The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-04
THE IRONY OF ECONOMICS.

It is the basis of Democracy, when
it is Democratic, that there are
natural economic laws that are quite
as inexorable as are those laws that
operate on material matter, and that
human action, whether Individual or
aggregated, must conform to them. It
follows that Democratic legislation,
when Democratic, affecting human ac-
ton, runs on parallel lines with eco
nomic laws instead Of athWart them.
1t is the basis of socialism, in all its
various forms and organizations, that
there are no economic laws that cam
Proceeding on this assumption, that
milk-and-Wate form of socialism, so
"tied to the apron strings Of the past"
that it cannot follow the nose of its
logic, Republicanism, tries to subdue
those economic laws that find their ex-
preston in the desire Of humanity to
make and sell and buy, where desire
to get cheap and sell dear are the
mutually balancing and corrective
forces, and to suppress the half that
would buy cheaply.
There is an irony in the calmness
with which the natural sets aside the
man-made law and works it's will.
Prices cheaper in spite of all efforts
to make and keep them dearer. Just
now economic laws are making sport
with Republican directions for their
course, solemnly enunciated in an act
of the congress of the mightiest ma
ton on the footstool Loudly it's COM
ing was heralded as the only thing
that could raise the siege Of financial
depression Prosperity was waiting i'm
patiently for it's advent. 1t was to
start the mills, set idle hands to earn
ing, Danish poverty and distress, re-
lieve -burdened charity, and, with
manufactures again employing and
paying their hundred thousands of
working men and women, furnish
market for the produce of the farms
scattering her largess among the farm
ers. Prosperity was to begin her
beneficent work in the manufacturing
East and move westward.
Instead of this we have seen pros
perity, needless of her Advance Agent,
reckless of Republican programmes, in
of economic laws, show her beaming
countenance first amid the wheat and
corn fields and pastures of the West,
with their promise Of generous re-
turns, and responsive to the prospect.
anticipative of what was to come,
Eastern manufacturers starting their
mills, the prosperity of the East being
the mere reflection Of the light that
broke in the West. Instead of the
magical transformation that the re-
storation was to work in the East,
there come to us doleful walls that the
great wave Of prosperity has not
reached a great number of workers;
that the charities were never more
burdened with appeals for help; that
the number of the destitute has in
creased, and that there is nothing to
indicate that the situation this winter
will be improved. No wonder our Re-
publican contemporaries are puzzled
1t contradicts their theories and up
sets their calculations. One dolefully
remarks that sit was supposed that
the wave of prosperity started there
Gin the East and made its way west
ward"
In another way the same irony is
shown. The difficulty with industry,
finance and everything was the de-
ficiency of national revenue. Congress
set to work to cure it. Dingley an
nounced the purpose of his measure to
provide adequate revenue. He increas-
ed taxation at the customs and left
the rates at the distilleries, the brew
cries and the tobacconists where they
were. His revenue producer has been
at work during August and Septem-
ber. Il produced $5.O0O.0O0 less In