New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-09
pFaURLJCAN PROSPECTS.

Pnnublican victories this spring nave over
clouded the sky which looked so bnght 10 DEM
oorotg after the elections last fall. Then Dem
ocrats carried everything, and were sure IL was
verdict of the people against the hepuDncah
noljcy generally, and the Mckinney 1arlli III
narticuIar But the elections of this year. Dem
ocrats try 10 believe, mean nothing O'ty anu
town elections in New-England and New ork'
Stato elections in Rhode Island and Michigan,
the CITY elections in Cincinnati, Cleveland ana
Chicago and many other Western cltles es-
neciallv in Kansas. result in surprising Repub-
lican victories or gains. But IL woulu heY1. uo
10 admit that the people have the heP"", ~,
tariff or the Republican policy IN mina' lnis
time, according to Democratic interpreters tne
voting is meaningless.
The INTERPRETATION of elections last year was
false. and Republicans will not fall INTO q SIM
liar self-delusion. Local questions tI'rheu tiic
scale AGAINST Republicans then, and have now
turned the scale for them, in some localities
Stupid Indifference of many voters cost liipor,
tant States last November while in March ana
Anril be who reads the returns can see many
of the same voters kicking themselves Tor thelr
mast neglect. If the returns mean no hoIe
than this, they are enough to make Democratic
nronbets more careful about predictions Tor
1892. But something more they evidently 90
mean. :.
II is safe to say that the Republican party IN
the light of the late elections, appears more thor
oucbIy united in opinion and resoute in pur-
nose than it was last November. On the same
evidence the Democratic party is far more dis
tnrbed bv internal discussions, antagonists OF
then
These things count for much, and IN some 10
calites suffice to explain the change OF votes
They confirm, too, what RepuDllcans nave
claimed ever since the returns OF November
came. that the forces which were for thai occa-
sion only brought by haphazard to work to-
pefher could never be counted upon to cooperate
in any subsequent election. and least of all In
INV National contest The Democratic party
had the efficient aid much of it ignOrantly and
rn;rtartiorally piven, of thousands who had no
idea Of helping that party or promoting It's Cd
iects then. and Of thousands more who know
now that they were mspeakably foolish to be
used as its tools 1t united the efforts, for that
occasion only, OF men who are ireyocably hos
tile on every living issue of the day-free-coin-
age men and gold mOnometallists, Free IraderS
and protected manufacturers. Even before the
marty has begun to consider what it can do next
these dscordant clemens are fighting.
The Republican party, on the other hand was
more divided by misapprehension and ignorance
last November than in any other contest. 1t
has learned something since that time with re-
card to the tariff and also with regard TO the
silver question, the appropriations, the need OF
an election law, and other features OF Repub-
liran policy. And this brings to the front one
other change, OF which recent elections afford
some proof. There is evidence that the out
raqeous falsehoods about mckinley prices"
have had their day, and produced natural ana
indignant reaction. Thousands of men who al
lowed themselves to be cheated by these false
hoods have learned by this time how impudent
and baseless were the stories told, and how
beneficial to all industries the new tariff has
proyed A similar reaction appears from the crazy
humor which prepared thousands to believe all
the ralsehoods told by fIee-cOinage and other
agitators in the farming districts OF this there
is less evidence as yet because NEST Of the cleo
tions this wear have been in cities or in Eastern
States but the change Of'tempef in Michigan
and in many Kansas towns is significant.
The Republican party has not gone out OF
busincss vet 1t will be found at the old stand
next year with a consistent policy which has
stood the test of many years of experience, and
which commends itself to the patriotism as well
az the commOn-seDse OF the people.
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