St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-06-13
ANTiciPAToRY THEoRlzlNG.
rarifr Results Which Republicans Did
Net Expect.

| EHr1W Results Which Republicans Did
Not Expect.
H our high-tariff friends who have
recently been complaining about the
alleged effect of the present tariff upon
business and the industries will pause
for a moment and inquire as tc their
own utteranees Of ten months ago, they
will learn something to their disudyan-
tage. It was in last April and May that
q 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 ad-
mitted, the daily earnings of more than
100000 employees had been enlarged
This upward movement was ignored by
the high-tarif organs for some time,
because they had continually asserted
1 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 a 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-
a 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 temselves, 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 publican
victory in 1896 could easily be forseen,
md the party, regaining power in 1897,
would speedily reenact the old duties.
The New York Tribune said on May 13:
"This recovery is an anticipation. It Is
discounting the Improvement which men
have a right to expect where the coming
congress brings republican experience and
patriotism and common sense to bear upon
the difficulties OF the country.
We might cite republican opinions OF
ten or eleven months ago almost with
out number that the remarkable revival
was due not only to expectation Of bene-
fits from the present congress, but also
to an anticipation of republican success
in the elections of this year and of re-
vision OF the tariff OH Mckinley lines in
1897.
But there came a reaction, and It was
to be seen just before the assembling of
congress. It was not checked by the ex
hibition in congress Of republican ex-
perience and patriotism and common
sense" Indeed, m impression prevails
that it was caused in part by appreIen-
sion as to what congress might do and
has 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 reyiving effect iii
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. II 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 SO 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
sblle 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
It's 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
no protection in a tariff the average ad
valorem rate Of which is 41.75 per cent,
while 1896 per cent. was the annual
average under the Mckinley act.-N.
Y. Times.