The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-02-19
Friday, Feb. 10, 1897.
Bryan's Election Meant the Revival
of Business-r1cKinIey Despair.

if he had been declared elected the fail
ures which have taken place and are con-
tinuing to occur woull have all beer
attributed to that event, but the people
now see how grossly they have been
deceived, and will be likely to remember
their deceivers. We do not view the sit
uation in that way. The failures which
have taken place since the election would
have been largely curtailed had Bryan
been elected-we believe.
Relief was promised by the Bryan party
by radical change in existing conditions
and people would have looked for such
change and been buoyed up by that hope
The banks would not have pushed their
creditors, because they knew it would
have made matters worse, and expecting
no favors from the party in power but
rather fearing that their acts of tyranny
would afford club for their enemies,
would have put them on their good be.
havior. There is not greater tyrant than
the money power when it thinks it is free
from danger and not greater coward
when it scents danger.
The entire hope of a change and revival
in business of the Mckinley party rested
on the belief that what their leaders told
them was true-that everything was in
the best condition for business. there was
plenty of money and those who held i,
were only anxiously waiting till they were
assured by the election of Mckinley that
they might safely risk it in business, and
that all the mills and factories in the
country would Immediately start.
Tens of thousands were forced to adopt
this belief, many against their better
Judgment, it was so vehemently asserted
and they were threatened with bankruptcy
if they did not submit to the money
power. The election over they see this
claim that everything was i'll condition
to start up business was villainous lie on
the part of their deceivers.
And now let us take look at the other
side and suppose Bryan's election had
been declared. We claim there would
have been no pushing out of claims
The money class had everything to lose
by creating panic. 1t would not place
them in control of the government The
Bryan party had assured the business men
that nothing but more money would
revive business, but that it was not pos.
sible to give effect to their policy till they
assumed the control of affairs. That nc
one looked for. The prospect of more
money would have inspired every business
man with hope. There is little doubt that
the half of these business men who voted
for Mckinley did so under the compul
sion of fear. Every business man has the
sense to know that more money in the
hands of the buyers means increase o.
business and better prices to him. They
would have known that the election O.
Bryan meant the reconciliation of silver
That was something to anchor hope to-
Silver bullion would have begun to rise
and with it prices. The very moment
prices began to move upward, hope would
have been strengthened, and that is con
fidence, confidence that there was to be
more money in the near future on which
to support confidence The boarded
money would have come out to share the
profits of business.
Sensible people never believed that the
election of Bryan meant panic and ruin
The moneyed men did not believe it
They used the threat to scare the ignorant
and to intimidate those who we're unde,
obligations to them.
There was nothing ahead of Mckinley
election to hope for when the lie, tina,
everything was prepared to start business,
was exposed by business not starting.
No, it was a great misfortune that
Mckinley was counted in, that money
voted him in and not the free will of the
American people, and that Bryan was
counted out. More money was ahead OF
Bryan's election. An exploded lie fol-
lowed McKinley's, and the hundreds who
were hanging by the eyebrows gave up
and sank. Hope left them. If things
were not in condition to start, no other
prospect was pointed out by the McKin-
ley leaders. They shifted to be sure and
made new promises and different ones
every day. The people have been de.
ceived and place no confidence in their
promises any longer. But Bryan's cleo.
tion contained a substantial promise, a
promise based on the most tangible thing
IN business-more money, money made
of our own silver, digged from our own
mines. Silver, the money of the world
for three thousand years, money from the
dawn of civilization. This was the faith
Bryan's election would have inspired in
the people. Hence we claim his election
would have prevented the thousands OF
business failures that have taken place.
There is nothing but a dismal, dark
unknown before Mckinley times, and the
people lose hope, shudder and shrink
from it. Despair seizes them and they
sink like drowning men-without straw
TO grasp.