The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-08


Parties as we'll as individuals have
their 'fortuitous junctures of circum-
stances" that bring them veal or woe,
which men call their good or bad luck.
What is the good luck of one man or
party is quite sure to be the bad luck
of another, it being IAN i'll wind that
blows no one good" and zone mans
gain is another mans loss" It was,
luck for it that the Democratic party
should have gained control in 1892 SIM
uItaneously with the elimination of
years Of Republican tinkering with
finance; but no one will question that
what was the misfortune of that party
was the good fortune of the nation, for
no one can tell what further folly
would have been committed had Mr..
Harrison and not Mr.. Cleveland been
chosen Mr.. Sherman it will be recall
ed, excused the purchase act Of 1890 be-
cause free coinage measure would
otherwise have been sent to the presi-
dent, and eve did not know what he
would do"
But it is the attempt to harmonic the
present good luck of its party with it's
conspicuous merit, ma king luck cake on
the semblance of effect, that our very
highly esteemed contemporary, the Wi
mona Republican, makes which invites
q ttaptiOn IT avidantIu &c NOT nonviDcad
that our demonstration is conclusive,
nor that the career Of it's party furnish
es an illustration of "a fool for luck"
1t admits that a party may have luck
In that lesser sense of the words "a
fortuitous combination of favorable &C.
currences." but rejects the present june
ture of good crops as an instance, be-
cause back of them is the higher in
telligence, better methods, more eff
cient machinery and larger social and
civic opportunities of our farmers. Our
crops in 1896 and 1895 were abundant.
but along with them politically there
was no luck in the house," Which is
only partly true the crops of several
past years having had all that backing,
and this one only having the additional
backing of short crops nearly every
where else. AS the proclaimed mission
of the party, under the lead and guild
ance of its Advance Agent, was to re-
store prosperity, and as rising prices of
farm produce were prime requisite for
that. and as prices would not have
risen but for shortages abroad, it seems
as if the present were strictly one Of
those ''fortQitous combinations of
favorable occurrences" called luck And
as the Republican party neither caused
the good crops here nor the poor ones
abroad, it is foolish for it to claim as
It's due the resulting prosperity; ar d.
therefore, as only fools make foolish
claims, we must insist that we are cor
rect, and that the situation aptly illus
trates the truth Of "a fool for luck
Again philosophers our contempor-
airy: Character is not luck" The Re
publican party has character. Its past
record is an assurance of high achieve
ment in the future. 1t stands for stabil-
ity and progress" So when it comes
into control business men feel conf
derce and an inclination to spread in
stead of contracting their ventures.
This makes an increase of, industrial
activity. beginning even before the par
ty does thing, and its envious oppo-
nents call it luck, but it is all character,
the results due to character This is
very fine. but, as we pointed out in "a
Fool For Luck" it does not jibe with
the facts of history. Three times since
the war the voters have given that par
ty complete control of legislation; from
1861 to 1875 it "stood for stability and
progress" but there was an extensive
contracting Of ventures after 1873; from
1881 to 1888, when there was another
period of contraction, and from 1889 to
1891, when all its character was INSULT
clent to prevent every business man
from losing his confidence and stopping
spreading out his ventures. By way
CT antithesis those were intermediate
periods when it was case of a fool out