The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-18

Scarcely less amusing than some Of
the theories advanced during the cam
paign by the free silver people is the
test which they propose for the fu-
ture now that the campaign is ended.
The best of them even do not accept
the verdict as final They declare that
for the presen& as good and loyal cit
liens, they submit to the will of the
majority, but that the future will show
them to have been in the right. We
Gave no quarrel with this, which is the
solace always remaining for the de-
feated man. be he right or be he
wrong. But we call attention to the
remarkable test which these gentle
men propose as an arbiter between
them aad their opponents. How are
we to know which side was right and
which was wrong? The free silver peo-
ME maintain that if they were in error,
the continued maintenance Of the gold
standard must bring perpetual pros
perity. If it puts all the unem-
ployed at work, if it makes every
body healthy, wealthy and WISE"
then it is a good thing and ought to be
retained. If it does not do this, then
the agitation for free coinage Of silver
ought to be at once resumed on the
ground that the other policy had been
tried and failed miserably
AS we said, this is quite on a par
with the average free silver argument
1t blots out Of the record all other
causes that may possibly affect the
material condition Of our people, either
favorably or unfavors bly,. If there
were to be war in Europe, in which
all leading powers should engage. a
contest blowing into atoms a large
part Of the accumulated wealth Of the
world and calling upon the United
States to practically support the COM
batants, we know that the immediate
effect would be to raise prices and in
crease profit all over our country, and
to set all industries running at maxi
mum speed. There would certainly. in
that event, be time Of exceeding
prosperity for us. Would any free sill
Yer man admit, under the circum-
stances, that this was a consequence Of
maintaining the gold standard? Yet
he proposes in the opposite direction
the same test that this would be. There
are a score of causes that might result
in slackening Of industry and an i'm
pairment Of partially restored prosper
ity. We do not apprehend that these
will become effective. We only wish
to notice their existence, and to point
out the unfairness and absurdity Of
charging the effects of any or all Of
them, should they become operative, to
the gold standard. We may have a
year of crop failures that would fair
ly PROSTATE our farmers. On the other
hand we may have a year Of such ex-
cessive grain production all over the
prices in spite of anything that we
could do Many disturbances are con-
ceivable out Of which we should
emerge with loss. But no sound think
er or careful reasoner would attribute
their consequences to one monetary
system or another
The fact of it is that in our system Of
rushing from one extreme to another
we have got into the foolish habit of
hanging a regular department store
full OF effects upon 6. single cause
that may be remotely connected with
any of them. 1t is a necessity at pres
ent Of our national campaigns that
they should focus all public interest
around a single center. It may be the
tariff or the money question, or force
bill on bill for national aid to educa-
ton, or any one of a dozen Of issues
now forgotten that once stirred pas
sionate advocacy and opposition.