The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-10-11
Democratic Blunders Pointed out by a
Business Man.

New 0rK ana the correspondent Ol
a western paper:
''You surprise me very much,"
said to gentleman doing a very large
business here. He had said he in
tended to vote for Blaine.
Well, Sir" he replied, 81 shall
make no conceaImert of my inten-
tions; my vote for Blaine will be
given conscientiously and upon prin-
ciple. and my influence to get Others
to do likewise will not be withheld =
speaker was a gentleman whom
l have Enown for a good many years
asa consistent. uncompromising Dem.
ocrat-a stalwart of that faith-hrn.
est, straightforward, sincere in ali
things; he had but the one weakness.
as l thought, and that his blind ad-
herence to that party through good
and evil report. l questioned often
whether he ever reasoned well upon
politics, so unreasOning at times were
his preiudices in favor of Democra-
cy. | had left him seYerIy alone with
his idol, looking upon him as an
Ephraim beyond the reach of persua-
sion and conviction. | could account
to myself for the detection of large
masses of Irishmen to the support of
Blaine, for the attraction that work.
! ingmen find under his banner, for
the inspiration Americans draw from
such a leader, for the disaffection
everywhere manifested towards Mr..
Cleveland. But the exclamation OF
my friend was genuine surprise,
and I pressed him for an explanation.
What he said to crafty my curiosity
and to sustain the position he has
taken is so filled with pith and mo-
ment that | gained his permission to
reproduce it in substance, suppress
| ing his name. as he does not like
publicity. | have said he was a man
doing large business here, and when
l add that his line he transacts
the largest, ie must be considered.
while giving his views, as one WELD
ing, by his wealth, social standing,
credit and example, a powerful in
tluence, even in New York city.
He seemed at loss for a moment
where to begin, but finally he plung-
ed in media res by saying -;
"Sir, the business of tho country
can't stand the violence it is con
stantIy subjected to at the hands of
political jobbers, especially when
every job seems to be tlunder, and
every blunder costs us, the business
men of this great business center,
millions in money. Under the most
favorable circumstances, when there
is the least to disturb business, it is
bad enough. We are content to see
business dull in every presidential
year, but even then, what do you
suppose is the actual cost to the coun-
try ?"
II am not prepared to compute it,
or even an approximate amount"
said: What do you recken the loss
under the most favorable circum-
stances ?"
"At not less than % per cent of the
entire business of the country. There
are thousand reasons for this, all
eliminating in the idea that business
men, in such year, will await to see
what will turn up from political agi.
tatiOn. AS consequence, they make
no ventures in trade, they hold back
their reserves in money and enter
prise and stagnatiOn ensues. Begun
here, at the center, such a check is
felt to the furthest limits of the Re.
public. This is Introductory" he
continued, "to what / have further
to say. The colossal blunder of the
present campaign began with the
stupid, idiotic tinkering with the
tariff in the last Congress. A very
narroW-minded, bigoted politician of
that Congress--as reckless of the dam
ger and damage to the business of
the country as pirate cruiser =
snatched up the tariff to tinker with
it for bare political advantage, and
utterly regardless of consequences to
business. In the whole range of po-
litical legislation upon this subject,
there is nothing bearing the faintest
resemblance to this patchwork. The
socalled horizontal reduction was
nothing more nor less than stroke
of the pen of these jobbers to rid
themselves easily of what they did
not comprehend, and did not care to
study. When you come to contem-
plate the varied interests in this cOun-
try affected by the tariff-sensitive
and responsive in the extreme at the
mere mention Of the slightest change
you will understand how rude such
tinkering seemed. 1t was a blow In
the face of business men. 1t was eX-
altinu nartU Oyar tho nrOStratn form