,
the man who keeps within the limit
fixed by law may be an honest man
and a benefactor to his customers.
But when the law fixes the interest
at a given sum and the lender takes
three, four, ten times more, he is
extortiug from his neighbors neces
sities what he knows that neighbor
cannot pay without ruin, and he is
violating the law just as much as the
common thief or robber. If there is
no hell one ought to be at once es
tablished for such fellows;—not an
eternal hell but one long enough in
duration to inflict ten pangs of
agony for every one they caused the
poor wretches to suffer whom they
destroyed. I. D.
Explained.
A writer for that excellent paper,
The Union, of Minneapolis, (every
workman in Minnesota should have a
copy,) asks why the State Peoples Par
ty Convention was not called for July
4tli instead of July 10th. We would
say that that was thoroughly discussed
by the State Central Committee, and
the general opinion was that there
would be a great many local celebra
tions of the 4tli, and that fact would
keep hundreds away from the conven
tion. The 10th is the best day we could
have selected. I. D.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1894.
A PROPOSED FUSION
Owen for Governor and a Demo
crat for U. S. Senator.
In the Minneapolis Tribune of May
18tli, we find the following:
“Senators La Due and Leavitt, two
of the leading Democrats of the last
Legislature, are at the Nicollet. Both
gentlemen were outspoken in their ex
pressions of dissatisfaction with the
action of Congress on the tariff bill and
with the results that have so far come
from this administration. They both
placed themselves on record as approv
ing the address recently issued by the
Democratic association, and charac
terized Senators Hill, Gorman and
Brice as traitors to the Democracy,
and Republicans in disguise.
Senator La Due was asked what his
opinion of the report that the Demo
crats and Populists in this state were
to fuse, was. He partially committed
himself to the idea, but expressed the
opinion that unless the present Con
gress awoke and fulfilled the promises
upon which it was elected, the Repub
licans would win, fusion or no fusion.
The senator thiks that if the Popu
lists can be induced to discard the sub
treasury and government ownership of
railroads planks in their platform
there will be but little difference be
tween the two parties. He is in favor
of fusion on the legislative tickets,
but thought that if Owen should be
nominated for governor and should be
indorsed by the democrats, that Don
nelly could not be expected to be sup
ported for senator, and that office
should go to a Democrat, but to whom
he would not venture to say.”
We desire it distinctly understood
that we are not a candidate for United
States Senator, or anything else; and
although the influence of Mr. Owen
was used, at our last Alliance State
convention, to help Fish in his effort
to humiliate and disgrace us, we will
nevertheless loyally support him for
governor, if he is the nominee of the
Peoples Party, not for his own sake,
but for the sake of the party and its
great principles, and the expected
benefits to mankind. But if any such
game, as is foreshadowed by Senator
La Due, is to be carried out, and we
are to send some rock-ribbed democrat
to the United States Senate, as the
price of democratic support for Mr.
Owen, then we desire to be “counted
out.” That would be “fusion” of the
wort kind, and would cost us more
votes than it would bring us. Many
democrats are foolishly claiming that
Mr. Owen is, at heart, one of them
selves; —we don’t believe any such
story; but if there is any truth in it
then a victory, on the lines indicated
by Senator La Due, would mean a gi
gantic Populist upheaval to elect a
full-blooded democrat to the United
States Senate, and a brevet-democrat
to the governorship. As Artemus
Ward said, that would be “too much,—
too much!”
We had better “keep in the middle
of the road.” There is a proverb—“he
that sups with the devil hath need of
a long spoon;” and any Populist who
goes to trading with the democrats
will be sure to be eucliered by those
astute gentlemen. They are too smart
for common farmers. If the democrats
of Minnesota should imitate their
brethren of North Dakota, Kansas,
etc., and, —as a choice of evils,—en
dorse our whole state ticket, without
terms or conditions, preferring it to
a republican success, that would be
a different matter, to be considered by
our people; but to come to us for a
trade, and say, “we will give you Owen
for governor if you will give us Flandrau
for Senator,” would burst us into a
thousand fragments.
We are gaining every day while the
democrats are losing. That very bril
liant and able democratic congress
man from Nebraska, Hon. W. J.
