Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-04-24
PANICS COME OFTEN.
A Little One is Due About Every -Four
Years or So.
And Large Ones Come Regularly at Longer
PsFieds 10 Our Sorrow.

WASHINGTON, April 23.-Thefe is trddi
ton In Washington to the effect that a Ger.
tain man who was compromise candidate
1or vice president, was elected by a scratch
and unexpectedly became president felt it
incumbent on him to write an extremely
modest Introductory paragraph to his first
message. He accordingly began, as nearly
as his secretary can remember, in these
words: Called by mysterious and afflict-
I've Providence to the chief magistracy OF
this nation from the far inferior place to
which had been elevated by the chances O:
politics, feel that | ought" etc
The secretary Of state Of that day was en-
phatically boss in his party, and when he
saw this he broke out with more heat than
politeness: Great heavens, man! If YOU
begin that way, they never will get done
laughing at you You will be burlesqued
in every paper in the country, and these
Washington journalists will make that
sentence byword. What! Ascribe your
affective Irovidences No, indeed! You must
assume that you are rightfully here and
BIean to be boss Of the situation
Sweeping Assertions.
OF course this was expressed in somewhat
more diplomatic terms, and there is "a cur
rent opinion that the new president changed
his policy at once and suffered in conse-
quence. Occasionally congressman spring
up by something like the causes modestly
mentioned by this president.
The contrast was very marked between
the debate ON the Wilson bill and that on
the Mckinley bill. 1t fell to my lot to read
carefully every speech delivered in the house
on that bill and to condense them into one
third of their space for popular use, and
was much impressed with the great ability
displayed on both sides of the discussion.
In the recent debate there were single
speeches OF ability equal to any in the Fifty
first congress, but the debate, as whole,
was somewhat inferior. was particularly
amused by the very sweeping assertions
made by some eastern men on the one side
and by the still more sweeping-indeedp pos
itiyely reckless-statements of western men
on the other. The latter declared that the
entire period from the accession of Polk to
that of Lincoln was one of continuous and
uninterrupted prosperity, while the former
declared it a season of almost uninterrupt-
ed hard times, but that certain other dec
AIDES showed unbroken prosperity.
Now, one would naturally suppose that
these statesmen would read the commercial
history of their country, at least of nights,
Sundays and rainy days. for diversion if
nothing else. They would there find that
there have never been Is years of contin-
uous prosperity since the pilgrims landed;
that there never have been IL years without
n panic since Ben Franklin was old enough
to keep diary, and that since the adoption
81 n L
seven years without some kind of tinancia!
disturbance.
Does Not Prove the Rule.
The funny feature of the case is that one
can take almC st any year from Polk to Lin
coin and prove by good Democratic testi-
mony that il was q year of misfortune
and by good Republican testimony that
it was a ye'r Of prosperity. The one
marked exception is the year extending
from August, 1857, to the same month in
1858. All authorities on all sides agree that
that was a ba year. One member was so
as to select the year 1855 as an
awful example of what misery low tariff
had wrought for the farmers, and one on
the other side was still more unfortunate
in selecting certain years since the war
One asserted with great vehemence that
free trade had reduced England to general
of commercial helplessness and
aIlong the laboring classes,
while another demonstrated to his own sat
isfaction that protection was literally eat
ing out the heart of Germany.
Now, n common man is hardly at liberty
to ridicule congressman. Indeed it would
be sort of moral treason. Nevertheless
it might lave occurred to these gentlemen
that one example does not establish gen
eral rule. even in sciences much less COM
plicated than politics, and that England's
insular possessions, her enormous merchant
marine and immense continental posses
sions might count