Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1904 — Wont Hurt Business This Year. [ARTICLE]

Wont Hurt Business This Year.

It is rather com mon these days to hear the expression, “Business will be dull until after the election, as a presidential campaign always ha 3 a bad effect on commercial conditions.” It frequently happens that a political campaign unsettles trade, although we believe its harmful effects are usually exaggerated. Eight years ago the campaign had a detrimental influence on financial transaction?, but that was because there was some doubt the strength of the fight that Bryan would put up, It was felt in most sections of tbe country that the success of the Democratic party would be* disastrous to trade, and as a result, there was retrenchment in every field of commercial enterprise. Ordinarily a Democratic victory is damaging to business, but in 1896 it would have been particularly harmful on account of the free silver menace with which the Democracy was identified in that year. But the canvass has no very marked portent of evil in 1904. Nearly everybody is convinced that tbe Republicans are going to carry the country this fall. In spite of tbe nomination of Judge Parker at St. Louis on a platform apparently acceptable to most of the factions of the Democratic pirty there is no probability of bis success. There is nothing in tbe platforms of either of the parties this year to disturb business conditions and trade is likely to improve as tbe weeks and months go past, and will probably be considerably) better in the fall and winter than it is now. There is nothing in tbe canvass on which to raise any specter of peril to the finances. The only question about tbe Republican campaign is the dimensions of the party’s victory. There may be some doubt as to whether Roosevelt in 1904 will get the 137 majority in the electoral college given in 1900 but the chances are that be will equal or surpass that record,