The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-08-07
Business Trend Takes Spotlight
Among Many Leading Politicians
Trade Charts Win Favor
AS Election Index; Eco
nomic Situation Being
Studied Closely
BY BYRON PRICE
IChief OF bureau, The Associated
Press WaShingtOnD

deeply interested in business
charts these days as in polls and
political war maps.
Even in ordinary times, eco-
nomic trends have their unden.
liable relationship to politics. Aft.
er nearly seven years of upset
and uncertainty, any material
business change is bound to bring
the politically-minded instantly to
the alert.
About the facts of the present
case there is little dispute. Not
only have various recognized bust
ness induces shown a decided up
swing recently, but optimism about
the immediate future is wide
spread. In other words, business
and politics in general sees at
least a possibility that the election
will be held this year. in the midst
of something resembling a bust
ness boom.
What will be the result polite
ally? Many things are involved
in the answer. For in this re-
spect, as in almost every other.
1886 presents peculiarities of its
own.
Held True In Past
The general rule in past years
has been that prosperity, in what
ever measure it abounds, helps
the party in power.
The Republicans made a great
deal of that in the Mckinley days,
and in the Coolidge days. Every
where among political philosoph-
ers, "the full dinner pair' has
been recognized as one of the
most effective political emblems
ever devised.
The theory is that when times
are good or getting better, the
voter hesitates to make a change ;
that he listens willingly to admOni-
tions about changing horses in the
middle of the stream, and is not
impressed by arguments that
someone else could do a better
job at Washington.
Two Sides To Argument
That is the theory and the ex-
perience of the past and. many of
the supporters of President Roose-
vet rely heavily on its applicable
ty this year. In effect, they be-
heve their strongest practical
ground is to reiterate on every
possible occasion. Mr. Roosevelt
own question to the voters of
1884: care you, individually, bet
ter off today than you were be-
fore the advent of the New Deal?"
No one denied at the time, and
no one has denied since, that this
campaign strategy was a powerful
influence in the overwhelming
Democratic victories of two years
ago.
AS usual however, there are
two sides to the argument. Those
who doubt whether the old rule
will work out so well in 1886 note
the following exceptions:
In most past instances, the par
ty benefiting by a prosperity"
issue has had the support of bust
ness. That was not entirely true
of the Democrats in 1884, al
though it is a matter of record
that some business groups which
were friendly or lukewarm toward
the New Deal two years ago, are
openly against it now.
Secondly, there is the Republi-
can counter-argument that recov-
cry really began in the summer
of 1882 land that Mr.. Roosevelt's
election and his subsequent poll
eies have retarded, rather than
helped, a natural return toward
normal.
Finally, the genCineness of the
present upward trend is denied
by some administration critics,
who suggest that continued I'M
employment, an unbalanced bud
get and high taxes cannot be re-
eonciled with any theory of a true
recovery
Along all of these lines the APP
plicability of the standing rule
about prosperity is questioned
among those who argue that re-
cent economic developments can
be greatly discounted politically.