Birmingham state herald., 1896-12-16
HYPERcRITICAL CRITICISM.

The gold bug ex-democrats who desert- ed to the republican camp and aided in electing Mckinley should not grow red in the face and look ugly when reminded
 by democrats that their ante election promises of an immediate return of pros
 perlty would be the inevitable result of republican success, have signally failed to materialize. They should know that merely asserting the existence or non-ex-
 istence of fact is no proof of the fact itself. and that if prosperity is really present among the people, no sort or amount of denial will deceive them into believing the contrary. while on the other hand, if there is an absence of prosperity, as well as of the very conditions upon which it must rest, no amount of asser
 tion can lead them to believe that they are prosperous.
 There is not on the part of the demo- crats any desire to throw any obstacles in the way of business revival, or to main tain the existing condition of industrial and commercial paralysis and stagnation. Three years of "obieet lessons under Clevelands administration have been more than enough to satisfy them and all other patriotic citizens along these lines. They want no more of the same kind, and the fact that they comment upon the continuance of the status quo, and, perhaps, complain of it. is the best evil dence that they are tired of it and want a change.
 The generally conceded fact--a fact ad- mtted by the leading commercial agen- cies-that business conditions have not permanently improved since the election, but have actually grown worse without
 substantial reason for, or promise of, early improvement is not calculated to
 lead careful and truthful men to grow enthusiastic over the outlook for the fu
 ture so long as the same financial sys-
 tenn under which these conditions have developed is maintained.
 The positive assurance and promise was given before the election, that so soon IS the results were known to be fa- -yorable to "sound money" by the prac-
 tical defeat of the free silver craze" confidence, which was restored in 1893 by
 the repeal of the purchasing clause of the Sherman law would be again restored and an era of prosperity would be at once inaugurated; that all that was | needed was the election of Mckinley. | How misleading these prophecies have proven to be, the country too we'll knows. f Mckinley, with a republican congress, was elected six weeks ago. The free silver senator's democrats, republicans and populists, have given assurance that
 they will not obstruct legislation look
 ing to the raising of sufficient revenues to meet the expenses of the government. It. is well known that free coinage of -tl fe. otio si ri mo McKinleys administration. Mark Hanna, the power behind the throne for the next four years, has given the financers as- surance that "the present financial sys- tenn is entirely satisfactory and will not be changed during the incoming admin istraton," New York is Tending money to London for the first time in the his tory of the country in word, all the conditions claimed by the republicans and their gold bug eX-democratic allies | to be necessary to a revival of business and restoration of prosperity are as fully established as they can be after McKin- ley's inauguration, and prosperity lags and fails to put itself in evidence.
 This is no bald assertion. It is sup ported by the weekly reports of Dun and Bradstreet's commercial agencies. which cannot be charged with any friendliness l to the cause of free coinage, nor with coloring their statements with pessimism. And yet, when a democratic journal dares to publish facts and conditions as they exist, and ventures to make legiti- mate comment upon them, they are ar raigned and decried IS "croal5ers" and calamity howlers'' by the very crowd
 that has failed to keep it's promises, and give no evidence of its ability to redeem
 it's pledges.
 When the republican party redeems, or proves it's ability to redeem it's pledge to restore permanent and substantial pros
 perity by maintaining "the existing gold standard" and increasing taxation by
 high tariffs, then there will be no more "croaking" and calamity bowling"
 Until then. the democratic party and the
 people will hold 1t to a strict compliance
 with the terms of it's contract.