New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-16
THE FRAUD ABOUT FRIGHT.

Pretended fright about political events or pos
slbilItes has long been the favorte sandbag Of
the Wall Street Spectator. The men who are
engaged not in holding and developing prop
crty as owners but in plunderlng their neigh
bors would not make much progress in years OF
Republican prosperity II they could not get up
a scare now and then about home politics or
foreign relations Under President Cleveland
they had many opportunities to smash the mar
ket on account of present or apprehended finan-
clal peril, and the President himself acted con-
stantly as the chief wrecker for the Street by
denouncing American money as unsound. But
that sort Of thing does not work with Repub-
lican Administration and policy. The financial
future everybody knows. is secure. The scare
that remains for the Wall Street wrecker Is the
story that some political event IS going to in
volve us In war, or that the election OF some
body somewhere may fr!ghten home and foreign
holders Of securities.
Even the dullcst of Americans learn some
thing from experience If many times repeated
There has not at any time this year been ser
Gus ground for fear OF foreign war. The Pres
ident is not one of those cheap denagogues who
seek present popularity for themselves or their
party by hunting foreign brolls. While earnest
he has never ceased toobserve that courtesy and
fr,cndlness Of treatment which give another
Power ample opportunity to yield with dignity
nor to remember that war is the last resort OF
an industrious and home loving people. never to
be rsked without grave necessity. But 1t Is
also fact. which Wall Street wreckcrs pretend
TO dsbelieve, that no nation on earth can pos
sby desire a contest with the United States
-t-lA I'll. L. ~
gaining nothing. and at great cost to them
selves Not one could hope to come out Of such
a contest without frlghtful losses for which
there could be cOmpensatlng gain. This
Nation IL one which cannot be conquered on It's
own territory but can readily occupy posses
slons Of some other Powers, and If outweighed
on the seas at the start, has the resources to
destroy the commerce Of any other in the end
No civilized nation chooses war in such condl-
lions unless foolishy forced into it.
The scare about domestic events Of political
sort Is yet more baseless. The Republican party
was strong enough to obtain an unprecedented
majority n year ago. and has been UNNECESSARILY
strengthened by the revival OF prosperity. Mill
ions who wanted but could not vote for its sue
cess now hail 1t as a blessing TO Them. 1t was
strong enough. as the party Of Protection and
Honest Money. to elect Its candidates In 1905 II
all opponents had combined 1t has incalcula-
bly, greater strength to-day in the conviction Of
the whole people that its policy brings them
prosperity These being the facts. no sane man
lies awake nights or sacrifices his property by
silly sales in the notion that Organism or
Georgeism or social revolution can swing the
Republic from Prosperity 10 Anarchy.
1t is puere falsehood that substantial peo-
pie are selling anything worth having because
OF fear about anybody's election. That Is only
a last resort Of Wall Street wreckers. who have