People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-12-01
Nuts to Crack.

Nuts to Crack.
Frederic c. Waite, one Of the great
est StatiSticans in this country and a |
famous lecturer, who did shc expert
estimating for Supt. Porterin the cen
suS Office, gave some surprising and sig
nificant figures in a recent lecture
before the Columbian university.
Speaking of the late elections. he
analysed the returns to show That the
stay at-homc vote is what causes the
success and defeat Of parties. He
showed that political changes come
In cycles and with uniform regularity. |
The Democrats won in '36 and &c:
40 and 80 defeats: ~ and 'S4 victor
les; rs and 'SS defeats; 80 and '92
victories, while losing at alternate
elections, the election pendulum
swinging the mantle of supremacy
from party to party with mathemat-
ical regularity when no great issue
was at stake. After Analysing the
vote to show cOnclusively that it was
the stay-at-hOme voters who caused
the defeat Of the Democrats in the
last election, he says: at is the stay
at-hOme party which has made such
phenomenal gains, while without an
important exception in any state
which has had an election there has
been decrease in the vote of the Re-
publican, Democratic and all other
parties except one. The Peoples
party has made Insignificant gains in
some Of the states; large gains in one
and apparent losses in a few on &C
count Of the doing away with fusion.
The astonishing features of the re-
cent election are the same as those of
last year, when 1000 Republicans
stayed at home, while their Populist
brethren cast 1,042,j3l votes. The
POpulistS have held their vote re-
markedly well, even in those states
where they were successful last year
only because Of the aid of the Demo-
ocratS.
Census and registration statistics
disclose the fact That the states hay
ing elections this year have furnished
their full quota of 100000 stay-at-
home voters. Fully 100000 of these
are utterly dissatisfied with their
own party. They and the POpulists
are the two potent and ever increas-
ing armies of discomfort. Plans are
are being laid TO unite these forces
under one banner. Their utter lack
of leaders of ability seems to be the
only obstacle.
THE causes which have produced
discomfort are identical with the
causes which have produced the pres
ent financial crisis. Hence, | may
quote few words from what l said
in miscellaneous senate document,
No. %, relative to the cause of the
industrial depression
In word, the total net private
indebtedness Of the American people
eQualed in 1880, but $3.50 million dol
lars; in September, 1892, it amounted
to 1900 millions, an excess of 1900
millions in the short period of twelve
years"
These mute figures tell the tale.
Our manufacturing and mining in
dustries have been stimulated under
the intoxicating influence of protec-
ton, while our farmers have been
compelled to borrow to meet deficits.
Our land values have been bolstered
up by bOOms and ruthless real estate
speculation all over the west and
south. Railroads have been tuilt to
fOrestall competitors, to raise the
value of land and to build cities
where none were needed. Bonds
and watered stocks have been
'ruthleSsly fOated for the purpose of
wrecking valuable properties Until
now the liabilities of the railroad
companies equal fully s. per cent or
5000 million dollars more than their
total assets"
THE general discomfort and pro-
found unrest produced and reinforced
by such potent economic forces, and
combined with the possibility of a
labor vote may be expected to debar
the Republicans from gaining the
necessary majority in the next cleo
tOral college. AS 1896 is not the year
on which Democratic victories will
fall according to the law of political
cycles already noted, the house of
representatives to be chosen in 1894
will prObaly elect the next president
Of the United States"