Huntsville gazette., 1892-05-14
AN IMPORTANT RESULT.
State Elections Show the Drift of Popular
Sentiment.

While an election is still pending.
candidates and chairmen of party COM
mittees and party journals all agree
that everything points conclusively to
the success of their side. Brag is a
good dog and he never barks and bays
and dances SO joyfully as before cleo
tion. The grounds of this party conf
dence are generally speculations and
hopes. But state election before the
national election, as few years ago in
Pennsylvania and Indiana, and as now
in Rhode Island, is not speculation,
bat an indication of substantial impor-
tauce. In 1856 the republican enthu-
siasm and confidence, which had spread
like a prairie fire during the extraordi-
nary Fremont campaign, were sudden
ly and fatally checked by the October
election in Pennsylvania. Desperate
efforts were made to find consolation in
the prospective Quaker vote" which
never comes out in state election"
but was certain to sweep everything be-
fore it in November. But November
came, and the Quaker vote proved to be
Quaker gun. The election in Rhode
Island is the first real indication of the
actual political situation as the time
for the nominations approaches. What
it shows is the exceeding uncertainty
of the result in November. The vote
in Rhode Island was larger than ever
before, and it was cast upon simple
and sharply defined issue, and under the
most favorable conditions for the demo
Gratis. The question was made national
by common consent. The democratic
platform was excellent, and great ar
ray of democratic speakers, including
Mr. Cleveland, avoiding the silver issue,
confined themselves to the question of
tariff reform. The republicans met
them upon that question, and Gov. Nc
Kinley and ex-Speaker Reed, with
other able speakers, including Secre-
tary Tracy, maintained the republican
view, and the republican view was APP
proved at the polls.
This result seems to show plainly
that the democrats can fairly expect in
Novem Der the vote of no New England
state, except possibly, but doubtfully,
Connecticut; and there is one fact in
the survey which deserves attention.
The Providence Journal, tariff-reform
and independent newspaper, the chief
paper in the state, and one of the fore
most papers in New England, notwith-
standing the fact that the canvass
turned on the question of tariff reform,
and involved the election of a high
protection senator, virtually supported
| L. II e. v,I he
lieved that the independent vote was
very largely cast against the democrats.
The reason of this course was clearly
stated in a remark of the Journal when
Mr.. Cleveland went to speak in Provi-
dence. 1t was to the effect that it was
vet to be proved that Mr.. Cleveland
was authorized to speak for his party
The remark was just. The democratic
party, by its chosen representatives,
but only with the aid of republicans
had just evaded an expression of its
views upon the question of silver coin
age by postponing its consideration. In
New York the party, by its regular
action, had rejected Mr.. Cleveland as
its representative. Undoubtedly in
New York and elsewhere great many
democrats were in sympathy with him.
But this sympathy has not availed to
control the action of the party, and the
assertion in newspapers that the people
demanded his nomination, and that he
| was really the representative of the
party, was incompatible with the facts,
| and with the conduct of the party ma
| iority in congress and in the New York
| legislature. The Journal, therefore, as
an independent paper, could well say
| that before advising its readers to sup
port the democratic ticket it must know
what democratic success really meant.
Democratic success in Rhode Island
this spring would have given an inn
mense impulse toward similar success
| in November. But democratic success
in 1890 proved to mean not tariff reform
and the certain nomination of Mr.. Cleve-
| land in 1892, but the gravest peril to the
| currency, the theft of one branch of
| the legislature in New York, the ap-
parent rejection of Mr.. Cleveland, and
| a return of the old distrust of the party.
Under these circumstances the Journal
and the independent voters naturally
paused for further information. The
election of protection senator was
disagreeable. But that was horn of
the dilemma which could be measured.
The other horn could not be meas
ured. 1t might be tariff reform, and
also arrangement of the currency, and
great many other things besides.
Yet had Mr.. Cleveland gone to Rhode
| Island as the undoubted and accepted
representative of his party, had it been
known that democratic success in the
state heralded his nomination as presi-
dent, with his views upon the silver
question and the tariff and admins
| trative reform as the platform of his
party, the result would have been diff
ferent. Ever since the opening of con-
gress enabled the country to see what
democratic success in 1890 and demo
cratic victory in New York in 1891
really meant, there has been a great
change of feeling among independent
voters, and the democratic party has
been upon trial. That situation will
continue until the action of its national
convention. The doubt of the Provi