Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1896-01-30


ing and most acute-what his plans for the
year are, and he will promptly tel you that
he doesn't know; that the present is period
of dark uncertainty; that he is waiting to see
what the outcome of legislation is to be.
ASH any man of energy, who is DESTROYS Of
investing in some one of the various enter
prises that return fair profits in times Of
prosperity, and he will tell you that he is I'M
certain about ii: that it is impossible to make
profits when prices are falling; that he is
waiting to see stability restored to our fnan-
cial system.
This is the situation from one end of the
country to the other. All forms of business
and all branches of trade are in a stagnant
condition, for they do not know what the
future is to bring forth. Every industry is
waiting to see what the developments OF
legislation are to be. This uncertainty in bus
mess circles-this stagnation in all branches
es of trade-demonstrates tina: the emer-
gency is serious, and the whole country is
looking with expectation, if not hope, 10 see
what the republican congress proposes to
do, what remedy it intends to offer as cure
for the evils that now SO thickly besiege us.
What did the organs and orators of that
party say during the congressional campaign
OF 1894? They de2lared that the demo-
cratic party had failed even to propose any
financial legislation that would restore he
prosperity Of the country and release The
energies of the people from the appalling de-
preston that hung land still hangs over
every interest except that of the gold dealer
and money lender. The people lent will
ing ear to the charges that the republicans
brought against the democrats in congress,
for, unfortunately, the charges were in the
main true. When election day came, The
voters of the country swept the democratic
majorides out of the house and senate and
placed the republicans in control of those
bodies.
A year after they had been elected and
charged with the responsibilities of legISla-
ton, the republicans met in congress. There
had been no change in the situation; the
lapse of time had brought no relief to the
people; the trade depression was, ifanything,
deeper than VIII en- the voters of the aountry
set the sral-of ,l1tsapprovaI on the demo-
cratic congress. The financial troubles Of
the country had grown more acute. As we
have said, the republican congress assembled
with something like a flourish from their
organs. The air was to be cleared, a rem
edy was to be provided, the people were to
be shown that only the party of William
Chandler and Matthew Quay could deal in
intelligently with the financial crisis. The
flourish was sounded last November, since
which the republican majority has had
ample time to outline, if not to formulate,
the policy which it purposes to offer as a
remedy It has had ample time to make
clear to the people the nature of the rene
| dy on which it purposes to go before the
country.
" But what has that majority accomplished?
| WhA has it prop osed? II went in with
rumblil.gS ike those that are ssmtimes heard
in the bowels Of a volcanic mountain, and,
behold the @sult Gifts lahors was mouse
but mouse with teeth large enough to
make considerable hole in the peoples
grain bin. The republicans labored and
caucused together, and the result was bill
to increase the public debt Unfortunately
and indefinitely, by issuing more bonds.
This is the remedy offered by the "great
party Of intelligence and morality" As ii
the situation were not bad enough-as if the
burden ofthe public debt was not increas-
ing fast enough-the republicans propose to
render the crisis more acute and the situa-
ton still more hopeless by surrendering the
debt-making power to the secretary of the
reasuryl Has our political history ever
chronicled more ridiculous OF inconsequent
RESULT Is tho increase Of the public DEBT the
only remedy that the ''party Of intelligence"
can offer? Is that the only road 10 pros
perity that it can offer?
So it would seem, for beyond the bond
bill and proposition TO potter with the
tariff, no definite remedy has been proposed,
whereas the crisis continues to grow more
threatening day by day. Thus far, all that
John Sherman has suggested is more bonds
and further pottering with the tariff; all that
Speaker Reed has proposed is more bonds
and further pottering with the tariff. Is this
the policy Cd which the republicans propose
to 60 before the country this year?
The tariff may need adjusting or improving
in some lines, but the republicans may potter
viii the tariff from now until docmsday
witt out relieving the tension Of the financial
situation one particle, The emergency that