The San Francisco call., 1896-08-05
SEEKING A PANIC.

1t IS to be hoped that Mr.. Bryan Will
mount the hustings and not leave
them until the evening of the day oi
election. He can be trusted to prove by
his own words that he would be very nm
safe man to direct the affairs OF the
Nation. In one of his recent ''impromptu
talks" as his friends call them, he said
referring 90 the reconciliation of silver
independent of the commercial nations;
II think it will cause panic. But the
country is in deplorable condition, ano
it will take extreme measures to restore II
to condition of prosperity"
Ex-Governor Davis of Rhode Island, an
admirer and supporter of Bryan, Is In ac'
cord with the Democratic candidate. lie
said the other day that the adoption OF
the policy to open the mints to the free
and unlimited coinage OF silver without
waiting for the cooperation of the nations
would cause "a great business panic,
"but," he added, ''when the panic was
over there would be a readiustment OF
values and much greater prosperity" A
business panic is the fruit of the seed oil
hesitation and doubt when planted by the
hand of suspicion. There could not be a
business panic until confidence in the
ability of debtors to pay their bills had
been withdrawn. Panics come of fear. A
business panic comes when capital fears
for its safety and goes into hiding. The
integrity nor the willingness of debtors TO
pay do not enter into the question at all
as far as capital is concerned. Capital
never becomes suspicious, however, except
when radical departure from true and
tried business methods is threatened.
Now what Mr. Bryan means is that upon
the introduction of his untried and at best
doubtful monetary theories into the busl.
ness situation a panic would follow, but
the situation is bad any way, and extreme
measures of Numerically opposite char
acter to those in operation before conf
dence was lost in creditors ability to pay
would restore confidence ultimately and
induce the return of prosperity. A quack
doctor said if he could throw the patient
into fits he believed he could cure him oil
the disease proper, but the fits SO aggra-
vated the original ailment that the man
died This country has been in the hands
of quack since March T. 1893, and all
business men know how slowly and hesita'
t!ngly trade and traffic moves in the arter.
les of commerce.
Mr.. Bryan is to be commended for his
honesty when he tells the people that his
election would cause panic, but he is not
to be commended when he says extreme
measures, such as plunging the business
of the country into panic. are necessary
to restore it to condition of prosperity,
for he knows it is not true. If Mr.. Bryan
is even fairly close observer he must see
that commerce, which has been Ill ever
since Cleveland undertook to doctor it,
grows weaker whenever the suspicion that
there is a chance of his election haunts
the channels of trade, and that commerce
begins to grow better and stronger when
assurances are given that Bryan will not
be allowed to dose it with his compound
No, the people will not accept Mr.. Bryan's
plan to start business panic as the safest
and surest way to prosperity. But it is to
be hoped that Mr.. Bryan will keep on
educating" the people in his theories ot
government. 1t will do them good tc
know what to expect if ne is elected.