Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-07

Variety is to some people the spice of
life: to Americans il is one of the necessi-
ties Two years ego the American voter
came to the conclusion that IT might be
just as well to give the tariff reformers an
opportunity to make good some OF their
theories, and the result was democratic
victory in the legislative and executive
branches Of the governmental result that
surprised the democrats as much as il did
the republicans Yesterday the American
voter was once more in evidence. Dissatis-
fed with the way in which the country had
been run by those into whose keeping he
had entrusted it. the voter decided that
the time had come for another change.
And he got it; or he will set il as soon as
the machinery he started yesterday settles
down to business. There shoGld be no
difficulty In figuring out what the Ameri-
can voter is after; searching for reasons
for the republican avalanche beneath
which the democratic idea is just now
buried might fairly be termed work
of supererogatiOn. Throughout the whole
land there was disgust, bred of the leSisla-
tive folly that gave birth to the hateail and
un-American income tax and WIS respun-
sible for the trade-Wrecl<inS policy Of anti
reciprocity. The people not inclined TO be
hypercritical, refused to sympathize with
the thoughtless few whose oft-condemned
theories aimed TO vex and Cypress those
who were industrially -successful; declined
to recognize capacity for government in
men who dubbed reciprocity a fraud be
cause the reciprocal idea was developed and
put into practice by a statesman who was
not of their political faith; insisted that
both patriotism and business sense were
lacking in the authorities whose will it was
70 1rf1t. m q A.
waiian Islands, and who were only pre-
vented by an outburst of popular condem-
nation from restoring to a rotten throne
one of the most thoroughly disreputa0le
represen tatives of so-cailed royalty. In all
the campaign which closed yesterday there
was not developed any desire Tor return
to the Mckinley tariff-that was in many
respects preposterously hiSh--nor was there
voiced any demand for re-enactment Of
the Federal election law; bat from every
valley and hilltop in the United States have
gone up prayers for wiSely-liDeral adminis-
tration of the nations affairs. Had there
been democratic success yesterday there is
every reason for believing that, as con-
sequence, would have come Il renewal of
endeavor 20 bring about legislative and in
dustrial conditions more closely resembling
the free-trade Utopia than was planned
even IN Jus original W llSOil pIll, pipiiiASSS
to that effect were put on record by sew
eral of the democratic leaders. 1t is there
fore subject for general rejoicing that the
popular voice had no quaSer in 1t. For
nearly two years this country has suffered
from depression such as never before af-
fiicted the republic. ana even the least
capable student of political economy can
trace the direct connection between demo-
cratic tinkering with the tariff and the
almost universal distress. That the House
Of Representatives of the Fifty-fourth Con-
yress will not err is extremely improbable,
out whatever wrong-dOinS it may be guilty
IF 1t will surely be innocent of anything
ike a new tariff bill. Minor changes will
doubtless be made in the measure now
iaw, and at least effort to repeal the
the income-tax schedule is certain, but
capital and labor can rest assured that Tor
at least two years from March next they
will be permitted to work on an I'm threat-
ened basis; will be encouraged to toll by
reasonable degree of legislative perma-
nency. Had there been promise of such
permanency by democratic leaders yester-
days election would probably have been
minus it's avalanche feature.