The record-union., 1894-05-26
THE COMING CAMPAIGN.

The COMING CAMPAIGN.
Three months ago the Republicans felt
80 confident of victory that they would
have given but little premium to be as
sured of a sweeping success at the polls
in November. The campaign is, bow
ever, to be a quadrangular fight. There
will be at least four tickets III the field
Republican, Democratic, Populist and
Prohibition. In this four-cornered con-
test the result is placed in doubt. The
Populists can and in all likelihood will
cast $4,000 votes in this State The Prohi-
bitionists can and in all probability will
cast Il, 900 votes. The detection from the
Republican ranks into third and fourth
party movements usually remains, while
as the day of election nears the Demo-
cratic element which has trained with
sideshow during the campaign gradually
returns to the main army. The POpu
lists and the Prohibitionists on the day
of the election will be composed in
oJSAASg Va ROORAo WA4O A4stF A1|AO
tofore acted with the Republican party.
OF the $1,000 votes TO be detected from
the two old and traditional parties at
least IS per cent. are to be Republicans.
The leaders of the Republican party have
been banking on the recent successes of
their party in the East, but the appear
L,-&
elections are deceptive. Cleveland vetoed
the seigniorage bill and the Populists
and silver Democrats found no better
way of rebuking him than voting for Re-
publicans. In q regular campaign they
will not SO vote.
Appearances indicate that the Peoples
party has come to stay. and it is already
demonstrated that the Prohibition party,
be its adherents many or few, is perma-
nent element.
There is reason for hope of Republican
success as the certainty of victory de-
clines. AS a rule, campaigns conducted
upon the basis of certainty OF success re-
suit in disappointment and defeat Po-
litical victories are not won without
effort. The Republican party will win
the fight in this State if it makes the effort
necessary to that result, and it can win it
in no other way. The changed appear
ance in the horizon is good thing for
the party. 1t is within the bounds of
reasonable probability to say that it can
win the election in this State, but it can
do so only if it makes the effort neces-
sary to the achievement of that result.
The Populists have not nominated a
strong man, and to the extent of his abil-
ity Mr.. Webster is a monopolist. The
owner of two thousand acres of good
farming land cannot be classified as
among the poor or the sympathizers with
poverty. He stands on platform which
in effect denounces large land holding as
monopoly; and yet he holds enough
land to confer upon fifty families perfect
independence. The rank and file of the
Peoples party have intelligence enough
to distrust the gsnuineness of q reform
which places at the head of its column a
standard bearer owning $500 worth of
bank stock and two thousand acres of
land. Five hundred dollars worth of
bank stock is not large amount, but it
is enough to indicate the direction of
Mr.. Webster's ambitions.
It may be accepted as an evidence of the
confusion Of thought among the masses
of men that this is the third instance
where q large land-holder has received
the nomination for Governor on an anti
monopoly platform. The two predeces-
sors of Mr.. Webster were John Bidwell
and Hugh Glenn. Bidwen received
about thirty-two thousand votes for
Governor; but the total vote of the State
at that time was less than one hundred
thousand. Glenn received about sixty
thousand votes, but his successful COM
petitor had plurality of twenty thousand
votes. Notwithstanding this, we still
adhere to our estimate of Webster's vote.
Times are unusual; industries are
paralyzed; crops are shorts manufactures
have suspended; money is scsrcei the
values of property are contracting; and
large numbers of people are unfortunately
out of employment This condition of
stringeney is not confined to California,
r. 4ha ITnftad Srataa An apalopons
condition to that existing here is found to
exist throughout the world. We are
passing through 3 period of depression.
It is a natural reactionsry condition from
period of great imitation; and the natural
reactionary point will be to period of
great prosperity. But the election will
occur in the very trough of this depressed
condition. Peoples Parties, such as the
one which has just concluded its de-