New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-05
AMERICAN SAFETY AND FOREIGN DOUBT

4
Dismal predictions about America by THE
London Statst' are common No dire and
dreadful disaster can come TO the United States
which that paper has not foreshadowed in its
anxiety TO make English investors dlstrust
American securities. The milk in the cocoanut
is that British moneyed interests welcome any
thing that promises TO prevent British invest
ments in this country and British payment in
gold Of merchandise balances due here. At the
same time all the speculative. adventurous and
lamb shearing interests deplore the escape into
Americans OF British money which might be
sucked into South African or Australian mines
thread, cycle or other industrial schemes. Thus
there is explanation Of THE Statlst's" profound
anxiety lest Bryan and a silver Congress should
he elected nearly three years hence. English
journalists do not often worry much about pos
sble disasters to other countries so far ahead.
unless there is an English interest TO serve by
cutiyating distrust
Nobody can refute doleful prophet by statis-
tics. That is his advantage. Large appetites
for absorption Of predictions are never joined
with much grasp of facts or power Of criticism.
But to reasoning minds facts may be readily
presented which make alarm seem almost fool
ISM. American capitalists do not lack the re-
spect of Old World business men for shrewd-
ness and certainly know the workings Of their
own Government and the trend of popular TEN
per here better than any foreigner can. The
broad fact that they are not worrying about the
possibility Of worldwide panic three years
hence in consequence Of a possible silver vic
tory, but are showing every day stronger conf
dence in the future than they have shown at
any time since the years Immediately following
specie resumption, might suffice to enlighten
minds abroad.
The election Of 1896 was held under extraor-
binary conditions, more favorable to monetary
hcrcsles. class and sectional prejudlces hatred
Of property and its rights, and Of the laws which
protect them than can with reason be expect
ed to recur within a generation. The word
generation tells much OF he story; more than
half the voters were too young 10 remember the
era Of deprecated money with It's losses and
robberles. while millions had come from Europe,
charged with all sorts Of Soclastc and Anar-
chistic tendencies. too late to know what bless
ings gold resumption had brought to this coun-
try. After four years OF panic and prostration,
with million workers out OF work, and nearly
all cut down in wages or in hours, the state OF
feeling was more nearly prepared for the recep-
ton of Organism than 1t ever has been. or can
be again until most OF the voters educated by
the panic and the recovery have passed away.
Yet even In that most favorlng condition the
contest was never really doubtful. In States
casting more than half the electoral votes
and electing much more than half the Repre-
sentatives the result proves that impregnable
majorIties had stood firm from the start against
Organism. The details have been repeatedly
given, and the little map printed in The Trb
une on July H. 1895. nearly four months be-
fore the election, showed the solid phalanx Of
States having 244 electoral votes, which II was
then held certain no attack could break and
which the result showed no attack could have
broken.
But the battle array was then for Protection
and Sound Money. 1t may be said and might be
broken were Protection no longer an Issue Pre-
cisely there foreigners fall into fatal error. and
journals here edited BIZ minds distinctly NOT