The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-11-10
The Blessings Of IL.

way Vi huCQuhtcIy uCCOuutIuS AOt AhOs
,s always bound to be reaction after
sweeping political victory like that of la
:. fall There was after Gen. Grants electlo
. in 1872 There was again after those of lSs
and 1883. There Is hardly an instance In on
whole political history where revolutio
t has not been followed by one. 1t is a goo
deal bigger this year than usual-thougn nc
I bigger than those of 1874 and 1s90-and 1t !
to be accounted for by the business deprei
sior, which always counts heavily against tb
party In power. 1t was unjust ana even 90
surd that 1t should count against the Democ
racy this year, because all the laws that hav
m ade the trouble were Republican laws; nom
have been changed yet by the Democrats
except the repeal OF the silver pur
chase law, which the great mejor'ty OF I'M
Republicans admitted to lie wrong and dan
gerous, and helped 10 change But men who
were out Of work, hungry, or embarrassed ID
business because of the financial stringency
could not be made to stop and reason this OIL
out. They simply voted their discomfort
And It must be admitted that on the surface
they had plausible reason for doing so. The
Republicans have been telling them all these
months that the trouble with business has
been simply, or almost wholly, tear OF what
the Democrats we're going to do with the
tariff. The Democrats have insisted that 1t
was distrust of the currency caused by the
ShermaR act, or its silver purchasing clause.
That has now been repealed, and there is but
little Improvement perceptible to the average
man, and be naturally asks, "Why does not
that prove that the Republicans we're right?'
The fact that it was less than a week since
epeal was achieved, less than fortnight since
the subject wore the most discouraging aspect
1t has torne at all, and that recovery from
such long period of prostration Is bound to
be slow anyway. did not weigh with him.
The long dilIy -dallying of the senate must
be held responsible alike for this feeling and
the damage to the party. II the senate had
acted as promptly as the house did, the
trouble would quickly have been cured-we
would hardly know today that there had been
q panic. And though the senate obstruction
that the Democrats should take the RESPONSE
bilfty. They had the power In every branch
Of the government, they were solemnly
D ledged by their party platform to repeal and
L united on 1t or even II the protested repeal
RS bad all been honest and sincere about It,
hey could have accomplished 1t long ago. So
ar as the drubbing the party has got was a
punishment on this issue, 1t will be healthy for
So far as 1t was due to local Issues, In New
york PARTICULARLY, every Democrat and every
striot ought to be devoutly thankful. The
tate machine that In legislature and conven-
ions has made shameless mockery of every 9
rlnciple of Democracy, has been smashed q
0 smithereeus. The insolent defiance of =
ublic opinion, the degradation of the most y
acred obligations of government represent
by the nomination of Judge Maynard, has
cen pushed as the forgerles Of the RepubIi- =
an convention of 1852 we're and by a msjor-
y unparalleled since that year. The gang
I Williams that have been misruling and
lundering the city of Brooklyn IN the name "
t Democracy, has heen buried In popular
rath. II 1t could have been otherwise. es.
eCid Ivy o1tcI tuC oubu iuSiAcup Va Sos |
rday night, there would indeed have been '
,use for encouragement for believers IN
zee government. The Gravesend case was
ne whose Infamy the English language ia Y
ADEQUATE to describe. There was an impu-
mt unsoncesIed attempt to carry the cleo
on by fraud, registration of over 620O, 10 u
population of about 5000, and 1t was "
ught to carry 1t through regardless .
law or courts or anything else. When men
ught to copy the lists, as they had legal -,
ght to do. they were slapped into jail. ~
hen courts interviewed with orders. their
i ,ers were mobbed by the heelers of the v
'ss. II the people Of Kings county could ~
we been induced In the name of partisan .
Up to sustain such operations, they would :.
We been the abettors of anarchy. That they ),
mped on 1t with an overturn of 30 900 votes. ~
q proof of the sound quality of our citizen. -
IN ever In large cities. :.
Sheehanism In Buffalo has met as it dc. y,
rves similar whirlwind of destruction. an
mmany In New York survives, because the
ntest was only of a minor nature, and T.
,rked In caboot with the Republican ms. -.
ipe. But It has been shaken with a warn
9 whose import cannot be mistaken.
The New York outcome with the Demo- bu
.tic loss of the state, the legislature. the ov
ut rol of several cities and about every thing Il,
yolved In the election, will prove an un. m
xed blessing TO the party. 1t eliminates q go
element of evil that has repeatedly made ~ q.
'ubJe for the party In a national field, and no
'u'd surely do 90 again, II 1t had prevailed da
8 year. It sought last year to extend its ~ ~,
ious grip over the national convention and se,
,haps would have succeeded but for the pr
wer OF Clevelsnd's personality. This dar- 'st
Is now passed for a few years at least an
e shame of Its crimes In the name of Dam
acy, will not burden the party In another
npsign. Sc
equally righteous Is the result In New Jer- N, nv
where race track gamblers state senate inc
wept out clean. How can any decent man the
p feeling grateful? o..
n it. broader aspects the election mean. u
j. Mckinley for the Republican candidate .u!
1896 and another battle on the tariff ques- de.
/. 1t is an issue on which the Republican ~,
ty cannot win, unless civilization got bot
kward. One towards which both parties 10
IT now be irresistably forced and one on .w vn
On tue hepuoncan advantage ID this time lars
distress IL bound to prove most deceptive CAV
Democrats cannot help revising the tari6
revising 1t downward. To retreat now
lid be simply dissolution. The great miss
nsps unavoidable with the silver difficulty, As