Bryan, has just written a letter de
clining to be the democratic candidate
for Congress, for re-election, in his
district: and in his letter he says:
“If the president's financial policy
becomes the policy of the party, 7do
not sc 3 any reason for the continued exist
ence of the party, because the Republi
cans having followed that folicy long
er, arc better prepared than we to sup
port it. On the other hand if the
party repudiates Mr. Cleveland’s finan
cial policy and renews its devotion to
the common people, it may yet become
an effective insrument in the securing
of good government.”
That’s the “nub” of the whole case.
There is no difference between the
democratic and republican policies,
and no reason for keeping both parties
alive. Let the liberty-loving demo
crats come in and help us carry the
state and the nation; let the aristo
cratic wing unite in name, as they
have already united in heart, with the
republicans.
Stand firm, brethern. Don’t desert
your flag and your guns just as the sun
of victory illuminates the eastern sky.
Say to the men who want you to trade
away your birth-right for a mess of
pottage,—“Get thee behind me,
Satan.” I. D.
Where the Blame Is.
Congressman Boen has introduced a
bill appropriating SIO,OOO for a survey
of the Bed river. That is the last that
will be heard of it, providing it goes
like the rest of the bills introduced by
Mr. Boen.—Crookston Times.
But the old-party Congressmen
don’t even introduce the bills. Boen
is to be credited with good intentions,
at least. The other chaps are asleep.
Wake ’em up on election day.
Boen is like the colored preacher.
Said he:—“lf de Lord says to Sambo,—
‘Sambo run yer head froo dat stone
wall’,—Sambo’s going tatry. Wedder
Sambo goes «t de wall ’longs to Sambo;
—wedder he goes froo de wall ’longs to
de Lord.”
And so Boen goes at the wall. He
introduces his bills and the old-party
Congress kills them.
Turning the Guns the Wrong Way
It will be remembered that the Rep
resentative abuses no one in the
Populist ranks, —and scarcely any one
out of them. If it cannot speak well
of a man it is silent. We ask for our
self, no office;—simply the privilege of
working for the cause, and helping
others. If now, under these circum
stances, a professed People’s Party pa
per, without the slightest provocation
on our part, goes out of its way to at
tack us, impugns our motives and
strives to lessen our influence, there is
only one explanation: —it is paid by the
enemy. The corruptionists know they
cannot buy us; and they know we are
doing a tremendous work for reform;
and nothing is more natural, there
fore, (Fish being practically dead and
buried—lost to sight, to memory dear,
—rotten but not forgotten,)—than to
hire some small-potato editors,—little
Fishes so to speak,—in our own ranks,
to nibble at us, in their respective lo
calities. It is in this way we explain
the assaults of a feeble, little thing, in
Fergus Falls, called “The Globe;” a
very pretentious name, by the way, for
a very small part of the earth,—we
might say for a mere fly-speck.
We felt a good deal, —when some one
called our attention to its attacks—
like the old farmer in Arkansas, when
an eastern dude drew a diminutive
pistol on him. “Mister,” said he, “if
you shot me with that ar thing, and I
found it out, I'd lick you.”
Behave yourself, fly-speck, and let
us have peace in the family. If you
have any brains apply them against
the common enemy.
In the meantime, let the Populists
of Otter Tail county, keep a sharp eye
on the editor of the “Globe.” Take
him up by the hind legs tenderly, and
shake him lively, and you will hear the
money jingle in his breeches’ pockets.
The most dangerous fellows in an
army are the scoundrels who, in the
midst of the fight, shoot their ow> ofli
cers in the back. We have got some
of that breed of scamps in the People’s
party, in Minnesota: and we propose to
treat them to drum-head court-mar
tials just as fast as we.can lay hands
on them. I.D.
Interesting.—An Ethnological Ques-
Mr. Nelson O. Foss, editor of the
Ortonville Headlight, is a learned
Scandinavian; he has been writing
some very interesting articles, recent
ly, about the pre-Columbian discover
ies of America, by the Norwegians and
others. In his last ls?:ue lie has open
ed up a very interesting subject of
discussion, to wit, the relationship of
the ancient Northmen to the Irish
Scotch and English races. He says:
“It will be seen by an article in this
issue, that the Hon. P. D. O’Phelan is
doing good work for the “Irish cause.”
