The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1892-11-19

ture, yet it is by no means difficult to
trace the most important causes, and
they will be found to be local rather
than general. The Solid South insured
it's solidity by the enactment of such le.
gislation as gave the Democracy the con-
troll of the machinery and disfranchised
the opposition. Tammany did nearly
the same thing in New York, and an un-
fair advantage was taken in Michigan
and attempted elsewhere. The western
mining states subordinated everything
to free silver, and gave their votes to
Weaver, even after he had been virtu-
ally driven from the South. They could
of course have had no hopes of Weaver's
election or Of gaining anything except
"free silver" representation in Con-
gress. In Indiana. New York, Illinois,
Ohio and some other Northern states, the
Afro American voters are an important
element-in some of these states they
exceed in number the usual maj ority of
either party. A large number of Afro. Am
erican votes in these states wore cast for
Cleveland. For several years they have
been very restless and disconnected on
account of not having received due re-
cognition at the hands of the Republican
party. We are not now discussing the
question as to whether or not their con-
tention is reasonable, but mention it
simply as fact. It is a fact that num-
Der Of Afro-American papers openly ad-
vocated the election of Mr.. Cleveland,
and that such prominent and influential
men as Bishop John M. Brown favored
it. So it is very possible that the Afro.
Americans of Indiana and Illinois had a
share in giving the electoral vote of those
states to Mr.. Cleveland. Another ques-
ton in regard to which but little was
said had much more influence upon the
result in Illinois, and Wisconsin than
either the tariff, the "Force Bill'' or the
currency, the question of Public Schools
as Parochial Schools. The Republican
party has good many members who
think the party has mission to reform
all the abuses and exercise a guardian
ship over the morals of all mankind.
These enthusiastic reformers sometimes
secure the control of the policy of the
party, and usually wreck the party as
we'll as the reform. They wrecked the
Republican party in Iowa a couple of
years ago, by handicapping it with Pro-
hibition, and in Illinois and Wisconsin
this year by school laws obnoxious to
large number of voters. It would seem
that very small amount of common
sense would dictate that large number
of voters who cheerfully pay taxes to
support schools which they cannot con-
scientiously patronize should have been
most considerably dealt with, and that
they should have been allowed to con.
duct the schools they established and
supported without any molestation up
on the part of the state. Last in order
among the causes of the defeat, and first
in Importance, the Mckinley bill will
generally be mentioned. The fact that
Mr.. Mckinley was elected Governor of
Ohio by such large majority certainly
does not Indicate that it contributed so
largely to the defeat as is generally sup
posed. The farmers are the men who,
as is claimed, are damaged by a pro-
tective tariff, and the manufacters those
who are benefited, yet the Democratic
majorities come generally from the large
cities. 1t is hard to see why this should
be the case if the theory is true.