New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-06
THE GAIN AND ITS CAUSES.

There IS an obtruslve disposition to attribute
oil imnrovement in business. which is so gen
oral that nobody can ignore or dispute IT. to
vorious causes other than the enactment or q
new tariff Men who please to create for them
selves imaginary explanations OF obvious phe-
nomena are rarely lacking in the political world
bnt they count for about as much as the ny on
the coach. wheel The practical world judges by
results. Cleveland's friends went into spasms
Of admiration because he had brought about Il
cure of all financial Ills by the repeal of the
silver-purchasing clause, but not the slightest
nracticol gain in business followed. and he con-
trjycd to run the country into debt more than
$500 ono 600 after that time and the purbllnd
admirers of everything Clevelandish were never
able TO see that sales OF bonds w0ulu not ha't
been necessary If everything had been set right
by his policy.
II is the part of practical good sense never to
attribute all the current phenomena in business
10 any single cause Many always concur in
bringing about the situation existing. proc
ess of elimination often enables the candid mind
10 exclude some; tines men who attribute pres
ent Improvement to the repeal of the Silver bill,
which has been in effect for about four years,
REQUIRE but small amount Of cOmmon-sense TO
repeal was enacted. 1t is equally possible to
recognize that good crops. even larger imam are
promised this year have come within the last
four years without bringing universally recog-
nizcd Improvement But the fair man frankly
confronts the fact that such general gain Is Que
10 a combination Of many causes.
There are some persons in this country so
stupid that they insist the new tariff will raise
a
grave and ye; deny that the possibility Of
such an advance IN prices has any helpful inhu-
cncc in business Of course, reasoning is wasted
on such men. Nothing in the world 50 strongly
stimulates purchases OF goods. whether by
wholesalers, retailers or consumers. aS the be-
Net thar prices will advance. and as all parties
are agreed that some advance ough, 10 come,
Democrats Insisting that Il must be extravagant
and intclerable while Republicans expect only
fair recovery from extreme and distressing
depression it Is natural that men OF both shades
If opinion shoald desire TO buy. Their concur
rent purchasing would. IN the very nature Of
things. tend 10 improve business, at least for a
time ana the Free Traders who deny that the
new tariff can have that influence only prove
that they have not honesty enough 10 believe
their own theories.
Many manufacturing establishments are going
into operation which were idle last year, and the
Obvious reason Is that they now expect TO I'M
derse imported goods. Many others are re-
Stunning because they no longer find tina, the I'M
certainty OF foreign competition renders active
operations dangerous. Any man who takes the
trouble 10 keep his eyes open can sec such
events, and only particularly dull or preju-
diced person can ignore their natural influence
IN stimulating business. With every additional
hand employed. moreover. there Is created add
innnl demand for products OF other labor. But
men vino perceive all this most clearly do not
shut their eyes TO the permanently helpful in
nuence Of large crops. OF gold discoveries and
II diminishing crops abroad. Confidence In the