The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-02
NOT THE WAITING MICAWBER.

In an interview in city paper eX-Gov-
ernor Matthews is represented as CRITICS.
ing Governor Mount for not naming an
earlier day for the election in the Fourth
district, the Ex-Governor giving as a reason
for the delay that, like Micawber, his Re
publican successor was waiting for some
thing to turn up before the holding of the
election. With a painful obiviousness of
his conspicuous deficiencies as prophet
in 1894 and 1896, the Ex-Governor FASTENED
to predict that nothing had turned up
and the Democratic candidate would be
elected.
AS a business man, the president of a life
insurance company and the proprietor of a
large farm, Ex-Governor Matthews must
have discovered that a few things have
turned up the past year which should give
rejecting men abundant cause for voting
for the Republican candidate in the Fourth
district. Among these the Journa! congrat-
ulates the Ex-Governor that the insurance
company of which he is the president has
written quarter of a million dollars
of policies during the past few months.
If he will take the trouble to inquire of
the managers of some of the old and relia-
BILE companies in the East he will be in
formed that comparatively few policies
were written between the holding of the
Bryan national convention and the election
in which Organism and silver monometaI-
lism were buried. year ago the repre-
sentatives of leading life insurance com
panies in this city informed the Journal
hot
tically no new business. If the company
of which Ex-Governor Matthews is presi-
dent had organized a year ago it would
not have placed sufficient insurance to have
paid its running expenses. Indeed, it may
be added that. a year ago, capitalists would
more have thought of organizing an in
surance company than they would have en-
tertained the idea of building railroad
to the moon.
Confidence, at least, has turned up"
since the day on which Organism was over
whelmed and the people of Indiana by
their votes, destroyed the ex-Governor's
reputation as a prophet. The confidence
which has come leads men to believe that
silver monometalHsm, which would have
followed the victory of Bryan, will never
succeed. 1t is faith in this opinion which
leads men to put dollars as good as gold
into insurance policies. But for that fact
no more policies would be writ-en now than
a year ago. Let the fear of Bryaaism hold
the country now it did a year ago, and
few men would pay gold premiums on poll
icies which might be paid in deprecated
silver dollars. If there We're anything like
certainty that the country would come to
the free and unlimited coinage of silver no
insurance company would be doing any
business of any consequence
Furthermore. the fact that people are
purchasing life insurance is evidence that
there is money in the country. Ii large
number of policies are being sold it is evil
dence that considerable money above what
is needed for the necessartes of life is in
the hands of the people. A year ago this
was not the case Frightened by Organism
those who had little money took il out of
circulation. and those who had labor and
produce TO sell found few purchasers and
low prices. Consequently, the Journal is
sure that many things have turned up"
even since the vacancy occurred in the
Fourth district, to commend the Republican