The San Francisco call., 1899-10-13
PROSPERITY AND POLITICS.

! that political tact and sound common sense
for which he is noted in making the prosperity
of the nation and the people the chief theme OF his
addresses to the various audiences that greet him
his tour through the Mississippi Valley. Prosperity
is indeed the issue OF paramount interest in the poll
tics OF the year. for after all is said and done the
question which the voters will ask themselves IN
Ohio and Iowa and Nebraska when they go to the
polls will be whether they shall vote for the party
OF prosperity the party OF calamity.
The attempt OF Bryan and his followers to revive
popular interest the silver question has failed, and
in not single State where campaigns are going on
does it hold prominent place in the discussions OF
the people or the press. An effort to make vital
issue on the trust problem has also failed, and i'm
peralsm remains an affair OF individuals rather than
Of parties In such condition OF politics the only
recourse Ct the Democratic orators is to denounce
the administration generally and ask for its condem-
nation upon its record as a whole and not upon any
particular feature OF its policy.
So far. then, as the State campaigns affect ma
tional questions all the issue IS that OF supporting
the administration or opposing IL That fact gives
pcrtinence to the Presidents references to the abun
dant prosperity which prevails under the operation OF
Republican legislation. A protective tariff has
restored our industries, which stricken
down by the Democratic tariff adopted during the
Cleveland administration, and the maintenance OF
sound finance has given confidence to business OF all
kinds From years OF panic and depression we have
passed to years of activity in all lines of effort and
every section OF the country, and every class OF the
people have been benefited
In his speeches the President has put the issue
fairly before the people At Vincennes he said: "We
have been blessed with good crops and fair prices.
Wages and employment have waited upon labor and,
differing from what it was a few years ago, labor is
not waiting on the outside for wages Our financial
condition was never better than now. We have good
money and plenty of it circulating as our medium OF
exchange Banks may fall fuctuation in prices come
ard 60 but the money OF the country remains al
ways good and when you have dollar of it you
know that dollar is worth hundred cents, because
back OF it is the Government OF the United States.
At Danvie ILL., he treated the issue in another
way and illustrated the degree OF prosperity by
pointing out how easily the people carry an amount
OF taxation which to any other people would be an
oppressive burden. "We are" he said collecting
Just now 100000 for every working day OF the
month on our internal revenue taxes and you don't
seem to be very much oppressed here on that ac-
count We are collecting about $65oooo every work
ing day OF every month from the tariff that put on
foreign products that into the United States
from other countries and that does not to give
you any serious trouble here"
Against the party to whose legislation this prosper
it, is due and against the administration under which
it has been attained there is arrayed the party OF free
trade fat money, class antagonisms and general dis
content With such choice before them the intel
gent voters OF the States where elections TO be
held will hardly hesitate There may be local issues,
or faction fights, personal preudices, old party
ties which will incline men to vote the Democratic
ticket in those States this fall but upon national ques-
items there is nothing on which Democracy can
rightly expect the suffrage OF single intelligent pa
t-;ot