El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-09-27
TOM REEDS SPEECH
"A Nation at Work is the Only Real
PrOsperity.'

Mr.. Thomas Bracket Reeds reply
to Mr.. William Jennings Bryan was
not a pole mic in the usual sense of tn at
word. He did not traverse the Ne
braskan's declarations and deductions
seriatim. He took view of civilization
in the light of the civilized and stated
facts; that the economic cOod tiOns are
subject to ebb and flow; that want
succeeds plenty; that pain follows plea
sure: that depression comes of pros
perity. In essence, Mr.. Reed declares
that government can not regulate
ratural laws, but must make the best
of them. Depression, he declares to be
only state of mind, after all. aud no
more. Minds react in course of time from
either extreme, and the whole people
weary either OF complaint or gra-
tulation- Their change of mind ex-
presses itself in legislation and in bust
ness. Hope succeeds dependency, and
confidence, distrust. This is Mr.. Reed s
genial explanation of prosperity as we
have it now. 1t is the larger part of the
truth of our situation. if not all.
A nation at work he says, is the only
real prosperity; and this, too, is fact
against which doctrines cannot prevail.
Prosperity cannot be enacted. More
money will not make more work,
though minis operate double time.
And Increasing the taxes of the people
will not make more work. Mr.. Reed
repudiates his party's claim to have
promoted prosperity by protection.
This country is at work. 1t is booming
because other countries are suffering
Tor necessaries. 1t is working because
Its people are weary of complaining.
There will b, depressions again because
he people will swing to the opposite of
hopefulness in time. There will be
proposed many remedies but none will
equal in effectiveness change Of
mind and heart.
Incidentally we shall find in our sys
tenn of finance, manufacture and food
supply errors that shall be rectified SO
as to make the contrast between Optim-
ism and pessimism in the public mind
less bitter. Depression grows less
deep and optimism more restrained
with every year of distress. The peO-
pie come TO the level OF common sense.
They learn patience and patience Gull
for "the lean years" in advance.
Labor will provide for "the rainy day."
will be found to be
waste. We shall learn to contain
ourselves. In short the peO-
pie will not be extravagant in good
lines and desperate in bad times, and
this feeling OF necessity to adjust them
selves to the 6OD ana now, the wax ana
wane, will find expression in ]egisla-
ton that shall minimize misery and
extend the numoer of participants in
Law and business will ar
range that the extremes of hope and
dispair shall not be so pronounced.
There are no mutations such as were
common century and bali ago.
There are no famines such as were
known in early times. The average
C ondition of every body every year i'm
proves steadily. There are more rich
people and very many fewer terribly
. cor. The pyramid with poverty for
base and a few rich for apex fattens
Town. The base contracts, the top ex-
pands. The rich may be richer, but
the poor are better off.
This is Mr.. Reeds doctrine. 1t is
the experience of the world. 1t is a
philosophy, and it is what
makes Mr.. Reed beloved to the multi
tude. 1t softens him into the geniality
that you catch from his picture in
the papers. Such q philosophy would
from Mr.. B,yan's face that
nard, fanatical. Calvinistic expression
which makes one .-lways feel "the Boy
Orator of the Platte" should be preach
ing hottest hell for everybody at camp
meetings. Mr.. Reed is cheerful
and one smile of his is
worth more to his country than all SOL
mites of the joyless boy.-San An
tonic EXPRESS