Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-09
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER o, 1890.
THE RECENT ELECTION AND PRESIDEN-
TIAL POSSIBILITIES.

TIAL fUSSlblLlIl6Ss
The election of Tuesday has thrown
some lights on the Observation-Disclosures
which are certainly agreeable to Demo-
Gratis. In the first place, it is beyond
peradventure that victory 80 striking
insures the election of a Democrat as a
successor to Harrison. Such emphatic
movements never spend their force in
two years. This is true even in a per-
fectly normal condition of politics, but
the present status is not normal, and
the indications are decisively Demo-
cratic.
The Farmers Alliance is portent of
great moment, and it's chief strength
and significance lie in the distinctively
Republican states of the west and north
west. The membership of the organi-
zation is largely Republican, and there
is a good reason for this fact. 1t is a
revolt against the Republican party's
BETRAYAL of the interests Of
the masses. The Democratic party
has suffered and will suffer very
slightly from it, because the party Of
Jefferson and Jackson has always kept
itself substantially in line with the
masses, thus leaving very little ground
for detection. In addition, the party in
power always suffers from such move
ments' far more than an aggressive mi
nority. The chances are, therefore,
good for a total disintegration of the
Republican party. Whether it will
have vitality enough to regain portion
of its old prestige after the next presi-
Dental election remains one of the in
teresting problems OF the immediate
future.
The late elections have not only as
sured a. Democratic successor to Mr..
Harrison, but they have somewhat
modified the question as to who shall be
the Democratic candidate. The list has
been largely increased. Mr.. Cleveland
still remains the choice of an influential
andnumerous Democratic following, who
recognize his sterling worth and irwin
cible. patriotism. With a great many
Democrats he is looked upon as the en-
bodiment of the idea which won the
Democratic victory. There is a large
element of the party, however, who re-
gard Mr.. Cleveland as the representa-
tive OF the extremist idea in the direction
of free trade as Mckinley was in that OF
protection, and who would prefer more
conservative man. That Governor Hill
has been materially strengthened by the
result of the election in New York seems
to be generally conceded. From the
standpoint of presidential availability,
the able governor of the Empire state
has been steadily growing in stature.
But the result of Tuesdays elections
has undoubtedly widened the Demo
cratic horizon and disclosed new
political stars of marked promise.
Amongst these is General John NJ.
Palmer, of Illinois, whose triumph in
the senatorial election in the Sucker
state is an event of national moment.
Palmer is strong throughout the entire
west, is man of pre-eminent ability
<biA "a o Slidld dCtCI dOcOluICly WlllOuG d
blemish. The only valid drawback to
him is that he is pretty we'll up in years.
1t is true that he is exceptionally vigor-
GUS, and might treat the American peo-
pie to the spectacle of Gladstone or a
Theirs in the presidential chair. In ad-
dition; he has had somewhat enven-
omed controversy with the Grand Army
of the Republic, from which order he re-
signed as result. But gallant union
soldier, like Palmer, would scarcely suf-
fer from little spat like that. Nowhere
is the Grand Army stronger than in Hi
nois, and Palmer has been able to hold
his own in that state, and not only that,
but to achieve victory SO memora BILE
that we have to go back to the Douglas
Lincoln contest OF 1858 to parallel it.
Another most promising candidate
would be Governor Pattison, of Penn
sylvania. On Tuesday he demonstrated
for the second time his ability to carry
the Keystone state. In the old days,
before Pennsylvania changed the date
of her elections from October to Novem-
ber, the legend ran, as goes Pennsyl-
vania SO goes the Union" 1t is a sim
gular circumstance that, up to 1884, no
man has ever filled the presidential office
who failed to receive the vote of the
keystone state. 1t is true that Tilden
failed to receive it, and was really
elected. But up till the time the people
voluntarily changed the day of the state
election which led up to the presidential
election, the voice of Pennsylvania was
absolutely decisive of that event, or was
at least SO coincident with it as to seem
to be so.
Pattison is young, able and phenom-
enally popular. He comes of Quaker
stock, and is always supported by that
powerful element, which is said to num-
ber eighty thousand votes in Pennsyl-
vania. If there should be signs of a