His remark: “the most historic race
in Europe,” is full of truth, for many
reasons. It is fast coming to light
that in Northern Europe was the
cradle of the White race, and that our
forefathers plodded on the shores and
in the forests bordering on the Baltic
and the North seas numerous thous
ands of years before the foot of a
White man ever .trod the soil of
Greece or Rome or Hindustan. It Is
now established that the Greeks and
Romans and Aryan Hindus came from
the North—and they were the child
ren of our forefathers, v*ho had in
habited the sea coasts of North
Europe at least eight thousand years
in the past—and perhaps even fifty
thousand. The earliest tribal names
we have of the White race are pre
served in the North as nowhere else.
An able leader of a tribe in those re
motely past days had borne the name
of Ari. The tribal name of his people
has come down to us as Arii or Aryans.
The name is preserved in Ari, in Ice
land; Rian, in Iceland; Ryan, in Ire
land; and Riar, in the Scandidavian
countries. A leader of another tribe
had borne the name of Iver, and his
tribe Ivernians. This name is pre
served in Iver in the Scandinavian
countries, in Mclver in Ireland, and
Iroquis in America. Still another
leader in the equally remote past,
must have borne a name something
like Gute—and his tribe became a
most powerful one, and sent out
branches under the various names of
Gutes, Jutes, Gutir, Guthones, Goths,
Goutlioi Greekoi, Goidels, Gaels,
Gauls, Galli, Getae, Celta*, Cimrii,
Kymri,—and to far off India they came
Gottama, Guptas, Jets, or Juts,—yet
preserved in Rajput, it is claimed. In
Norway the name is well preserved in
Gute and Gauti. The name of their
country at the earliest dawn of his
tory appears to have been Scanthia—
Scythia of the Greeks—corrupted into
Scandia, Scandinavia. The oldest
reiics of the race are entirely of the
same nature on all the coasts of the
Baltic and North sehs. Many words
are entirely the sau»o in Old Irish and
Old Norse—for instance, the first (the
oldest) numeral is “oiir” in both lan
guages. That the other European na
tions came from the North, is of such
recent history as to be unnecessary to
mention here. No other part of the
globe can maintain it. Each part of
earth can only evolvd its own kind.”
We hope Mr. Foss will pursue this
subject, The real science of ethonol
ogy is yet to be constructed. I. D.
A Merciful Providence.
“It is about time for the alarmists
to get their storiesof the depredations
of the grasshopper, the chinch-bug
and the weavil into shape. It will not
do to to let tlie season pass without
the complete destruction of the crops
by one or all of these pests.—St. Paul
Globe.
Why, brother Hall, where are you
at? Isn’t it enough, for the country to
endure the republican and democratic
parties, the United States Senate,
Cleveland and Ben Harrison and the
A. P. A., and the St. Paul Globe, with
out invoking the grasshopper and the
weavil? Isn’tcur cup of affliction al
ready pretty nearly full. Be reason
able. IT. P. Have mercy upon us.
I. D.
-*v
A POINTER.
tion
THE CAUSE PROSPERING.
The People’s Party Growing, <
Along the Line.—Ditto the '
Alliance.
The large correspondence we h* r
with all parts of the state, tells ev ~ =
where the same story. The voters 5
flocking into the Populist camp by -
tens of thousands; and the slumbering*
Alliance is waking up like a drugged
giant from deep sleep. Our excellent
and energetic friend, D. Couglilan of
Rose Creek, .Mower county, who has
sent us in such a huge list of sub
serbers for the Representative,
writes us, suggesting that the chair
man of the State Central Committe of
the Peoples Party, Mr. T. J. Meiglien,
should name a day for holding all the
county conventions, so as to prevent
sharp fellows taking “snap judg
ments” on the farmers, by short calls:
and thus packing conventions, and
forcing men on to the ticket whom
the people cannot support; and he
adds:
“I think the People’s Party is gain
ing strength very rapidly in this local
ity. I think it would be safe to say
that we trill poll six votes in the next elec
tion for every one we polled in the last.”
Part of this is probably due to the
public spirit of Mr. Coughlan, in se
curing the entrance of the Represen
tative into so many homes, in that
vicinity. Push the Representative
and you will have the state. But from
everywhere the same reports reach us.
Mr. Coughlan promises that as soon
as seeding is over he will take hold
and help reorganize the Alliances of
Mower county. Good! The fact is the
Alliances in that county have been,
for some years past, deader than they
were in any other part of the state.
