Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-01-12
THE VOTE OF THE COUNTRY.
An Unprecedented Majority Against the


An Unprecedented Majority Against the
Republicans.
There was scarcely a state in which
the vote cast at the presidential cleo
ton equaled the estimates which were
made beforehand. There were q few
in which the vote OF both the great
parties exceeded that which they re-
spectively cast at the election in 1855,
and there were many in which the
democratic vote was greater than 1T
then was The aggregate vote of all
parties exceeded that of four years ago
by GO, 900. This increase was not one
half as large as that made in 1883 over
the vote of 1854, although four more
states. casting an aggregate of nearlv
10, 900 votes, participated in the cleo
ton With this vote deducted, as it
properly should be in making COM
parsons, the increase in 1892 over 1885
was barely one-third of that in 1883
over 1854.
There is no doubt that in the country
at large many thousands Of votes were
lost through the use of the Australian
ballot, in many OF the states for the
first time, in presidential year. In
Michigan the system is as simple as 1t
can be made, and at the same time
probable that there was not single
siderable number of votes, in which
from one to twenty ballots were not
lost by the failure of the voter to in
any way indicate his preferences or be-
cause of some other fatal defect The
aggregate in the state reaches into the
thousands. 1t is probable that in
states where the system is more COM
plicated the losses in this manner
! were greater relatively than they We're
| in Michigan There is no means of as
pertaining how many votes were thus
thrown away in all of the states. but
| it is possible the number may have
| reached quarter of million.
Even with this allowance the in
crease is far short OF what was nat
urally expected The prime cause of
the shortage was undoubtedly the
| want OF confidence of a large number
of repu blicnns in McKinleyism. They
could not bring themselves to the point
of voting against their party. but they
were entirely willing that it should
stand or fall without their aid. In many
localities the Indifference of Republicans
| affected their democratic neigh bors,
and the absence OF brass bands from
the campaign affected the sluggish of
| both parties; but the democratic vote
in many of the states shows the healthy
| and positive growth in tariff reform
sentiment which has been made during
the past four years.
| The plurality of Cleveland over Har-
rison is not really represented by the
| S91. 379 which is the difference shown
| by the totals of their apparent vote.
In Colorado. Idaho, Kansas and Wyo-
ming the democratic vote was all cast
for Weaver, and the bulk of it in sew
| eral other western states went to the
populist candidate. Harrison suffered
| some losses in a similar way in some
southern states, but the net result, if
| the vote was closely analysed, would
be to very materially swell the plural
ity of Cleveland.
So far as the republican party is con-
cerned, the majority against it in the
country at large is simply beyond prec-
edent- For the most part, the men
who voted against the republican party,
but not with the democratic party, are
in sympathy with the principles and
aims of the latter. From them as well
as from the stay-at-home republicans
the democratic party will gain many
| recruits during the next four years
provided its performance shall be wha;
the people have right to expect. Wise
| economy in the administration of af-
fairs and prudent constructive legisla-
ton will tell-DetrOit Free Press