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Show WOULD WELCOME CALAMITY. i It is a inarvel to see the Democratic press taking up every point, which shows badly fpr business advance and prosperity, rejoicing over It, and holding hold-ing It up as Something to be rejoiced over; this altoccther because of tho hope that If ' they can persuade the people that they are not doing well under Republicanism they will turn to Democracy and do inllnitely worse. But to see the Joy with which overy Item that in anyvvay militate: against the claim of Republican prosperity is 'seized upon by the opposite press, one mlirht suppose that the Democratic party had an undhnmed record of prosperous pros-perous times under, il.s management, and a busy, happy people. How false that assumption Is, one has only to recall a few of the facts. From the day that Cleveland was known to be elected, In the fall of 1892, there was a complete destroyal of-confidence, a cessation of indujry, a collapse col-lapse of credit, a paralysis of business in each and every department of activity. activ-ity. This was because the counlry knew what the Democracy intended to do to It. The people, the business men, knew that there was no safety for them under un-der the experiments that the amateurs and bunglers Intended to make. The counlry was plunged into despair, fearing fear-ing the worst, and the worst was reaU Ized. The doleful times we all remember, remem-ber, and It Is not worlh while to go into tho wretched details. But now, when a shadow comes between be-tween the the sun of prosperity and the land which smiles and Is glad under un-der his beann, We have an opposition presn that cavils?, and crlea out, In tho effort ot co vlnce the people that they are not as well off as they think them selves; and to persuade them that after af-ter all, an eclipse' is more enjoyable than the shadow of a passing cloud. In this connection, however, and as showing that at the worst, the labor situation Is good, take Bradstrcet's llirures of the strikes this year compared com-pared with those of Inst year. In 1903 the strikes of the first five months of the year Involved C00.000 strikers; whereas for six montiis of the present year tho strikers number , but 203,000. or considerably less than half. So we can Calrly afford to say to the grieving enemy who hopes for evil, that things are by no means as bad as they hope that the Republic' Is safe in Republican hands, and so will remain. |