The Progress., 1894-02-24
Special Correspondence

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10-There is a tradi-
.ior in Washington to the effect that GER
.sin man who was compromise candidate
sor vice president, was elected by scratch
and unexpectedly became president felt it
;ncumbent on him to write an extremely
modest Introductory paragraph to his first
message He accordingly began, as nearly
oc his secretary can remember, in these
7ords: Called by a mysterious and afflict-
;ve Providence to the chief magistracy of
Ibis nation from the far inferior place to
wbieh had been elevated by the chances of
nolitics, feel that ought" etc.
The secretary of state of that day was en-
nbatically boss in his party, and when he
Sev this he broke out With more heat than
noliteness: Great heavens, man! If you
begin that way, they never will get done
laughing at you. You will be burlesqued
n every paper in the country, and these
Washington journalists will make that
sentence byword. What! Ascribe your
elevation first to an accident and then to an
effective Providence? No, indeed! You must
assume chat YOU are rightfully here and
mean 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-
0uence. Occasionally congressman spring
M BY something like the causes modestly
mentioned by this president
The contrast was very marked between
the debate OH the Wilson bill and that on
taeMcKinley 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 a 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-indeed pos
lively reckless-statements Of western men
on the other. The latter declared that the
eitire 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 il
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 - years without
a panic since Ben Franklin was old enough
to keep diary, and that since the adoption
of the constitution there have never beer
seven years without some kind of tinancia
disturbance
Does Not Prove the Rule.
The funny feature of the case is that onC
can take almost any year from Polk to Lin
coin and prove by good Democratic testl
mony that it was year OF misfortune
and by good Republican testimony tina
it was year of prosperity. The ont
marked exception is the year extending
from August, 1857, to the same month il
1858. All authorities on all sides agree tina
that was bad year. One member was 81
unfortunate as to select the year 1855 as al
awful example of what misery low tarit
had wrought for the farmers, and one OF
the other SIDE was still more untortunat
in selecting certain years since the war
One asserted with great vehemence tina
free trade had reduced England to genera
condition of commercial helplessness AM
pauperism among the laboring classes
while another demonstrated to his own sat
isfaction that protection was literally eat
ing out the heart of Germany.
Now, a common man is hardly at libert
to ridicule congressman. Indeed twoul'
be sort of moral treason. Nevertheless
it might have occurred to these gentleme
that one example does not establish ger
eral rule, even in sciences much less CON
plieated than politics, and that England
insular possessions, her enormous merchan
marine and immense continental posses
,lA