The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-29
RIVER AT s A. M.
FOR PERPETUAL AGITATION.

FOR PERPETUAL AGITATION,
Since the one blessing which this
country needs above all others is rest
from political and business disturb
ance and a chance for our Industries
to gather momentum from natural and
healthy progress, whoever proposes to
interfere with this and continue the
costly regime of unsettlement is hardly
less than public enemy. Yet we find
that every political programme for the
future involves more or less industrial
disturbance, and that it is now pro-
posed to rest our political contests in
general upon a test that would insure
perennial commercial revolution. The
g b e pointed out some time ago the
absurdity Of what it called "the pros
perity test" The more radical of the
free silver people have given it out that
they intend to apply this to the future.
They pretend to believe, or do honestly
believe, that we cannot have continued
prosperity under the gold standard
What they say is that there will be
four years of Mr.. McKinley's admins
tratfon, within which there will prob
ably be some business reaction and
some falling of prices somewhere. It is
just as safe to bet upon such a con-
tingency as this as it would be to
wager that the thermometer will not
keep rising steadily without a single
fall for the next four years. The fluc-
tuations of supply and demand all over
the world, together with the natural
upward and downward movement of
prices that follows changes in human
desire, will certainly produce the bust
ness oscillations which, within natural
limits, are as certain and as whole
some as the tidal advance and recess
sion which prevents water from grow
Ing stagnant.
Since these changes are sure to come.
because they are as natural and in
evitable as that a man should not
want to eat exactly the same dinner
800 days in year, it . clear that who
ever bases political doctrine or pro-
poses to found a political campaign
upon such variations proposes a con-
dition of eternal political and business
unrest. 1t is to work only in one d.
rectlon, be it remembered. Prices since
election have been going up all around.
We do not hear any outcry about this
or any clamor that it is caused bv the
gold standard. Let prices turn ever
so slightly in the other direction es
they must and will sometimes. for
prices cannot go on rising indefinitely
without making people finally unable to
buy, and then we are told that this
agitation is to be gore over again. be-
cause this retrograde movement of
trade will be proof positive that the
gold standard is incompatible with
good times. Evil as this programme
is, we have to confess that it is ONLY
an extension Of a principle too much
relied upon by both parties in the mast
Inc outs have always watched for
some industrial distress happening
during the period when the ms were
In power. It matters not whether If
rose out Of bad legislation or bad
weather. In either case the admins
tration was held responsible. and the
voters were appealed to to try a change
just as earnestly on account Of drought
or cyclone as on account of the foster
ing of monopoly.
The success which has attended tbie
method Of campaigning is shown by
the regular alterations of defeat and
victory in national elections. Admitting
that Mr.. Tilden was elected in 1876. no
party has carried two successive presi-
Dental elections for quarter of g.
century past. It has become the no
1itical habit Of this country to fee to
evils that we know not of, rather than
bear the ones we have. If this is to
become, rs is threatened, the ALIEN
bracing test, If the opposition is not re-
quired to produce logic or facts but
has only to lie in wait for such decline
OF prosperity, little or great, as is rea-
sonably certain to occur within each
four-year period. and demand a
change Of party and policy on that
ground alone, high degree of business
development and business success is
impossible. We appear to be moving in
exactly the opposite direction to that
which is most essential namely, to-
ward banishing from politics purely
economic questions, assigning a study
and recommendation Of measures re-