The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-06
..wHAT ARE NORMAL TIMES -


E. Y. Smalley asks this question, sug-
gested to him by the talk in all parts
of the country about the restoration
of normal times" Analysed, their con-
ception of normal times" comes from
their remembrance Of the period with
in their own memories when business
was driving at headlong speed under
the spur of the reaction that followed
the close of the war and the resump-
ton of specie payments. They long
for the days when railways were be-
ing built at the rate of 10000 miles a
year, when real estate was mounting
so rapidly in price that all that was
needed to achieve wealth was to get a
supply of the dirt of some budding
town or city. and when. catching the
infection, foreign capital came flooding
in to reap for itself part of the golden
harvest. These times, he points out,
were abnormei and can never return
again tc tAis continent, simply because
the opportunities that gave the occa-
sion have all been exploited and have
vanished forever.
When one turns from this very con
elusive demonstration of what normal
times are not to what they are, antic-
ipating the definition from the uues-
ton that forms the caption of the arti-
Gle, the result is not satisfying. From
the dream of the boom we awake to
lind ourselves Gin the great world
struggle for existence" to meet which
I'VE must adopt the close economies
practiced by other nations, and must
depend upon our superior energy and
skill, and our genius for inventin.- or
running machinery" There will be "a
steady improvement in business con-
ditiOns," because of the escape from
the menace of currency debasement
and some lines of business will no
doubt be aided by the new tariff meas
ures; but it will be a mistake to ex-
pect too much from that quarter. Moth
ing magical is going to result from a
new tariff bill" There is danger that
the disappointment at the non-return
Oh the boom times will result In fur
Their political agitation for CHEAP
money, either silver or paper money
and wisdom demands that 'the excel
lent educational work on financial
questions which saved the country from
financial disaster in the recent cam
paign" be continued by the conserva-
tive press of the country.
All of which is true enough, but we
fail to see in it the answer TO tho
question: What are normal times? p"
1t is hardly sufficient to tell what they
are not. under that caption. We are
satisfied that it was not because Mr.
Smalley has no clear idea of what
such times are that made him
g avoid defining them, and we suspect
:. that there was a reluctance on his
part to put forth views In the March
Forum that might not seem to har-
monte with those put forth by Mr..
Mckinley in his March inaugural. But
this is mere surmise with only a basis
more or less reasonable Had he felt
himself free to give his question an
Bwer we apprehend he would have
said, we are sure he might have said
that normal times spring only from
normal conditions. That these can ex-
list only when every man is free to pro-
duce and exchange, buy or SELL when
and where and of whom 1t shall be. in
his judgment, to his best advantage;
when his industrial capabilities and
efforts shall meet with no restraint
or bar either from the arm of govern
ment or combinations of his fellows;
when the supplies Of what men need,
whether of food, goods or money,
are left to private enterprise, unfos-
tered, unbountied and unimpeded, to
furnish; when, in brief. men are free
and governments are truly democratic