The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-06-07
Business and Presidential Elections.

Business and Presidential Elections.
1t is an erroneous but widely accept
ed idea that Presidential election o!
necessity causes general stsgnatlon in
business. There Is no reason why II
should do so. and we believe TINT SO far
as suce results are felt in business cir.
cles, they are chiefly or wholly caused
by the general assumption OF business
men that commerce and trade must be
more or less paralyzsd by a Presiden'
tial contest.
Why should a national election in anv
degree impede legitimate business
People eat, drink. enjoy and consume
in such years just as they do in other
years and people who eat, drink, en-
Joy and consume must earn and spend
all the same whether there is an ebb or
flow in the tide OF politics !; but business
! will always become dull, with or with
out reason. whenever business men as
sume that il must be dull. With that
assumption to guide them, they limit
| their operations, circumscribe their
| energies, halt over even inviting pro-
gress, and then they blame upon politics
what they should blame upon them
selves.
| 1t is q serious error to assume that
change OF party or policy in our Nation
al Government can materially affect the
general business or prosperity OF the
country. No party can obtain the con-
| troll of this great Government without
great leaders, and leaders OF even aver
| age wisdom know that prosperity in bus
/ iness and business trust in the Admins
tratiUn are indispensable TO continued
/ power The one aim OF political lead
| ers is power and as the sovereign pow
/ er of the Republic is N the people, the
success OF the peoples industries and
| the prosperity or all are the aim o: our
/ rulers.
We have had many sudden and some
very violent political revolutions IN this
| country. but rulers and people, politics
ana business, promptly adjusted them
| selves TO every new condition of affairs.
\ When Abraham Lincoln was elected
President In 1860, it was done by the
PEOPLE over the protests or finance, COM
! merce and trade. and business was par
| alyZsd during the memorable struggle
because merchants and financiers all
| predicted business destruction IL the
Republicans revolutioniZed the Gov
| eminent but within one year after
| Lincoln's election, money and business
heartily Identified themselves with his
administration and made the country
prosperous even with the severe exac-
| tions OF civil war.
In 1884 there was the same couserva-
! tive shudder throughout finance ano
| commerce at the prospect OF revolution
| izing the political power OF the country.
| and business was paralyZ-d simply
/ because business men foolishly
| paralyzed themselves. The revolution
| came; Mr.. Cleveland was elected
| and there IL not an intelligent or dis
| passionate man in fnauce or commerce
who does not feel much more security
under Cleveland now than he would
under any successor OF either party.
| All legitimate business that is not the
mere bob on the kite of partisan politics
would be glad to see the Cleveland ad-
ministration continued. and. with
| Blaine out OF the race, there is no prob
ability Of any Republican candidate for
| President whose election should cause
any apprehension ir business circles.
Ii is simply growing into a fixed su-
| perstitiOn that there is always peril to
| business in Presidential election, ard
| business men OF every class and faith
should at once reject IT. There will
/ ever be grave questions TO be decided in
| national contests, bu. at no period
| since the issues of the war have been
settled, has there been any danger TO
business because of the election or de-
/ feat Of any candidate for President.
/ Had Tilden obtained the Presidency to
! which be was elected In 1876. or had
! Hancock overcome The nominal major
/ ity that Garfield obtained over him in
/ 1880 and reached the White House,
| there would not have been the shade OF
4 a
! whether Cleveland or the Republican
/ candidate shall be elected in November,
the country will continue In prosperity
a. long IS her hsTvss:s ere bountiful.
/ No Republican administration could
| continue for four years without reduc-
| ing the tariff at least to the standard of
4 the Mills bill and with ;he present op-
/ pIessiye taxes upon our Industries re-
moved, business prosperity must be
/ maintained
Business is most unjust to itself in
| assuming that Presidential election in
/ our free government must stay the tide
| OF business prosperity. and just to the
/ extent that business paralysis Is expe-
| rienced, TO that extent IS business re-
spousible for 3 self-infiicted Injury.
| The consumers are not bothering about
/ a Presidential battle. and when consum-
ers are not in trouble, what is there TO
make business dull beyond the senseless
| superstition that business must be dull
/ when a President is to be electedY
/ There will be millions more money ex-
/ pended this year then is commonly ex-
: pended by the masses. There will be
/ Political clubs everywhere; the,e will be
mass meetings at every cross roads;
there will be bands to inspire enthusi-
asm; there will be uniforms and lamps
/ and emblems by the hundred thousands:
| there will be more newspapers read
than ever before; there will be q food
| OF political literature at every door, and
with all these there will be as large le-
/ gitimate earnings and expenditures as In
the quietest OF political seasons. 1t Is
! idle to say that q Presidential year
| hinders business. except a. business
| foolishly binders itself. Let business
men make the bold experiment of as
suming that people sat, drink, eSjoy,
saru, and consume quite as much ia q
| Presidential year as in any other, and
there will be no business PARALYSIS be-
cause t5e people are taking a lively
hand in the election OF their Chief Mag
isTrate.-P Philadelphia Times.