There were many reasons for this,
which it is not worth while to discuss
now. Let all true friends of reform
get together; and give old Mower once
more the prominent place in Alliance
work which she once occupied. AVe
want the sound, sensible, well-to-do
farmers of southern Minnesota, to
come in and help us make the Grain
Growers Convention and Association a
great success. I do not mean to say
that our frontier and northwestern
farmers are not also “sound and sen
sible,” but they are more radical, and
we want the “old level-heads” to hold
the enthusiasts in check. And to push
the Grain' Growers Association we
need a' big revival of the Farmers Alli
ance; for that must be safe foundation
to stand on.
The truth is, brethren, we are get
ting the Fish-poison out of the blood
of Reform in Minnesota. AVe passed
through an awful ordeal in 1892 and
1893, and the wortder is that every ef
fort for the protection of the people
did not perish utterly. Our enemies
thought we were dead beyond resur
rection; they had bought our doctor,
and he had fed us arsenic and strych
nia instead of good food and healing
medicine. Now, thank God, we are
all united. Faction is at an end. The
Alliance newspaper touched the corpse
of Reform and it sprang to its feet.
Let us all take hold and pull and work
together like a band of brothers. As
soon as seeding is over let all hands
set to work in a grand general revival;
—let D. Coughlan, 11. Y. Poore, A. 11.
Hendrickson. L. C. Long, Eric Olson.
O. 11. Page, R. J . Hall, T. C. Hodgson,
J. I. Yermilya, C. 11. Johnson, Jno. A.
Keyes, T. Strickland Fisk, C. N. Per
kins, C. F. Bohall, J. 'J. Mooney, Gil
bert Fish, J. T. Plant, J. Q. Cronkhite,
A. R. Holston, A. D. Stewart, J. 11.
Lackey, A. Wall, A. Yan llemert,
Henry Plowman, 11. L. Burgess, 11. P.
Bjorge, Seth Bottomley, AA r m. Shenton,
C. V. Metcalf, Edward Larsen, Tlios.
P. Kerr, E. E. Lommen, O. G. Lyman
and all the rest of our long list of
speakers and organizers start out; let
them challenge republicans and demo
crats to meet them in debate; and
make things red hot, generally, with
their discussions of the Omaha plat
form and kindred subjects. Let them
organize Industrial Legions or Peoples
Party clubs; stir up the local alliances:
talk up the Stillwater twine, and the
Grain Growers Association; and ar
range for a full attendance at our
great State Conventions. Push the
work, brethren, all along the line:—
and everywhere obtain subscribers for
the Representative. That is the
central point of the fortification.
A Nice Foot-Bath
A Plutocratic relic of the past is the
following startling information, fur
nished by the Cloud City News:
“Up till the French revolution a
noble had the right to ira rm his feet in the
intestines of not more than two serfs, killed
for the special purpose, after he returned
from the hunt.”
Cleveland will be demanding two
Colorado serfs shortly, to warm his
pedal extremities on his return from
his regular visit to Hog Island.—Den
ver Col. Road.
Ye, who tliink the present aggres
sions, on the rights of a free people,
will stop of their own accord, read the
above historical fact, and learn that
man’s oppression of his fellow man has
no limit but the submission of the
wretched victim. In that same France
if a noble killed a serf the punish
ment, (if there was any), was a small
tine; but if the peasant killed a game
bird the penalty was death! Is it any
wonder that when the serfs rose they
went to chopping otf the heads of the
aristocracy, and of the recreant
priests, who had stood by without pro
test and witnessed these horrible in
justices?
Shall Minnesota be put back into
the condition of France before the
Reign of Terror? How will you an
swer that question at the ballot box?
I. D.
THE TARIFF EXPLODED.
More Evidence That the “Sham
Fight” is Over.
On May 9tli there was a lively scene
in the United States Senate, which
shows that the great Tariff issue is
practically exploded. Listen to this:
After some further running debate
Mr. Aldrich got the floor and succeed
ed in arousing Mr. Mills. He began
by referring to his assertion, in the
senate ten days ago, that over three
hundred amendments would be
brought in. He knew then that his
statement was true. Yet it had been
met with the most tumultous denials
from every one in authority'onthe oth
er side. His statement as to the
amendments had been too conserva
tive. He had understated the radical
character and the number of changes
made. Those amendments deliberately
abandoned every principle ever advocated
by a Tariff Refonner.
