The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-17
TWO OBSOLETE JOE Us.

luH since the last election. IL mas not Deen
the kind of fun they hoped to have, viz,
that growing out of the distribution of
offices and 50-cent dollars, but it has been
better than no fun at all. 1t has been OBJ
tanned principally out of two jokes which
they have worked as industriously as an
old miner would work d Klondike placer
claim. The first of these was Where's
your prosperity" and the other was the
scientific tariff. Everybody remembers
with what fine air of triumph the Bryan
ties, after Mr.. McKinleys election, began
to ask, Where's your prosperity" Their
disappointment over their own defeat was
considerably mitigated by the comfort they
got out of this question. There was a de-
cided feeling of relief in the business world
as soon as it was known that Bryan was
defeated, but prosperity did not come at
once. No reasonable person expected that
it would, especially while d Democratic ad-
ministration continued in power and before
the Republican party had a chance to do
anything towards bringing about a change
of conditions. But the Bryanites chose to
assume that the Republicans had promised
that good times would follow Immediately
after McKinley's election, so as soon as the
result Of the election was known they be-
gan to ask Where's your prosperity"
For several months this was a standing
joke with them. Prosperity was coming all
the time. but they had not sense enough to
see it. Its approach was apparent in the
gradual but steady growth of confidence,
but when Republicans pointed to this the
Bryanites demanded more tangible proof.
They had learned from Bryan, during the
campaign, that confidence was an intangi-
BILE thing and did not cut any figure in
business anyhow. He called those who
thought otherwise confidence men," So
they refused to admit that the growth of
confidence was any evidence of improve
ment and still asked Where's your pros
perity?" The Inauguration of Mckinley and
the prompt assembling of Congress gave
new assurance to the country that a party
was in power which knew how to admin
lister the government, and confidence grew
faster than ever. When the House per-
fected and passed the Dingley bill and sent
it to the Senate with every probability that
it would become a law before the LIST of
August, business men began to see day
light and confidence grew faster than ever.
Business conditions were improving every
day, but prosperity had not yet come in
full force and the Bryanites, chucklng over
the humor of the situation continued to
ask where's your prosperity"
About this time they came in possession
of new joke. A Republican member of
Congress who had made a close study of
the new tariff bill became so convinced of
it's superiority to previous measures and
so assured of it's beneficial results that he
declared it was the most scientific tariff
bill ever framed. That a tariff bill framed
for the double purpose of raising sufficient
revenue to meet government expenditures
and at the same time protecting and pro-
noting American industries should be
called "a scientific" measure struck the
Bryanites as so funny that they imme-
diately took it up. Free-trade theorists
and academicians like Professor Wilson
could easily convince them that tariff
framed in the interest of foreign indus
tries scientific one, but to so char
acterize a tariff framed in the interest of
home industries struck them as a great
joke From this time their fine sense of
humor was divided between where's your
prosperity" and How about the scien-
tific TARIFF They could hardly talk about
it for laughing, and during a few halcyon
weeks they got immense amount of fun
out of these two Jokes
But all things have an end, even panics
and disasters caused by Democratic blum
ders The Wilson law was doomed to come
to an end and to pass out OF existence
undefended and unlamented by d single
person The halcyon period Of Democratic
exultation was to come to an end when
they could ask triumphantly Where's
your prosperity" The Dingley law was
destined to pass and to vindicate itself as
the most scientific one ever enacted for
revenue and business purposes Prosperity,
coming all the time was near at hand. AT
last, as summer sometimes comes after a
slow and backward spring, it came at
bound. 1t is here, and the whole country
is throbbing under its touch. The most
scientific tariff ever enacted is in full oper-
alton and the Bryanites have ceased to
ask Where's your prosperity" They need
a new joke, but from present appearances
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