The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-14
Foreign Ignorance Of America.

Foreign Ignorance Of America.
In the light of last weeks develop
nents at Chicago 1t is exceedingly droll
to follow NJ. Paul Leroy -Beaoiieu, the
French economist. through the article
which he has contributed to the July
Forum on 1.-THE Presidential Outlook as
Europeans View It." NJ. Beauiieu ap-
parently takes his knowledge OF Ameri-
can politics from the New York Evening
Post or some other equally delusive
Mugwump source: for the whole bur-
den Of his argument is that If McKin-
ley Is elected, Europeans will suffer,
first from a renewal in this country Of
the high tariff Of six years ago. and
secondly, from the free coinage of sill
YER. He swallows the whole Mugwump
fiction that Mckinley favors unsound
money and makes that the basis of eight
pages of doubtless sincere but certainly
ludicrous philosophiZing.
The Frenchman's first grievance Is
that eff, under the lead of Mr. McKin-
ley. the United States shall increacc de-
cidedly the import duti-s on European
merchandise, Ii will unquestionably
give strong stimulus to European pro-
tectionism." And he adds: mo one
can deny that this would check the pro-
gress of the United States" a statement
to which we take direct exception, for
the sufficient reason that what Europe
buys from us she has to buy. and will
not, therefore, be so self-punitive as to
tax 1t by the imposition of import duties
which her own population would, in the
long run, have to pay.
The second article in NJ. Baaulieu's
creed of discomfort is that "Mr. McKin-
ley passes for partisan of silver. His
election would appear as a triumph of
bimetallism." That belief evidently
causes the French economist grief be-
cause he declares, with the next breath,
that the establishment of bimetal-
l!sm, IL it could be brought about-a con-
tingency which he thinks impossible
would plunge all civilized nations into
one of those profound monetary crises
that throw exchange and production
into confusion for long series of
years" IF Mr.. Mckinley attains the
90
Paris friend adds. "he may be able to
disturb his country, to break up the
steady current of it's business, to bring
on credit crisis; but it must not be
thought that he would have the slight
est chance of securing an International
agreement fer the restoration Of bimet-
nlllsm."
All of this,of course, sounds irresistibly
funny to the American who knows that
the candidacy of Mr.. Mckinley stands
for none Of these perils, but. on the con-
trary, is daily receiving the endorse
ment Of thousands Of Democratic busi-
ness men who view it as the country's
one alternative from disastrous panic.
Yet funny as it undoubtedly is as an ex-
hibitiOn of foreign ignorance concerning
American conditions. it also has a more
serious aspect. The man who wrote
the Forum article, who thought he knew
enough about our politics to instruct us
concerning them. is one of the leading
economists Of Europe, and the editor of
the most influential journal Of econom-
les In the world. It is his business to
study the politics Of the leading nations
and to comment upon them. Not only
foreign thinkers in the various learned
professions but also foreign statesmen
and foreign fnanciers draw their con-
clusions largely at second hand from the
writings Of such men as NJ. Beaulieu.
When he shows such radical ignorance
In a comment designed for American
perusal, how can they be expected to
have rightful views Of us who receive
them through the medium Of his more
careless and presumably still more ig-
norant ordinary comments upon Ameri-
can themes?
Since it has apparently come to pass
that prosperity in the United States is
conditioned to q considerable extent up
on the state OF foreign opinion respect,
ing our legislation and our securities,
1t is devoutly to be wished that foreign
ers might learn the truth about us and
not be led through false information to
make our prosperity their football.