Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-21
The Republican Party and Prosperity.

One point in the short speech which
President Mckinley made, last week,
at the Merchants Exchange in s.
Louis deserves and will receive partic-
ular attention. Il congratulate you,"
he remarked. upon the splendid out
look for the business future of our
country. We We're never before so well
off as we are today. Industrial despair
gore from business depression to bust
ness prosperity. We have gone from
labor hunting employment to employ
ment hunting labor" This is an inn
portant and inspiring truth, and has
| been referred to by the President, in
different language, at one or two other
points in the West. 1t deserves to be
mentioned often, for it is a striking
and gratifying change from the condi-
tons which prevailed until year or
two ago. Such stupendous and be.
neficent change never occurred but
once before in the entire history of this
country, and that was in 1879, just
after the law for the resumption OF
gold payments went into operation.
| Whoever takes a look over the his
tory of the United States will find that
the periods of business stagnation all
occurred when the Democrats were in
| control n ha =
single instance, that of 1873. II will be
found. too. that the only periods of
prosperity which the country has seen
in the past half century have been
while the Republicans We're in power.
Van Buren,, Polk, Pierce and Buchanan
complained of widespread industrial
most destructive which the country
ever knew, took place just after Van
Buren, got into office, and it's effects
lasted, in one phase and another, six
or eight years. There were loud COM
plants among business men during
Folks and Pierce's service, and the
| PtiliC VI looI Slarleu IeW nOnCnS
after Buchanan's Inauguration.
Buchanan. in his messages to Con-
gress, made frequent mention of the
hard times which prevailed. but he
sometimes laid it to the agitation of
the slavery question, for which, of
course, he blamed the North. Another
disastrous panic, that of 1893. began
just after Cleveland attained the presi-
dency. the effects of which We're not
counteracted until the Republicans
| went into power a year and half ago
There must be some reason for these
cOnjunctions of Democratic rule and
hard times on the one hand, and Re-
publican sway and business prosperity
on the other. They are something
more than accidents or chance coin
plain, historic fact, largely due to
Democratic recklessness, ignorance and
folly on the one side, and on the other
side to Republican intelligence, caution
and general political capability. The
only business CONFUSION which ever
occurred when the Republicans were in
control of the government, that of 1873,
was due to the disturbing effects of the
war which the Democratic party pre-
cipitated, and this panic was stopped
by the gold resumption act, which a
Republican Congress passed, which a
Republican President signed, which
the Democrats in Congress fought be-
national platform subsequently de-
manded should be repealed, and which
that party frequently tried to repeal.
The conjunction of Democratic rule
and industrial collapse and that of
!, Republican supremacy and financial
prosperity is SO well established that
case the country Immediately looks for
the consequence. To be sure, the
: President did not attach any partisan
: connection to the present prosperity
He IS wisely Keeping politics out of all
} his remarks ON his tour. His hearers
| and readers, however, have no reason
for any restraint of this sort They
not only see the cause of the prosper
ity, but they point it out. I'VE We're
never before so well off as we are to-
day." said the President. Everybody
knows that the opposite condition of
things would have prevailed at this
moment all over the United States had
Bryan and his party been put in con-
troll of the government. s. q
, Remember Lafayette" is now al
most as much of a watchword as RE
member the Maine,'' few months ago.
l