They made increases from ten
TO THREE HUNDRED PER CENT, and
with a grand sweep changed the duties
from ad valorem to specific. He read
extracts from the speeches of Senators
Yoorliees and Mills, made at the open
ing and closing of the general debate,
denouncing in the most severe terms
the system of specific duties. To swal
low that bill, as now modified, would
mean a surrender of the principles of a
life time. After this he said he did not
think there was a single senator, on
the other side, who would have the
temerity to avow his allegiance to the
Chicago platform. They could do
nothing now but remain silent. Not
one of them could vote for it without
stultifying himself in view of his par
ty platform.
“For as you understand the plat
form,” suggested Mr. Palmer.
“The platform condemns Republi
can protection as unconstitutional
and a fraud and robbery,” said Mr.
Aldrich.
“Yes,” interjected Mr. Vest, “it
condemns Republican protection.
“Is there any difference?” asked Mr.
Aldrich, sarcastically, "between liepub
licananel Democratic protection?”
“A great deal,” replied Mr. A r est.
Mr. Mills of Texas evidently did not
think so. He arose at this point. The
shafts of the Rhode Island senator
had evidently gone home, and he was
laboring under some excitement. He
wanted to repel the idea that he was
in any way responsible for what Mr.
Aldrich had termed the Democratic
surrender. A few days ago, lie began,
he had described his own position as bc
tveeen the devil and the deep sea , the Mc-
Kinley bill being the devil. Since that
time a change had come over the situ
ation. He was nearer the devil and
had not as much sea room as before.
(Laughter.) He now found that the
bill before the senate, as modified by
the amendment introduced, had no re
semblance to the Wilson bill. It ought, he
said, to bear the name of Mr. Gorman
or Mr. Brice. No man could torture
him into an admission that this bill
was a response to democratic pledges.
He said that taxation should not be
levied on value; that it was the only
just system; that taxation should not
be imposed as under the specific sys
tem of the McKinley bill, so that the
goods of the rich would escape with
the same tax as was levied upon the
cheaper articles of the poor. There he
had stood, and tliere would continue
to stand. He rose to say that he did
not intend to vote for a single one of
the amendments carrying a change to
specific duties. It was humiliating
enough to have to endorse the system
of robbery contained in the McKinley
bill without bowing down in mortifica
tion to accept the very badges of pro
tection. The first amendment made
the surrender. It was continued
throughout the bill, until it was now a
e/uestion between the McKinley bill and a
Democratic system of protection, with very
little margin in favor of the Democratic
measure .”
The truth is that the democratic
party is being ship-wrecked on the sec
tional idea.
Genl. Hancock was right when he
said the tariff was a local issue, al
though the remark cost him then the
presidency. He might* if alive, go far
ther, and say that every question in
American politics to-day was a local
question. This is the reason that
the democrats cannot hold their forces
in line; this is the reason the republi
cans are driven to play into the hands
of AVall Street, or leave the party; this
is the reason the Populist organiza
tion has risen from the ranks of the
multitude. Cunning selfishness has
enriched the East at the expense of
the A\ T est, and they have no idea of
politics except the perpetuation of
their advantages. Stupid partisan
ship has reduced the AA’est to poverty,
and now they are getting their eyes
open, and demand fair play, and an
equal share in the blessings of the
Union. I. D.
I. D.
As to the State Convention
Crookston Tribune: The state con
vention is to be held the 10th of July.
By the way, the representation to the
state convention is too large and con
sequently unfair to the northern part
of the state. It is not right for the
northern part of the state to be de
prived of their just rights in the con
vention by making the representation
so large that we can't aiford to take
all our delegates down, thus allow
ing the part of the state casting the
small end of the vote to run the con
vention. regardless of the northern
part of the state where the largest Peo
ples Party vote was cast. This wrong
can be partially righted by allowing
the delegates present to cast the full
vote of their county. This will give
Polk about 68 votes in the convention.
There is no doubt that the State
Convention will permit any bona lide
delegation, present from a county, to
cast the vote of that county. All that
will be asked is fair play and no old
party tricks. I. D.
So It Goes
A new subscriber from West Duluth
writes us:
“I have all my life been a democrat,
but I am now satisfied that no relief,
for the distressed millionsof our coun
try, can be obtained from that party;
and I am studying up the principles of
the Populist party with a view to cast
ing in my fortunes with it. There are
quite a number here who feel as I do.
They are waiting to decide.”
VOL. 11. no. 4.
WHOLE NO. 56.
