The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-09-26
TO THE DEMOCRACY.
BEWARE OF THE TRAP SET BY THE
CALAMITY HoWLERs.

They Are Attempting to Unload 1t to
Save Their Mckinley Cargo.
We are i'll the midst of panic. There
is no doubt of it. The Republican
calamity bowler is abroad attempting
to make matters worse than they really
are, because he is charging it all to the
Democrats. He hopes to hold the Dem
ocrats responsible at future elections for
every man now idle and for every wage
reduction that has occurred since March
a. If the Democratic party acknowl-
edges this debt, it will itself go into bank
ruptcy at the next general election and
would get its just deserts.
Unfortunately not few Democratic
editors, and some prominent ones, too,
are being led into the trap set for them
by these same wary Republican howlers
The bowler says: "This is the Democratic
panic of 1893. 1t is due solely to the
threat of tariff reform. 1t is already
worse than the panic of 1878 and is hour
ly growing worse. The repeal of the
Sherman act will not stay the devastat-
ing progress of this free trade scare.
Nothing will stop it but the point blank
declaration of President Cleveland that
the Mckinley tariff shall not be touched
for one year from date. He alone has
the power to say the word that shall re-
move the uncertainties that have closed
hundreds of banks, put out the fires in
thousands of mills and compelled mil
lions to accept lower wages if it did not
throw them entirely out of work. Let
hin, H.,
Socialism and anarchy are rampant. Our
whole industrial, financial and political
system is on the brink of ruin''
Up jumps the frightened Democratic
editor to say that ga certain element of
the Republican press, in it's efforts to
create more serious scare than is at all
necessary that the Republican party
may reap little temporary advantage,
is making itself ridiculous. Half the
stories of mills closed down and men out
of employment are the sheerest lies.
"lf the partisan papers had been fair
In their comments on the situation, half
the actual failures would not have oc-
Cured. These papers destroy confidence
through vulgar and ineXcusablo lying,
Some of them are overstepping them
selves. AT this time of the wear it is
customary for many mills to shut down
Tor short periods, sometimes for the pur-
pose of making repairs and renovations
and sometimes because the fall trade has
not assumed definite proportions. Ordi-
narily these temporary shutdowns are
not noticed. This year they are heralded
and the magnitude of each enterprise is
exaggerated. Correspondents are anx-
1ous to earn money, and knowing that
partisan newspapers are looking for ca
lamity news they furnish it to ssarder.
Neither is money so tight The Repub-
ican papers have been bowling about
there being no money to buy grain with.
One of the largest commission houses in
Chicago is soliciting business and offer
ing to pay all drafts on grain. The men
who cannot get drafts paid must have
very poor credit and standing in Chi
cago.r
The Democrat who talks and writes in
this manner is making trouble for him.
self and his party in the future. He is
trying to underestimate the calamity,
because he thinks itmustrest upon Dem
ocratic shoulders. The Republicans have
got him just where they want him. He
has tacitly admitted that the Democratic
is the guilty party. 1t is not easy for
confessed criminal to prove his inno-
cence. If he is innocent as is the Dem
ocratic party, he should first, last and
always assert his innocence. If he does
not do so, public opinion will be against
him. This, in the case of the Democratic
party, would be fatal.
Let the Republican calamity howlers
make things as blue as they desire. The
result will be bad on the country. but il
will come home to roost before 1894.
The present calamity may not be as
bad as is represented by Republicans,
but it will be cargo that will sink the
Democratic ship if taken aboard. The
Republicans are attempting to unload
it so that they can save their cargo of
McKinleyism. Don't allow them to do It'll
The present Is IA financial panic. If it
were due to tariff scare, we should
have more rather than less money with
which to do business. AT least one-haf
OF our manufacturers, merchants and
business men are using borrowed CAPT
tai. They sell for credit and discount
for cash the notes which they obtain. If
business were at IL standstill because of
uncertainties i'll regard to the tariff,
there would be less demand for capital,
money would be Il drug OH the market.
and interest would be unusually low.
On the contrary, money never before
commanded such high rates Of interest
in times of peace as during the past few
months. And this in spite of the fact
that there is today more gold and silver
outstanding in the United States than
ever before. Business wants to go on.
rThiS Ia what makas tho dn1nnnd fo,. man,