The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-11-25
The Business Side of Politics.

The head of the Wooden Trust quotes
the Philadelphia Record editorially is
out with an announcement that he does
not think the Democratic victories of last
week will seriously injure his line of bust
ness.
From Pittsburg comes the announce
ment that the Steel Trust, and the steel
business generally shows no signs of dis
tress or panic as the result of the Demo
cratic victories. As for the stock market,
The Commercial and Financial Cht0ni-
Gle recorded at various dates prior to the
election the stimulating influence upon
trade in securities exerted by the pros
poets of Democratic successes. Since
then, profit taking" has resulted in de-
clnes.
''Ah, say the Republican sages. 'of
course business is not much disturbed by
the election of some Democratic Govern.
ors and a Democratic House so long as
the Senate and the President are Repub-
lican." We'll, Mr.. Republican Sage, you
knew the President and in all probability
the Senate would not be changed by the
result of the elections. Why, then, did
you appeal to the voters to stand by the
q. o. p. in order to save the tariff and
the business Of the country? You knew
perfectly well that if the House became
Democratic 1t could not Change the tariff
law without the co. operation OF the Senate
and the President, and yet YOU tried to
scare people into voting the Republican
ticket by telling them that to vote the
Democratic ticket would be to attack the
prosperity of the country and especially
to unsettle the tariff.
The Mckinley tariff was passed late in
1890, and the whole of 1901 was bad for
business, especially in financial affairs
and in wool and woolens. In the fall
there was panic in Boston, and little
short of one in New York. All that
saved the country from a general disaster
in 1891 was the abundant crops here and
an almost total failure of crops in Europe
The Payne Aldrich tariff was passed
near the middle OF 1909. During the
tariff discussions the country was rapidly
recuperating from the panic of October,
| 1907 which occurred while the Republi-
cans were in possession Of every part of
the Government, no Presidential election
was at hand and the Dingley tariff was in
| force. The business boom, which was in
evidence while the tariff discussion was
! gong on, showed marked signs of reced-
ing few months after the new tariff was
enacted. All of this year, the year follow
ing the enactment of what has been de-
scribed as the best tariff law ever enacted,
| financial operations have been sluggish,
there has been decided check to build
ing operations, and the iron and steel
trade has been dull and inactive, with de-
| clining prices and a little curtaimenl OF
| production. There has been extensive
| curtailment of production in the cotton
| mills and some Curtailment in the wooden
and silk mills. Leaving out New York
and its stock market, bank cearings
showed business very little larger and
often smaller than last wear, and the in.
crease of railroad gross earnings over
the previous years has been very small
for the last six months
Surprising these things had occurred
| after the enactment of a Democratic
| tariff, or after the election of a Demo
cratic President and Congress; is there a
Republican paper in the country that
would not have told Its readers that
Democratic victories, and especially
Democratic tariffs, were fatal to pros
perity?