The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-18

they carried twenty-three out of forty-four
States and Mr.. Cleveland's popular major
ity over Harrison was S7s,O66. Mr.. Cleve-
land received As. per cent. of the entire
popular vote and General Harrison re-
ceived 42.a per cent. of it. 1t has been
more than twenty years since the disparity
between the percentage of the popular vote
received by a successful candidate for Pres
ident and that received by the unsuccessful
candidate was as great as in 1892. In 1880
Garfield received 1881 of the popular vote
and Hancock received 1920 In 1883 Mr..
Cleveland received 4S.4S of the popular vote
and Mr.. Harrison received 1922. Not since
1872, when Greeley ran against Grant, has
the disparity in the popular vote cast for
the two candidates been as great it
in 1892. The same is true of the electoral
vote, of which Mr.. Cleveland received G..
per cent. and General Harrison 1926 per
than in any presidential election since 1872.
In the congressional elections of the same
year the Democrats elected pa out of $50
Representatives, giving them an unwieldy
majority in the House, and they gained
enough Senators to give them a majority
in that body. The party came into power
on a tidal wave of popular approval. 1t
had succeeded In making the people believe
that the interests of good government de-
manded the defeat of the Republican party,
and that the prosperity Of the country
would be greatly promoted by placing the
Democratic party in power. So the peo-
pie did it in very emphatic manner. Mr..
Cleveland was inaugurated amid great re-
joicing, and the party leaders predicted
that it would remain in power a quarter
of a century.
Could greater contrast be imagined than
that between the Democratic party of ten
months ago and the same party at pres
ent? We have already indicated how
strong it was when Mr. Cleveland came
into power; it would be hardly possible to
exaggerate the extent of it's decentralization
and disntegration to-day. The President
is quarreling with Congress, the Democrats
in both houses are quarreling among them
selves. the party press throughout the
country is flashing both, the local leaders
are knitting one another, and factional
fights are springing up everywhere. The
party in Congress is equally afraid to adj
vance or retreat. 1t is hopelessly divided
on every important question of public pol
icy. 1t is not united on anything except
the postoffices. Prominent Democrats like
President Ingalls, openly denounce the
party leaders in Congress for their stupid
laundering and criminal assaults on the
prosperity of the country. Thousands Of
trade platform have signed and forwarded
protests against the policy being carried
out, and the leaders are in quandary
whether to repudate their promises or
their constituents. The leading Demo
cratic paper of Arkansas says, IF there is
a Democrat in Arkansas who thinks Cleve-
lands policy is in accord with the party
in this State he should run for Governor
Enquirer says: Mr.. Cleveland was elected
by an overwhelming majority. Where IS
the proof that his course is now approved
by that overwhelming majority" In the
face of the worst business depression the
country has ever known Congress contin-
ues to rub salt on the countrys wounds
and the administration demonstrates its
inability to cope with the situation The
Secretary of the Treasury, with a treas
ury deficit of $43.0O0O00 and increasing at
the rate of $7,OOO,OOO a month, implores
to save the governments credit, and Con-
gress does nothing The administrators
Hawaiian policy is almost universally dis
approved. Many of the party. papers open
ly condemn it. while very few have a word
to say in it's defense. The Atlanta Consti-
tuition declares that Secretary Gresham
should be hustled out of a Democratic
Cabinet" And so the merry war goes on
The Democratic party is breaking up.
1t will not die, but it will be turned out
of power. If an election were to be held
and the Queen-restoring policy the Demo-
| Gratis would not carry a single Northern
State, and would probably lose several
| Southern States. No party ever collapsed
| as suddenly or completely as has the DEM
| ocratic party since November. 1892.