Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-12-20
Tle,r. oc oonaressman va. Z. WIIsOn.


begrudged its rejoicing over successes in this
falls election.
Especially is it natural aud pardonable
for those leaders, who have in recent years
led the party 10 the most crushing defeat of
It's history. 10 hail with vOciferous welcome
any lull in the storm Of popular disiaSor.-
A sudden veering of the wind may signify
liule as against the steady and persistent
Currents Of four years, but it is enough to
revive their waning hopes, and to set them
to claiming not only that the storm is over
but to proving by ratiocination that It viii
never storm sgsin. Accordingly Mr.. Reed
finds the cause Of the tremendous result"
in belief among the people that the Dem
ocralic party is responsible for the CONNER
cial distress aud the enforced idleness of
labor. and cheerfully undertakes to prove
that such belief is both rational and just
Likewise also Mr. Mckinley, and although
his sense Of humor il much less developed
/ tnan Mr. Reeds, we may we'll imagine IhSt
they did not ent upon their task Without
exchanging the mutual winks with which
Roman augurs are said to have greeted each
other on the highway. do not doubt that
such belief as Mr.. Reed speaks of was an
influence among certain voters in all the
States. but II was not III intelligent or just
belief. In this as in other things the Dem
ocratic party suffered from causes for which
it WAS not responsible, and against whose
hurtful operation il has long and unsel6shly
commended Cooperating with and aggra-
waiting those causes were Others, from whose
balelul effect no party coming into power
can hope to escape, rs long as the patronage
system rankles in American politics and puts
Its direful strain upon the popularity of ev-
cry new administration and Of every man
supposed to have Office getting influence
with it. The hunger for place that has be-
set the present administration from the 4th
day of March last Was wheited and made
rsvenous by the chronic lack of prosperity
aud of employment that has afflicted whole
sections Of our people, and which is charge
able in no small measure to our lopsided
system of federal taxation. For the vast
majority of applicants there was necessarily
disappointment, and disappointment in get
ting Office is a malady that time alone can
cure, and against whose early stages reason,
philosophy aud religion make losing fight.
Il is true as Mr. Reed contends that the
long delay in the Senate over the repeal bill
worked 10 the temporary hurt Of the Dem
ocratic party Every Democrat will admit
that earnest aud honest differences have
long existed in bis party on the silver ques-
lion, and that any grave controversy on that
issue must lead to arrangements more or
less transient. If one side grew resentful
over the delay, the other side WAS angered
by the final result But here again it is
we'll to put the responsibility where it real
~ belongs II Mr.. Harrison had shown
the same firmness and the same recklessness
Of consequences TO his own political fortunes
in dealing with the silver question that Mr.
Cleveland has always shown there would
have been no Sherman law to repeal aud no
one who recalls the interview given out by
Mr.. Sherman himself at the most critical
stage Of the Senate struggle, can acqut him
of responsibility for its disastrous prolOnga-
ton. But Mr.. Reed now dismisses all these
as minor influences and works himself up
to the point of declaring that it was the
fear of coming tariff changes that really
precipilated the panic and brought about
the paralysis of business This, I submit
to every candid man, is partisan defiance
of history
If ever panic in its outset was distinct
lively and exclusively financial scare, the
recent one was such Il began with the
banks Il struck the money centres, not
the centres of indu.try. II was only when
money ceased to circulate, when loans could |
no longer be negotiated nor checks on sol
vent banks be cashed. that factories began |
10 close down and labor to lose employment
A few politicians and partisan papers of
the baser sort began shouting tariff, bu, they |
were rebuked by the more intelligent and |
self respecting men and journals of their
party Il would be easy to ill large vol
lme with resolutions and reports and SOL
emn declarations of Republican chambers
Of commerce, boards of trade, bankers,
trade organizations and business men, in
Guiding such well-knOwn Republican man
ufacturers and protectiOnists as Mr.. Thomas
Dolau aud others, unanimously charging
The disturbance to the Sherman law and
not to the fear Of tariff changes The tariff
fear was 80 evidently an sherthOught that
for long time only the demsgogue was
willing 10 take stock in it. OF course so
acute financial panic, 50 terrible money
famine quickly affected and naturally be.
lumbed all industries.
If men could not get money to buy with,
productions languished aud came to full
top. If men could not get money to pay
wages with, labor suffered for lack of EN-
oloymeut. But it must also in candOr be
admitted that it is very probable that with
,r without the Sherman bill we should not
nave escaped the same industrial crisis
There Is a mysterious but well-knOwn peri