Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1893-08-19
STEVE ELKlNS' EXPLANATION.
Tho Old Business of Partisan Panic
Nursing.

Nursing.
Mr.. Stephen B. Elkins, who has had
a long and profitable connection with
public affairs and who knows the
'business" end of politics as well as
any man in the country, explains that
the present financial trouble is really
the democratic panic of 1898" Mr.. Ell
kins'explanation, like many other things
that he has given utterance to in times
past, is important if true. If this is a
democratic panic. of course it cannot
be got over until the democratic party
is either driven from power or reduced
to helplessness by change in the house
or in the senate. II the dreadful party
should establish its ruinous policy OF
reducing unjust taxation, stimulating
industry by cheaper materials, increas-
ing the demand for labor by broader
markets, and diminishing the cost OF
living by taking off duties on the neces-
saries Of life, then the panic would
have to go on until the blessed repub-
lican tariff pets could get control again.
Mr.. Elkins ought to know this as we'll
as anyone else 1t may be stern sense
of duty which impels him to give out
such discouraging views of the futnre,
or it may be that his personal and par
tisan interests are so largely involved
in the return of the republicans to
power that he deceives himself as to the
facts and does not perceive that the in
fuence of his remarks whatever it may
amount to, tends to mislead the public
and to defer the return Of confidence
which is obviously needed. As tho
tone he adopts is the same as that OF
very large number of republican speak,
ers and writers, we fear that he and
they in common are more bent on put
ting the democrats lin hole" as Mr..
Harrison would say, tina. on serving
the public interests.
However, this cheap kind of partisan.
ship seems to us much more likely to
iniure those who are guilty of 1t than
to iniure the democratic party Tho
great mass of the American people,
whatever party they may belong to,
are not fools, and though the partisans
on either side often say very foolish
things, even they do not, as rule, act
much more wisely than they talk, and
seldom follow their own advice. There
will not be very many misled by such
solemn nonsense as Mr.. Elkins and the
party organs are talking. 1t is little
too heavy tax on credulity to be asked
to believe, first that one of the great
parties deliberately set out to ruin the
business of the country; second, that
an overwhelming majority was sent to
congress and president elected BY the
people to carry out that fell policy,
and, third, that it took the people near
ly six months to get scared over what
thew had done. This is the substance
of Mr.. Elkins' argument He scouts
the notion that the effect OF the Sner'
man law in destroying confidence a. to
the value Of the currency had much to
do with the present difficulties. and he
points out that there were business
troubles in South America, England,
Australia and elsewhere as well -
here, and as the sherman law did not
cause the troubles in other countries u
; could not have caused ours. That
' nroyes too much, for clearly nis pe'
theory that the cause Of the penie Va
the democratic victory does nos Apply
20 other countries, and therefore ooss
not apply here. Y. Times
Thought i The fertilizer Of srssse