Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-07
The Effect Upon Business
Interests.

change Of administration is the injury
that will be done TO the business inter-
ests of the country. To listen to the
speeches and to read the articles upon
this subject it might be inferred that
the country was really in the keeping
of the Republican party, and would
go straightway to ruin if not looked
after by its candidates. Milton de-
scribed an eclipse as shedding dis
astrous twilight on half the nations,
and eoith fear Of change perplexing
monarchs," but an eclipse was never
half such a bugaboo as the probable
election of General Hancock, if we
are to Judge from what we read in
Republican papers. Those who write
and talk such stuff must have very
low opinion Of the good sense of the
people of the United. States, for they
know very well that the fact is the
country gets along as well as it does
in spite of the politicians, and not be-
cause of their protecting care. Two
or three very plain propositions will
dispose of the pretense that the sue
cess of any party is essential to our
welfare:
First. The men who constitute
the administration to-day, with one or
two exceptions, never had ability
enough to manage their own business
in such Il way as to greatly distinguish
themselves, and if Mr.. Hayes never
became anything more than second
or third rate lawyer in a small city
like Cincinnati it is absurd to suppose
that by making him President he
could be forthwith made capable Of
controlling the business interests of
the whole country. Mr.. Evarts was,
of course, of higher grade; but,
after all, he was pretty accurately de-
scribed by the late Judge Grier as a
mere sentence monger." Mr.. Sherman
has shown fair business capacity in
his own affairs, but there are fifty
men on Third street and twice fifty on
Wall street who are his supcriors, and
there is not one of the rest of them
who could get half the salary in any
private corporation he now receives.
1t is hackneyed quotation of the
saying of Chancellor Oxenstiern !:
Go, my son, and see with what little
wisdom the world is governed" But
the greatest lack of wisdom is on the
part of the governed when they come
to think they owe everything to their
rulers; for, certainly, if the men in
office have not succeeded in private
life, it is folly to suppose that they are
any better capable to manage the af-
fairs of other people. If the country
really needed to be taken care OF, it
would be in bad way in such hands.
But, luckily, the great American
people have it and themselves in their
own keeping, and if they wish tC
change their servants-not their rul.
ers-they need not and will not I've
afraid to do it.
Second. If all our present pros
perity is due to the Republican party,
how does it happen that in 1873, when
the panic occurred, and during the
long years of the steady decline in
values thereafter, the Republican
party, having full control of all de-
partments of the government, did not
arrest the depreciation and ruin, and
restore confidence and prosperity ?
And why was it that it was not until
the Democratic party had acquired
control of the House of Representa-
tives that there was a check to the fall
and not until it had secured the Sem
ate the reaction set in? If we were
to judge by the order of events, we
might say the Republican party was
responsible for the breakdown in 1873,
and the Democrats entitled to the
credit of the revival of business which
began to show itself in 1873, and fair
ly set in by 1879; but the truth is
that this, too, would he absurd The
advance in prices, which is sometimes
mistaken for prosperity, went on all
over the world till 1873, and the de-
cline was equally universal till 1879,
and for these general movements up
and down neither party is responsible.
Third. 1t does not follow, however,
that it is a matter of indifference to
business men whether one party or
the other gets in. The mania for
railway building, stimulated by i'm.
provident land grants, had much to
do with the unnatural high prices of
1872 and the completeness Of the col
lapse that followed the next year, and
the misgovernment and plundering of
the Southern States from 1865 to 1876
delayed the restoration of prosperity
in that section. The Republican pol.
icy was certainly fairly tested down
there, and if we are to believe the
accounts given by Republicans them.
selves, it only led to the robbery and
massacre of the negroes. That policy