Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-03

The People Are Thinkiux and the Politicians
Are Bewiidered.

The People Are Thinking and the Politicians
Are Bewiidered.
The great throng of men known a. politi-
clans know very little shout human nature.
They ought to know great deal; their pro-
fession should require it. but somehow when
they get outside certain lines they miss il
altogether. This campaign is going to be
conducted outside these ordinary lines. and
the side Of human nature that is turned
toward the politician is one he is utterly I'M
familiar with. That ia why there ID SO much
laundering, 90 much doubt a. to the situation
and 40 much talk about general apathy. The
average politician is in the habit of contem-
plating the sentimental side of man. Party en-
.nusissm, party prejudice. the capacity
in the other party and nothing that lie bad in
this, the absence Of reason and Of motive and
nexibihty before trifing incidents are the
traits which the now bewildered politician
accustomed to and relies upon for
his manipulation. These sentiments are
with this campaign. 1t is very rapidly becoming
apparent to those who are managing the routine
work Of the campaign for the parties that the
great mass OF voters are approaching the cleo
ton In . manner very different from usual.
Thousands upon thousands of voters, with q
ture from both parties, and while they read
they are silent.
THE DOUBT OF THE POLITICIANS.
The politician may speculate as to their sen.
timents, but mixed in with his speculation there
is much doSbt. He is confronted with &C
much silence which he does not understand
that he merely coins his hopes into predictions
and lets 1t go at that. There is no mar
talked with who is a mere politician who ha.
not, when he has got down to confdentia
expressions, declared himself anxious about the
condition OF the party to which he belongs
Their anxiety is, OF course, warranted. but thei,
reasons for anxiety are not the right ones. The,
are studying the heavens for '.signs," and Their
anxiety is occasioned by the fact that they d.
not find any which they understand. Becauss
they and no blood on Mars they think there i,
to be no battle. 1t is truly amusing to run across
an old-fsshion politician and observe his be wilde,
ment when he attempts to figure out the stu
alton. 1t makes no difference whether he is
republican or q democrat, he is dissatisfied
disheartened and generally undone. He can
not find that any one is taking any interest in
politics and he can't quite see how anybody ID
going to be elected to anything. The game tina
is going on is one he don't understand.
1t was the same way at both the national con
yentions before the nominations were made
but something did happen at both conventions
There are signs apparent to those who are NOR,
| observant, though perhaps not wis.
and experienced az the professional poll
tcisn, which seem to indicate a grea
deal. The men who are engaged in circulat
ing campaign literature have observed it and
| 1t has been observed by men who have beer
| travelling about the country great deal witt
their eyes and ears open These people believe
that. instead of there being feeling of spsth,
In the country. the people generally are taking
greater interest in this campaign than the,
have in any for years.
THE PEOPLE THINKING FOR THEMSELVES.
The difference is that those who have hereto
fore been merely the passive voters. led b,
bosses, subbosses and subassistaut bosses. hav
taken hold Of the thing for them
| selves, after their own method. and the bosse'
OF various degrees are "sort of stand
ing around" little bewildered and
waiting. The outlook il that this will be on,
of the most determined, one of the most hotl,
contested fights that the country has seen anC
that the word APATHY" will be lost from tn.
political vocabulary before election day Their,
have been two good administrations. as the
common people look at it, one following imme
diately the other. The two men who presided
over them are contending against each other fol-
supremacy. Neither is the fsvorite of politicians
but each stands on a principle based on 1
theory Numerically opposed 10 the other
The great mass of voters have been studying
the question chiefly involved up one side anc
down the other for eight years. and they ar,
now silently doing an awful lot of thinking
Every man who has made up his mind on on,
side or the other has taken the stump in
his own wav. and from the moment ne reached
decision has been working TO convince hi
neighbors that he is right. Thus the campaign
has been going on since long before any com
mittees were formed by either party and NOR,
effectively than il can be managed by all tn,
orators both parties can send out.
AN EXTRAORDINARY CAMPAIGN.
There has been an extraordinary campaign
going on for an indefinite time and the ayerag,
politician has known nothing about it. Tn,
campaign orator who takes the stump to edu
cate the dear people as 20 their duty hat
better be very well prepared, for b,
will have some questions 20 answer
and he had better be armed with facts
not theories. II he is not particularly well in
formed he may run across audiences composed
Of men who know a. much himself. It vii
not do for any one to count too much on fraud
or deception. The campaign liar better sta,
away.
That this man or that man. who did not want
Harrison nominated. is still disappointed anG
won't take his coat off, or that that man OF
the other one. who was for himself or some one
else-not Cleveland-Is prepared to knife,
not apt to count for much. Such men viii
.'come i'm it is their trade.
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT.