The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-12-19
THE TRUE STATE OF AFFAIRS.
A Review of the Situation Showing the
Pal ardinr- OF the nau.ocxatie I,a-<-

A Review of the Situation Showing the
Real Standing of the Democratic Party.
Our Democratic brethren have been
rejoicing over what they are pleased to
term great Democratic victory" Let
us examine this victory. the size there
of, and its alleged Democracy. The
salient point is that the Republican ma
jority of eight in the House of Repre-
sentatives mot counting contested
seats) has been replaced by an adverse
majority of about one hundred and four
ty-four. This is the principal reason
for the rejoicing in the Bourbon camp.
Added to this, several States, hereto
fore Republican. have elected Legisla-
lures of different political faith, and
thus the Republicans will lose several
seats in the United States Senate.
But is the Democratic party, while 1t
will undoubtedly enjoy the fruits OF
these Republican reverses, correct in
claiming that it accomplished the re-
suit? Was it that the people, the
source of power, fiocked to the support
of the Democratic ticket? Though we
are aware such claim is made, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, by the Demo
cratic press, the facts remain that it is
not true, in any general sense. Let US
examine the causes which led to the re-
suit.
First, the gerrymanders. That in
Ohio was perpetrated by the Democratic
Legislature last spring. Under the old
districting, on the vote at the late cleo
ton, there would have been sixteen Re-
publican and five Democratic Repre-
sentatives elected. Under the gerry
mander there were seven Republicans
and fourteen Democrats chosen. Here
is a loss of nine Republican seats in the
House, not due to Republican voters
casting Democratic ballots. Kentucky
and Maryland were both similarly ger
rymandered, the Democrats gaining
one in Kentucky and three in Mary
land. Total, thirteen seats gained by
gerrymanders.
Second. the Representatives elected
by the Farmers Alliance. Its leaders
claim that they have elected thirty
eight straight Alliance Representatives,
and twelve or fifteen Democrats pledged
to the Alliance platform. The latter
were in the South, where the farmers
went into the Democratic primaries and
captured the nominating conventions.
SO that the Democratic Congressional
nominee was an Alliance man. As these
twelve or fifteen districts would have
elected Democrats. we will leave them
out of our calculation, and hence set
down thirty-eight Alliance seats won in
the next House from Republicans, and
elected largely. IL not entirely, by the
votes of Republican farmers.
Third, the States wherein local issues
obscured entirely the National one. and
lost the Republican Legislative and Con-
gressionsl seats. These were Pennsyl-
vania and Wisconsin. In the former,
the fight against Quay resulted in the
election of Psttison, the Democratic
candidate for Governor, though the re-
mainder OF the Republican State ticket
was successful Four Republican seats
in the next House were lost in this State
by the factional fight in the Republican
ranks. In Wisconsin, the struggle over
the Bennett school law dominated every
thing else. The Republicans lost the
Governorship, the Legislature, and five
Representatives in the next Congress.
Thus nine seats were lost in the two
States by local issues.
Let US sum up these results. There Is
an adverse majority claimed in the next
House of IA The Republican MAORI
ty in the present House is eight mot
counting contests.) Hence there is diff
ference of 152 between the new and the
present House. which would require a
change in the politics of seventy-six dis
tricts- That is, to take seventy-six off
the Republican side and add it to the
opposition, gives the 153 difference.
Let US sum up the changes enumerated
above:
Republican seats
Lost by Cerrymauders. ....... .......... 10
Lost by Alliance. 81
Lost by local Issues. ............-...........
Total. 80