Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-09-13
The Meaning of Vermont.

Al seriioh' .iie lc'uriis siio" d uiicoo
loss Vi ABOUT 400 Delnocratlc VOTES, the
Republican vote increasing 9ll2, and the
total vote 1901. No less than 26 per cent
of the entire Democratic vote of that state
was lost. and 20 per cent cast for the Re
publican ticket. if the returns do not mis-
load IT doc not ,,,ttar ,yho+bor tho NOR
cont,go is somo,rb,t l.rror or cun,lier.
tbc only fact that commits j. tb,e n ro,narl.
ablv LARGO nronortior voted with tho Rn
publicans this venr For this pbenom-
cnon there ar., two oxnlanations offcrod
Free trade journals assert that tho beavv
Democratic loss occurrcd becausc voters
were displcased nv the failure of their
marty TO change the tariff thoro,Ighlv and
radically. Free raw materials had been
promised and only free wool aiyen: rev.
enue duties ON manufactured nroducts
| were promised. but protective duties some
times higher than those of the Mckinley
act. were imposed. The wrath of the voters
was because the tariff had not been re-
duced enough. and the elections teach that
the Democratic party cannot hope to sue
coed until it lives I'D to its professions and
principles. That is one explanation. The
other is that preparation for n Democratic
change and ,he change itself have driven
many thousand people out of cmployment
and that the voters resent and punish
what the party did. and not what it failed
to do According to this view. the party
is whipped because it moved toward free
trade at all. The other view is that the
party is whipped because it did not move
| further in the same direction.
It ought not to he difficult to determine
which of these views is the correct one If
| the one is clearly sensible and tho other
| clearly not. il is something very like dis
honest to set ND and reiterate a false inter
| pretation. One safe Indication is that tho
| Democratic loss was esncc1allv LARGO in the
| ,naprfoctur;ng towns This noiptS dis.
| tinctly to disnle.sure of ,nonnf,cturinr,
workers. many of whom are ont of em,
| nlovmapt and who are NOT in tho Io,st
| iilelv 70 resent the fact fiat drties v-oro
| NOT ont down moro Another indication
is that the neonIc who defended the Demo-
cratic Marty in that region soft nm tho
claim not that If had done aIl that II
could in tho 1yav of tariff rovoIutior Int
| that II had really done very little and not
enougb to bnrt anvbodv Tbev nresum.
| ablv knew what obiections thew had IN
combat Rnt tho surcst indication of all
| is that the malcontcnts and robollino
| Democrats whose votes wore Withdrawn
| from their own Marty mostly rotod the
Rennblican t;clot This tho ret,,rne Trovo
ne plainlv ne sucb RETURNS cam nroyn an,
| thine Rut man who is disgustcd no.
canse his Marty has not entirely rcvorsad
the RennbIican nolicv docs NOT manifost
his indignation bv voting for Rcnnbli.
cans
The tariff as if stood was n Renpbl;ca,
measure Vermont like other statcs had
oxnerienced nnder II a romarlabln cynan.
sion of industry an advance in wages ~,
;mnrovement in business When tho
| throat of change came in 1900 business be,
gan 70 decline and Industries to sbr;nt
The loss continued more than n wear and
| has not been repaired bv fine rappcd soc
| tionaI and indecentlv Martial rednctions NJ
dutv made bv Democrats The men who
voted the Republican ticket under such
| circumstances declared nc nlain1v as tbov