New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-08
THE MEANING or VERMONT.

In Vermont the returns show II direct loss or
about 4.s1J Democratic votes. the RrpuDllcah
vote increasing 0ll2. ana the total vote 3'ooi.
No less than 20 per cent OF the entire Demo
cratic vote In that State was lost. ana more
than 90 per cent east for the Republican ticker,
II the returns do not mislcad. 1t does not mat
ter whether the percentage Is somewhat larger
or smaller: the only fact that counts Is that
remarkably large proportion voted with the Re
publicanS this year For this phcnomcnon there
are TWO explanations offered
Free Trade Journals assert that the heavy
Democratic loss occurred bcclus" voters wer"
dlsplclscd by thc failure of their party 10 change
the tariff thoroughly and radically. Free raw
materials had been promised and only free wool
given: revenue duties on manufactured products
were. promised but protective duties. SOMETHING'S
higher than those ~ the Mckinley act. were
imposed The wrath Of the voters was because
the tariff had not been reduced enough. and the
elections teach that the Democratic party can
not hope To- succeed until II Hives ny To It's pro
f,.sSions and principles. That is one explana-
ton The other IS that preparation for Demo
cratic change and the change itself hav" driven
many thousand people ont Of employment. ana
that the voters resent ana punish what the party
did and not what IL failed 10 10. According 10
this view. the party Is whipped because 1t moved
toward Free Trade ~ al. The other view Is
that The party * whipped because 1t did not
NOV" further in the same direction
II ought not 10 he difficult 10 determine
which Of these views Is the correct one. IL
one i clearly sensible and the other clearly
not. /, j. something very Ike dishonesty 10 set
mp aud r,ltcratr a false Interpretation. One
safe indicaion j. that The Democratic loss was
especially large In the manufacturing towns.
This points distinctly Ia diSplelsure ~ manu-
featuring workers. many ~ whom are ont Of
employment. and who are not In the least likely
To- resent III" fact that duties were not cut down
more Another indication * that the people who
defended the Democratic party In that region
sci No the claim. not that IL had done all that
It could In the way Of tariff revolution but that
II had really done very ll'ilc and not enough 10
hurt anybody. Th"v presumably knew what OBJ
jcctlonS they had 10 combat. But The surcs in
dicaflon of all Is that The indictments and re-
Boiling Democrats whose votes We're withdrawn
from their own party. mostly voted The Rrpnb-
lean ticket. This the rcIurns prove aS plainly
H. such returns can prove anything. But man
who Is Disguised because his party has not
rircy reversed the Republican policy does not
manifest his Indignation by voting for Krpub-
licans.
The tariff rs II stood was II Rcpubcln meas
urr. Vermont like other States. had exp l"nccl
under II "A remarkable expansion Of Indus -, IN
advance In wages. an Improvement In f-.lrSs.
| When the threat ~ change came In lS,l. buSl-
| ness began 10 decline and industries 10 shrink
| The loss continued more than year. and has
| not been repaired by the ragged sectional and
| lndecenty partial reductions ~ duty made by
| Democrats The men who voted the Rrpub
| lean ticket under such circumstances declared
rs plainly as they could that they were DIS
| pleased because the Republican policy had been
disturbed He who offers any other conclu-
sioiI under the circumstances, imprachrS either
! his own Intelligence or his own honesty.
| But II this Is the meaning Of the vote In Yer
mont what Is 10 be expected IN other States :?
| No doubt I'm some where Frro'rradr notions
| prevail there may he many Democrats whose
disgust with the incompetence of their party
and It's failure 10 keep its pledges may lead them
| To refrain from voting. or To vote with III" Pop
uliss Probably the Democratic party In some
| States will lose n great many votes In this way,
though 1t would be absurd to expect that such
| dissatisfied voters would transfer their support
TO the party whose policy they wished more COM
pletey uprootcd. In all the great manufacur-
Ing and mining States Of the North. however.
1t Is reasonable to look for inst such losses as
have appeared in Vermont, caused by wrath he,
cause bencfccnt Republican tariff for Il
whole year deprived Of It's helpful Influence upon
business and industry by thu threat Of II Demo
cratic change, and has since been in large meas
ure crippled by the change which has been
effected.