The National tribune., 1906-09-27
THE NEXT CONGRESS.

Far more than usual depends upon
the continuance of the present Repub-
| iican ascendency in the House of Repre-
sentatives. Not the least of these Is
that the present unexampled prosperity
| shall receive no check by the election
of a new body of men whose purposes
no one can guess. We tried the ex-
pertinent some years ago in the midst
| of similar career of prosperity OF
| electing President Cleveland and a
Democratic House of Representatives
| wise in act or disastrous in conse-
quences. The prosperity of the country
was checked at full tide by well-foI.I3 J.
ed apprehensions as to what these 80 :
and untried men would do at tho i 4:
of Government. There were the e.-f"-
est fears entertained by business ;..cn.
and unfortunately these fears were 100
we'll based. The result was TIL con-
fidence, which is the life Of business
and of prosperity, received a rude
shock. Not knowing what was going
to happen, everybody began to set his
direct and natural consequence was the
fearful panic of 1892. which took bread
and work away from millions, stopped
all the factories in the country, put out
the fires in the furnaces. suspended
building of every kind and put the
country thru a nervous chill in which
every man was numbed by the dread OF
what the morrow might bring. This
unhappy condition lasted thru four full
years, and was only ended by the cleo
ton of Mckinley and the restoration of
the Republican Party to power. The
very day that the votes were counted
and it was seen that Mckinley and a
Republican Congress were elected con-
fidence began to return, the furnace
fires were relighted, the wheels began
rolling and men began planning hope
fully and confidently for the future.
This very instructive experience is SO
recent that it has not dulled in any
mans memory, and it seems incredible
that any thinking voter can risk repe-
tition of all the gloom and loss OF 1892
1895 by change in the control of the
House of Representatives.
No matter what the criticisms upon
the members of the present House Of
Representatives, everyone must admit
that 1t had been phenomenal in its at
tention to business, in the wise con-
structiveness of its acts. in its sagacity
In meeting conditions, and in its help
fu!ness to the prosperity Of the coun-
try. Every man in the domii ant party
is entitled to his share for the credit of
this and entitled to the appreciation and
recognition Of reelection. It is only
good public policy, only shrewd, prac-
tical common sense to retain in place
those who have done well and give
them further opportunities to do better.
On the contrary, it would be the hight
of unwisdom to turn down these ap-
proved public servants and intrust the
Government and policies Of the country
at this time to new and untried men,
teachers of vagaries and theories, for
the most part merely harsh critics and
complainers. No man can tell what
these new men will do. We only know
from their utterances that they have
been opposed to whatever has seemed
necessary in constructive and regulativc
legislation, and consequently, If elected,
they will do what they can to undo
what their predecessors have done.
To turn out Republican members Of
Congress and replace them by their
crude and inexperienced antagonists
will be to invite disaster and a repeti-
ton Of the sorrowful experiences which
attended a similar revolution in 1892.
1t will be to express disapproval of all
that has been done in the past 10 years
to make the country what It is. and a
desire to return to the calamitous con-
ditions from which we were rescued by
the return Of the people to sanity in
1896.
There must be no risk of a Demo-
cratic majority in the House of Repre-
sentatives. There must be no chances
taken Of the present Administration
losing its control upon the popular
branch Of the Government and a re-
versal of all the currents which now
lead on to even greater prosperity than
we are at present enjoying.