The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-11-10
Harrity Sums Up the Situation.

Harrity Sums Up the Situation.
New YORK, Nov. 9-William F.
Harrity, chairman Of the democratic .
national committee, being asked for
some expression regarding the cause Of .
the election of cleveland and Stevenson.
said: cat the close of last week l !
stated my opinion that the people of
the United States were with the demo- /
cratic party upon the issues of the cam
paign, and recorded my opinion that a
verdict on election day would be rem
dered in accordance with that sem
timent.
ssThe leading issues of the the con-
test from the first to the last have been
the tariff and the force bill. AS to the |
former. there has been universal |
democratic gain throughout the cam
paign of education which had its origin
in President Cleveland's tariff message |
of December, 1887. On the question |
of the domination of the federal force |
at the polls in elections held under |
state laws, the issue was strong and |
clear since the Minneapolis convention.
and was more sharply defined by the !
attempted abuse of the authority of the |
United States for partisan ends, which !
was so forcibly brought to the minds |
of citizens of New York. Concerning |
the demand for sound and staple cur
rency, as formulated in the letters of
Mr. Cleveland and Mr.. Stevenson. the |
country seemed to have made up its
mind some time ago so decidedly as to
justify the prediction that not less than
244 of the electoral votes would be cast
for the democratic nominees.
81 have during my experience in poll
tics, been reluctant to prophesy, but it
is my good fortune that the few positive
predictions have made have been full
filled. 1 am, therefore, naturally graft
fed at finding that the electoral vote has
equaled the estimate of 244 votes
made and that it includes all the states
specified in making up that total. The
democratic current has reached not
only the States of the south, New York.
New Jersey, Connecticut. Indiana, Wis
consin and Michigan, but has added to
them at least the great State of Illinois
with its twenty-fOur electoral ovtes.
1.-The movement in the northwest
for relief from excessive public burdens
has proved as popular with producers
| as with consumers. 1t has had an in
direct effect in the loss of electoral
| votes to Harrison in favor of fusion
| movements as we'll as a direct one in
additional votes to the Cleveland column
In this way the President and Vice
President, chosen yesterday, will re-
ceive the votes Of not less than 268
electors, with probably one from Michi-
gan, and possibly nine votes from Cali
fornia, which would raise the total
number of democratic electors to 2I9.
Without California Cleveland has a
majority of more than 100 votes in the
electoral college, backed by a larger
majority of the popular vote than any
democratic nominee has received dur
ing more than forty years.
with one exception General Har-
rison's electoral vote is the smallest
vote given to any candidate OF the
democratic party during that period.
'.Of course the members ofthe demo-
cratic national committee are proud of
this result and appreciative ofihe COM
mendation of their efforts by Mr.. Clcve-
land when notified of his election at Il
very early hour this morning. We
have done our best in Il fair and open
fight. endeavoring to avoid being made
the victims of decisions and never
seeking to delude others. We think
that some mistakes to which there was
great temptation have been avoided
and that some good points have been
OPPORTUNITY made. We claim no special
merit, however, beyond having tried
to faithfully serve our party and the
} public through energetic aud harmon
ious action. Public sentiment in favor
of Grover Cleveland and which caused
his nomination in spite Of formidable
oppositions within our party. elected
, him over the opposition of our adver.
saries. Mr.. Stevenson has also proved
) an admirable candidate, and beyond