Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-13
PROSPERITY PERPLEXES THEM.

perity of the country perpleXes the DEM
ocratic leaders. They cannot deny 1t, be-
cause the evidence on every hand is in
disputable and overwhelming. The in
dustrial progress of the last two years,
the enormous exports, the unprecedented
domestic trade, the great balance IN
favor of this country in international
commerce, the vast increase of capital,
the demand for labor and the rise in
wages-all these conditions are known
to every man of intelligence. They are
not peculiar to any section of the coun-
try. but are everywhere. The tide of
prosperity has spread over the whole
land, to the remoteSt corners thereof
1--WE have everything,' said President
Mckinley to the Commercial club of Chi
caco, "to congratulate ourselves over as
to the present condition of the country.
The only fear l have ever had is that we
might overdo it and that really we were
not exercising conservatism that is so
essential to substantial business
Realizing the futility of denying the
existence of prosperity, the democratic
leaders attempt to underrate it and to
make it appear that it is not substantial.
They say that while possibly there Is
some prosperity in the land the working
man and the farmers are not getting
their share of it. Witness, for example,
the chairman of the democratic national
committee, Senator Jones of Arkansas.
He returned few days ago from So
iourn of several months in Europe and
his first deliverance on arriving in the
United States contained this: "The pros
perity argument will affect only those
who are very narrow in their social and
political views" The farmers who are
selling their products for better prices
than three years ago and hndinS an
active demand for them, the working
men who are having full employment at
higher wages than for several years, the
manufacturers who are running theil
mills and factories overtime to meet
their orders, the merchants whose bust
ness has been enlarged-if any of these
ment it is because, in the opinion of the
chairman of the democratic national
| committee, they are narrow in thei1
social and political views. Well, there
are millions Of such people in the United
( States and we believe the number is in
creasng every day. AS these people pay
| off their obligations, add to their com
forts and see their capital growing, they
cannot but admit the force of the pros
perity argument. Indeed, they find i
irresistible. 1t is useless to tell these
people that the prosperity they are eX
perencing is not substantial. They
know better.
Not less futile and absurd than the at
tempt to underrate existing prosperity 4
| the assertion of democratic leaders
that the improved conditions are
an argument in favor of the posi-
ton they took three years ago. Tha
| is to say, if it be admitted that pros
perity is due to the increased supply o
money, their contention for free silver il
thereby yindicated. But the increase IL
the currency has been of gold the none.
of the civilized world, which is yer.
different thing from adding hundred
of millions of deprecated silver TO tn
currency. The democracy is the party o
calamity. 1t thrives best in times o
panic and business disaster. No wonde
that its leaders are perplexed by tn
present abounding and advancing pros
perity.