C2T' Remember. .JgJ
Remember that the time of all
those who began their subscription
with No. 1 of Yol. 1, has expired.
We hope they will promptly renew. '
We don’t want to lose them out of
our great family of readers. It will
pain us to have to strike them off our
list. It will be like one going out of
our household. Remember that just
now we have many and large expen
ditures. We have given you a good
paper in the past, and wc promise
that it shall be still better in the fu
ture? You cannot a£ord to do without
it.
Out of personal regard we have let
some friends over-run their time.
Be kind enough to send in your re
mittances at once. We n< cd them.
If any.subscriber cannot just now
spare a dollar for his renewal, let him
send in fifty cents, or even twenty
five cents; and so keep his account
straight on our books.
Remember that the greatest cam
paign ever fought in Minnesota and
the United States, is now opening.
\ou have got to know what is going
on in the world, or you might as well
be dead.
If you are short of funds to renew
sally out among your neighbors and
get us four new subscribers, and
send us one dollar for each of them,
and we will credit another dollar on
your subscription account, as a com
mission for your services:. and this
will renew your subscription for an
other year.
The Sham Fight
“When the Democrats in the senate
sought to raise tlie protection on tan
nic acid from 35per cent t 075 percent,
the Republican senators demurred
and said that 60 per cent was high
enough protection for the protec
tionist party. And so the Democratic
committee which stands on the Chica
go platform doctrine, that protection
Is unconstitutional and robbery, had
to be contented w itli only 00 per cent
protection for its tannic acid clients.”
—Minneapolis Tribune.
IWlly Plutocracy will have to put a
mark oir their democratic tools differ
ent from that used on the republican
ones, or there will be no telling them
apart. These babies are becoming in
extricably mixed. And here is another
item:
“W r hen the Democratic tariff blun
derers got through, with the cotton
schedule, they found to their conster
nation that the protection on cotton
manufacturers in the senate bill was
higher than in the McKinley bill. WTiy
don’t these “loonies” step aside and
let the job to some one who knows the
tariff from a turnip?”
But all this will not prevent the
scamps from reviving the sham fight
again, the democrats as “free traders,”
(God save the mark!) and the republi
cans as protectionists; and hundreds
of thousands, yea millions, of fools, will
fire blank cartridges at each other for
a year or two.
Oh, Lord! Lord! Why did you make
so many idiots? And, if you had to
make them, why don’t you kill them
off? I. D.
That’s the Point.
The state elevator law received its
final quietus last Friday, when Judge
Mitchell of the supreme court decided
the law was unconstitutional, because
it provides for the carrying on of the
business of handlingandstoring grain,
which the constitution forbids in sec
tion 5, article 6, which provides that
“the state shall never con tractany debt
for works of internal improvements,
or be a party to carrying on such works.”
The whole pro ject may now be con
sidered as having fallen through, and
the big wheat dealers are happy, as they
see possible opposition to their business
knocked out by the highest court in the
slate. —Litchfield Independent.
Brethren, let us all rally, next fall,
to wipe out that Supreme Court, at
the ballot box. Two of the men who
made that decision will be on hand
asking for your suffrages. Roll up
your sleeves and go for them.
Let the battle-cries be,—Free Silver
and no Court-made-legislation!
Elect a Legislature that will, If
necessary, abolish the whole court;
and restore the right to make the laws
to the people of the state. We have
had enough of lawyer-govcmment in the
interest of the corporations. I. D.
Nonsense.
“Wheat is low because there is over
production; wages arc low because
there are two men chasing every job;
two jobs for every man would make
high wages. Under the Republican
tariff there has been an overproduc
tion in every department and the re
sult is, nothing now to do and distress
on every hand.”
So spoke, Judge Flandrau, at a
democratic meeting, in St. Paul, the
other day.
Why did not the Judge put it this
way?
“Millions cannot get anything to
eat because too much wheat has been
raised. There is too much bread be
cause there are too many stomachs.
It is the empty stomaciis that cause
the over-production of wheat. If you
would kill oft ten million workmen
then there would be an increased de
mand for bread and wheat. Of course
there would!”
And all this shows that a man can
be an ex-judge, and a lawyer, and a
leader of the plutocratic wing of the
democratic party, and yet talk infernal
nonsense. I - B.
If congress has the right under the con
tition to issue paper money, it was given
there to be used tpr themselves, not to b«
delegated to individuals or corporations.-*
Andrew Jackson.