The Saint Paul globe., 1897-02-08
RETURNS TO PLAGUE THEM.

NeIs Oh IOWA, writes 10 nlIn 10 inquire,
very particularly. in view of the "pros-
perity test which was applied so un-
flaggingly by Mr.. McKinley's support
ers during the last campaign, why the
commodity of which that candidate
was said to be the advance agent is SO
desperately slow in making It's appear
ance on the market. AS might be eX-
pected, Mr.. Dolliver puts in the fore
front of his reasons the undeniable
fact that Maj. Mckinley is not yet
president" 1t is painful to be obliged
to remark once more that the Repub-
licans have estopped themselves from
making this reply. For four whole
years they have been telling us with
one accord that it was not necessary
that a president or a congress elected
by any political party should actually
come into possession of the government
in order to have the effect Of the
change made manifest upon industry.
1t was enough, they have argued re-
peatedly, that such a change should be
known to be inevitable, that all the eff
fects of it should be felt in advance.
Thus the condition Of the treas
ury and of business had become very
bad in the fall of 1892 and the first two
months of 1893. During all this time
Mr.. Harrison was president and the
Republicans in control Of congress.
1 70 Ot hxy nNJ,ot n
house, upon which so much stress has
| been laid as the author of commercial
misfOrtunes, did not go into effect until
the summer Of 1894, before which date
the great panic had occurred and trade
was PROSTATE. The distress which the
country has endured became chronic
and the causes of depression We're ac-
lively at work. before a single item of
carried into effect. Now, every Re
publican in the United States protested
loud and long and vigorously against
charging this up either to Republican
officials or to Republican legislation op-
erative during this period Of calamity
1t was not, they told us, the men in
power or the laws in force that affected
industrial conditions, but the appre-
henslon which people felt Of that which
was about to come upon them.
Now, the argument which was used
in 1893, and for three years follow
ing, cannot be suddenly reversed in
1897. If the election of Mr.. Mckinley
and Republican congress cannot
bring us prosperity until the one is in
augurated and the other has passed a.
new tariff act, then the election Of Mr.
Cleveland and a Democratic congress
could not have caused distress until
after the one was inaugurated and the
other had passed it's tariff act. 1t is a
clear case Of sauce for the goose and
Se.-'cc iUI the gander. We have the
word for it Of every Republican poll
tlcian, speaker and newspaper in this
United States that prosperity depends
On public confidence, and that public
confidence is gauged by what is going
to happen; that is to say, that business
activity or depression depends upon a
certain future and not upon the pres
ent. If that is true, and they cannot
deny that they have asserted it vocif-
erously, then the election of Mr.. Nc
Kinley and the announcement that a
new tariff act will be passed as quickly
as congress can be called together are
responsible for the present dullness in
business and apprehension in financial
circles.
The prosperity test" is not only a
hunbug, but it is a most disastrous
standard to set up in the minds of the
people. AS the Republican party have
done it they must abide by the conse-
Quences. Mr.. Delivers explanation
that we do not have good times be-
cause Maj. Mckinley is not yet presi-
dent" will not pass. Either the result
of the election Of November 1896, is re-
sponsible for present conditions, or the
election Of November 1892, was not re-
sponsible for the conditions Of the
twelve months next following. Our Re-
publican friends can take whichever
horn of the dilemma they prefer.