Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-03-26
oooO TIMES NOT COMING


During the presldsntsl campaign
the Republican speakers and the Re
publican press gave the people assur
aace that, az soon a. cDDBdence should
Be restored BY the decisive defeat o
Bryan and the Democratic party, W
" Uld have good times and a r.
viyal Of prosperity. Bryan and ~
Democratic party suffered the r.
qulred defeat and We all IOOked-tbe
Republicans ~eKpectantly and even
many Democrats bopefully-fcr the
promised revival u business.
The revival not being prompt in
its appearance. we were told % TOOK
fJr It's arrival during the holiday
se4son, and again the Republicans
looked hopefully and the Democcats
c~urlOusly n greet it upon its entrance.
Property falling 10 put 10 It's az
parance during the holiday seascr,
we we're next told 10 wait until Nc
KlnIey became president, when tie
reelyal would surely come. And now
the Republicans are looking c%ufiOusly,
and the Democrats derisiyely. for q e
ship that hasn't returned. Those 81
us who saw no foundation upon which
20 build up a business revival, with
such material as the Republican party
had on hand for the purpose, have
been curious 20 see what the excuse
would be when finally the good times
failed 10 cone,-knOwing, as we did,
that prosperity could not come with
out some radical change In our in-
dustrlal system.
OThe e~xcuse'ls now at hand several
weeks before we expected IT.. lis
e%arlysarrlval Is an acknowledgment
10 advance that the promised wane Of
prosperity is 10 be indefinitely po-
sponed. +. V. Smalley, editor Of the
Northwest Magazine, has announced
the fact In an article IN the March
number OF the Forum. The gistrof
the article, which vas entitled,
"What are normal tlmes?" Is that
since 1850 we have been living during
abnormal times, and that now we
have about reached normal conditions
above which we are not likely to rise
20 any great extent.
In his summing up appears the fol-
lowing: ut is not on the whole prob
able that we shall have 10 make up our
minds 10 plOd along In a slow.golng
way Of older nations, and TO be salts
fed with moderate profits, and a slow
accumulation Of wealth? II these be
our reasonable expectations, would II
not be sane aud wholesome for people
TO cease dreaming OF a golden age,
which Is gone forever"
SO now w are told that we must
not expect a return OF the good times
that are ''gone forever" This must
be dlsheartenlng TO those Republicans
who really want aud expect something
better than we now have. They ex-
pected 50 much, aud now are coolly
told there Is nothing for them. They
must settle right down among good
things they have remaining and *
pect no more. We cannot help feeling
10 sympathy with them, because their
loss Is our loss, but their condition
strongly resembles that OF the man we
read OF, who went merrlly forth 20.
observe the rainbow aud was struck
by lightning.
Mr.. Smalley's article Is perhaps the
first In It's line, hut, during the next
four years, many more VIII appear
and be given the widest circulation
possible by those who will at the same
u ne advocate the maintenance OF the
gold standard. Mr.. Smalley may not
write more on the subject, but this is
the cue, aud people will be asked 10
be content with present conditions,