Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-05-14
AnTlcIPAToRY THEoRlziNe.
rarfn Results Which Republicans Did
Not Expect.

If our h;gh-tariff friends who have
recently been complaining about the
alleged effect of the present tariff upon
business and the industries will pause
for moment and inquire as to their
own utterances of ten mont rs ago, they
will learn something to their disadvan-
tage. 1t was in last April and May that
a very interesting and cheering upward
movement in trade and industry began.
The first increases Of wages were made
in the last days of March or the first
week of April. The number of such in
creases grew from week to week until
it was an easy matter to compile from
the trade journals list including sew
eral hundred large concerns in which.
as prominent republican journals adj
mitted, the daily earnings of more than
500, 900 employees had been enlarged.
This upward movement was ignored by
the high-tariff organs for some time,
because they had continually asserted
that there could not be any increase of
wages or any revival of industry SO long
as the democratic tariff should be in
force.
But at last they were compelled to
admit that revival had come, although
the democratic tariff had not been re-
pealed. It was in the middle of May,
for example, that the New York Trib-
une was constrained to speak of it as
''the glad recovery" and to begin to
point out that advance in wages"
which is very properly called ''a bless
ing" Other republican journals fol-
lowed our neighbor, and soon there was
q full chorus of joyful republican COM
ment upon this upward movement,
which, the same journals had been say
ing, could not take place so long as the
tariff duties enacted by the democratic
party should remain undisturbed.
They consoled THEMSELVES, however, by
an explanation to which we desire now
to direct their attention. 1t was that
all this recovery was due to a popular
expectation that the Mckinley tariff
would be restored, because a republican
victory in 1896 could easily be forseen,
and the party, regaining power in 1897,
would speedily reenact the old duties.
The New York Tribune said on May IS:
This recovery is anticipation. 1t is
5iscounting the Improvement which men
nave a right to expect where the coming
congress brings republican experience and
patriotism and common sense to bear upon
he difficulties OF the country.
We might cite republican opinions OF
en- or eleven months ago almost with
out number that the remarkable revival
WAS due not only TO expectation of bene-
its from the present congress, but also
% an anticipation of republican success
N the elections of this year and of a re-
,ision of the tariff on Mckinley lines in
1897.
p,.% R10,, Il
% be seen just before the assembling of
congress. 1t was not checked by the eX-
iibition in congress Of republican eN-
,erience and patriotism and common
tense" Indeed, IN impression prevails
hat it was caused in part by apprehen-
ion as to what congress might do and
las been prolonged by what congress
actually has done. For some time past
the high-tariff newspapers have been
commenting gloomily upon the condi-
ton of business and asserting that the
Democratic tariff is running the country.
What we should like to have them eX-
plain is why anticipation Of republican
success and of a Mckinley revision of
the tariff in 1897 should have a remark
ably stimulating and reviving effect in
the spring and summer of 1895 and have
no such effect at the present time.
They are as confident now of success as
they were ten months ago, and they
hold, of course, that the date of the Nc
kinley revision is nearer now by ten
months than it was in June, 1895. If it
be true, as they say, that industries are
suffering so severely now from depres-
sion caused by the present tariff, how
was it that this tariff did not 50 affect
them last summer? And if anticipa-
ton caused activity and "a glad recov-
cry" then, why should it fail to do so
now? There are men who think that
1.-THE glad recovery" would not have
been interrupted if there had been no
session of congress, with its attempt to
unsettle business by the Dingley-Mc-
Kinley tariff revision for this year and
its promise of another general tariff
act, with still higher duties. to be passed
| two years hence, and some other dis
| turbing manifestations with which
every body is familiar, but this theory
will have no weight with those who see
90 protection in tariff the average ad
valorcm rate of which is 41.75 per cent,
while 1896 per cent. was the annual
average under the Mckinley act--N.
| I. Times.
Senator Sherman doesn't 1ika tho