The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-05-31
THE EVIL WORK OF CONGRESS.

business wreckage of the country and
find the least excuse or justification fol
those who caused it? 1t is brazen i'm
pudence to claim that this ruin is due tt
causes outside of the present Congress
That we would have had panic and 6
temporary stagnation is perhaps true
These come periodically in the business
world. But there was absolutel y-mos
absolutely-no reason why this stoppage
and distrust in business should have beer
protracted more than few weeks. Il
the country had been under a normal
administration-if every one had not
been convulsed with fear as to what
would be done by an uncomfortable
majority of Southern malignants and
wild Northern theorists-the "settling
days" and the panic would have been
entirely over by July l, 1893, and the
country would have resumed its usual
condition of active prosperity. Some In
aated stocks would have had the water
squeezed out Of them, some ill-advised
enterprises would have gone to the wall,
but this would have been all. Business
would have at once improved from the
wedding out of excrescences and false
growths.
But the declarations of the men who
attained to unlimited power in the Ma
tional councils struck terror to the heart
of every man, no matter how humble
might be his share in the great world of
business activity. Proportionately as
much injury was threatened against the
owner of moderate flock of chickens,
the raiser of few sheep, the patient
cultivator of a patch of tobacco, the
mower of small pasture, the raiser of
few acres of barley, the owner of a
small orchard, as upon the much-dis-
cussed mill-lords and "trust-barons."
The sequel has proved that the poorer
the man the more he had to fear. 1t is
Like the rebellion, which was aptly de-
scribed by rebel soldier as "a rich
mans war and poor mans fight"
The bigger the trust" monopoly" or
combination" the less that it is likely
to suffer by legislation, and the smaller
the manufacturer, worker, or producer
the more he will be hurt. Taking away
500 of the profits of some raiser Of
fruit, hay, barley, eggs, wool, hops, but
ter, etc, is more hurtful blow to him
than the reduction of thousands of dol
lars of the profits of some immense fac
tory.
But it is sufficient that all have been
terribly injured, and that none can look
forward with any degree of confidence
to the future There are millionso of pounds
of wool in the country, which has always
heretofore been "sure money CROP"
but for which there is now no sale, for
the reason that mill-owners and mer-
chants will not buy, except for the most
pressing needs, because they expect to
get either wool or wooden goods much
cheaper when the duties are taken off or
reduced. They would be extremely fool
ish if they did. 1t is the same with
tobacco and numerous other products.
Consequently, no one has any money
with which to buy the merchants stand
idle behind their counters, the ships lie
at anchor in the harbors, the furnace
fires are out, the mill-wheels rust in
silence, and millions of laboring men
lack work and wages with which to buy
bread and meat and clothing for them
selves and families.
1t is irritating nonsense to say that
we simply share the condition of the rest
Of the world; that every other country
is suffering in the same manner. This
does not begin to be true. No other
country is suffering in the same proper
ton. Other countries are suffering from
over-population, as they have been for
many years, and the business depression
affects them to some extent. But we are
a world of our own. We are, to large
extent, independent of conditions
mercial and social-that affect them