The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-08-21
When Doctors Disagree, Etc.

Republican journals are not agreed
as to the grounds upon which the pres
ent political battle is to be fought. In
view of the great depression in busi-
ness and the widespread dissat: :sfaction
among all classes, some put in plea in
the nature of a confession and avoid
ance. Others undertake to bull It right
through, and declare there are no hard
times nor dearth of business. Of this
class is the Philadelphia Inquirer, an
enthusiastic Blaine organ, which says:
THE stores are all open.and appear to have
tories and shops and mills and mines are all
being operated, and certainly there are no
id e workingmen about, except those who are
day OF s:fne for the purpose of ppansRine an em
plOyer for presuming to say he would not
employ union man who was incompetent OF
work and wages, and good wages, too, can
get them.
We venture to say this is not in ac-
cordance with the current experience of
the country. The bank clearings, the
labor reports, the sales of merchants,
the voice of innumerable labor societies,
the hundreds of silent mills and thou
sands of unemplyed operatives attest
that the business and industrial condi-
ton is not at all so happy as is here rep
resented. There is little actual want
of the sheer necessaries of life, for there
can be, in this country of abundance,
but little. But there is room for vast
improvement in the situation of the
commercial and productive classes.
The Chi ago 1rtbu'ae, a leading Re
publican journal of the West. takes a
wholly different view OF the situation
from that presented by its Eastern CO.
adjutor. Noticing an alleged improve
ment in the business of the country, it
says;
prosperity which is heralded as now about TO
descend with folded wings on our people? Is
it new energy in any useful work, new
manufacture, u new highway to inaccessible
fields. the discovery of new treasures. new
whirr OF wheels of industry that have been
standing still! Does a new demand for iron
and a quickening of that depressed interest,
or does a restoration of work and wages for
the tens of thousands of men, women and
children lying idle introduce the new decade
of better times! 1t is none of these, but a
frantic rush of lambs into the stock market, q
new circulation of points, a new furor of
betting on the turns of the stock and grain
markets that is the main feature OF the i'm
proyement.'
1t would be extremely agreeable to
be able to look through the spectacles
of our Philadelphia contemporary, but
lIutu StdHuS Ill buC way Oui -CAPOiI Is
are not nearly what they should be.
Our commerce by no means reaches
proportions befitting nearly sixty mil
lions opulation. There is faulty dis
tribution of labor and the fruits Of it.
Notwithstanding, there is en- forced idle.
ness and unemployed machinery in
every part o. the country. There is a
surplus of commodities in nearly all oul
markets. The supply exceeds the de-
mand at home, and yet we can not en-.
ter the markets abroad. There is moth.
ing to do but to wait till consumption
overtakes production, and agriculture,
now much depressed in some respects
brings back general prosperity. There
are not more commodities than the
people desire to consume, but there an
more than they can afford to consume
taxed as they are. Supply and demand
are sought to be regulated by legisla
ton through indirect methods, and the
result is the state of things we now wit
ness. So-called protection and re
stricted commerce are at the bottom o
most of the evils which now affiict th'
| people of this country.-St. Louis Re
! publican.