The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-13
TAKING WATER.

passed on this administration as a
prosperity breeder, we cannot but ad-
mire the cool effrontery with which
they present their argument to the peo-
pie. 1t has passed out Of their minds
that they were talking vigorously and
unanimously on the opposite side less
than year ago. Here, for instance,
comes the New York Tribune with some
comments upon the recent address of
President Mckinley at Philadelphia, in
Whlch he said, among other things: "a
patriot makes a better citizen than a
pesslmlst. Let us keep a stout heart
and steady head. The country is not
gong backward, but forward" This
calls forth unstinted. applause from the
Tribune. 1t wants the American peo-
pie to be patient and to prophesy unto
themselves pleasant things in the day
OF adversely. Here are some Of It's con-
soling reflections upon the presidents
address:
vastly more good is done by such state
nIents as these, leyel-headed and judicious
IN character and in harmony with facts than
~ any exaggeration of existing difficulties
IL may be frankly admitted that the difl-
cultles are serious. But when any one speaks
OF tae nations industry paraIyzed he sue
ceeds in forgetting that the volume Of actual
transactions is not in value a tenth smaller
tnan 1t was in the years of the gr test pros
perlty ever attained in the United States al
though the volume of payments now repre-
SCENTS much lower range Of prices
The Republicans would have us be-
lieve that the country is not so badly
OFT after all; that it's condition is i'm
proving, and that business is coming
out all right in the end. We believe
1t firmly. We believed it a year ago.
The recuperative powers of this coun-
try are almost boundfess. AS soon as
disturbing conditions are quieted and
agitation gives place to effort, the Gre
| alive work of industry will be seen in
growing prosperity on every hand. But
why should we admit this conclusion
of honesty and common sense? WHY
Tribune and every other Republican
paper, set several years ago and con-
tinued through the whole Of Mr.. Cleve-
lands administration? They did not
say that business prosperity depends
ON the observance Of business princi-
pies. They did not ask for a s,lspen-
sion Of judgment. They did not tell us
then that we ought not to be pessi-
mists On the contrary. big and little
Of them-Tray, Blanche and Sweet
heart-were all in full accord. yeIpins
| that the country was going to the
dogs because Of Democratic free
trade" From the day that the result
of the election of 1892 was known I'M
til the day that the ballots were cast
for the presidential election Of 1896.
every Republican pretended to be q
pesslmfst, and every man Jack Of them
was doing his best to intensity existing
and to create new distress.
We shall never know how much of
the disaster of the years through which
we nave passed was the sole creation
Of this evil partisanship. Let half of
the men in any city state publicly that
in their belief, a. certain business house
Is shaky, OR certain bank about to
close its doors, and those concerns are
doomed to failure. Although they may
have been perfectly solvent and doing
profitable business at the outset. they
cannot stand up successfully against
steady pressure Of Islander, falsehood.
suspicion and distrust. That is the
work that the Republican party has
done for four years in this country
More men than we commonly think of
are creduious enough to accept as COS
pei anything that comes to them from
their party leader or their party news
paper. There were hundreds Of tho,,
sands Of people in this country who
felt their first fear of the future and
| made the first contraction Of their bust
| ness from no other cause than what
they heard in the partisan press after
Mr.. Cleveland's election The whole
brood Of Republican pessimists was
abroad and clamoring necessarily
DINING into the ears Of ill-informed
and timorous persons continuous proph-
ecies Of disaster. We have no doubt
whatever that, had 1T not been for this.
this country would have escaped by
far the greaterspart7of the misfortunes
that 1t has suffered.
Now these same people, finding re-
sponsibility shifted 10 their shoulders:
finding that they made promises of i'm
mediate prosperity after Mr.. McKia-
ley's election which, they cannot Low
perform; feeling the, reaction of public
disappointment and fearing the effect
of prevailing conditions upon them
selves, beseech us to be patient and
moderate and reasonable and optimis-
tic, and to postpone to the indefinite
future the realization Of those good
things that were to drop into waiting
mouths last November. They are TAX
ing water with a vengeance They de-
serve neither mercy nor forgiveness. It
is the right Of every Democrat to point