The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-11-13
Election Excitement and Bust
ness.

It is one of the misfortunes with
which business has to contend that,
every fourth year, the attention of
the community is absorbed for three
or four months with the excitement
of an election canvass. We have no
disposition to underrate the impor-
lance of concentrating attention
upon national affairs; for in proper.
ton as the people discuss public
policies and the fitness of candidates
for public office, is the nation likely
to be well or badly governed. Per
haps indeed, one of the great evils
under our system of government, is
that the people bestow too little at
tention on such matters. During
three and three quarters of the pres
idential term, the public voice is
silent, the men chosen to political
office are left to their own course,
and affairs are regulated, not accor-
ding to the popular will, but by the
| ignorance or cupidity of an official
oligarchy influenced by sense of
responsibility to their party but in
different to the wishes of their con-
stituents. During the remaining
sixteenth of the term, everybody is
violently concerned about the wei
fare of the nation; or more properly
speaking, about the chances of their
party; which may be very differ
ent matter from the true welfare OF
the nation. During this three
months of intense attention to poll
tics. there is little serious or candid
consideration of policies. Each man
accepts the programme of his party
convention without question, and
considers himself sworn crusader
for his party's faith. The question
is not whether the policy of his
party meets the wants of the coun-
try, but whether it can be made to
win a majority of votes for its en-
forcement. In palmer terms, q
presidential election is mainly a
matter of partisan rivalry conducted
by politicians for politicians ends
and with but little really discrimi-
mating regard for what sound ma
tional policy demands.
During the heated partisan con,
test. business interests suffer in va
rious ways. With large mass of
the people, attention is more or less
diver ted from ordinary pursuits and
time is lost. The period is regarded
as unfavorable to business, and trans
actions are consequently postponed
Trade is expected to be interrupted
and preparations for it are therefore
relaxed. The issues of both parties
are exaggerated or perverted by their
opponents, and thus apprehensions
of political danger are excited which
influence weakly judgments to Ill
advised transactions. Spectator.
understand how to turn to account
this semi demented condition Of
weak nerved people, and by play.
ing on their fears induce them tC
sell their investments as a means OF
depressing the financial market
After the election, the excitement
subsidies, people see things through
their natural eyes, confidence re
turns, values recover and it is found
that the strong-nerved Spectator:
are selling at an advance large
amounts of securities on property
they had previously bought from
frightened sellers. 1t might be sup
posed that the constant recurrenc,
of these receptions would teach
people to keep cool and steady
through these spasms of the popular
nerves; but nothing seems to b,
learned from experience. The pc
litical passion is just as excitable a
the war passion; let the excitant be
applied, and the furore is sure to be
forthcoming. All this is very unfor
tunate; but it seems inevitable unit
our people learn to bestow steady
continuous attention upon polite,
instead of concentrating their inter
ests upon brief quardriennial out
burst of party feeling.-Commer
cial Bulletin.