The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-13
DEMOCRATIC CORPSE.
GOV. ALTGELD SAYS THE DEMO
Gratis SHOULD NOT TALK
WHILE THE WAKE
GOES ON.
Attributes Defeat to the Bitterness
Against the Federal ADJ
ministratiOn.

Springfield, ILL.,, Nov. Tt Is the be-
lief of Gov. Altgeld that the Republican
landslide of Tuesday was brought about
chiefly through "the treachery of the
national administration and the gold bug
wing Of the Democracy in Wall street"
Democratic conventions in many states
he says, were packed by postmasters and
menials of the administration, who
forced the adoption of Cleveland's policy
on the money question. The governor
was asked what he had to say about the
results Of the elections.
"Oh, nothing" he answered with a
broad smile. 1T is not our place to talk
We have just been laid out and you
know that in polite society it is regarded
as bad form for a corpse to indulge in
much back talk while the wake is in
progress" and then the governor laughed
at his own grim humor
How will this affect the silver move
ment?" was then asked.
"Oh, I don't know" said he while
the silver platform has been roughly
treated in the Eighteenth district in this
state, it has yet Jared a great deal better
than the gold platforms in the other
states. For example, Iowa went Demo-
cratic several times, but two years ago
In the great landslide 1t went Repub-
lican by about $4,000 majority This
year, when the Democrats held their
state convention, it was packed by post
masters and the agents of the federal
administration, and they adopted plat
form indorsing Clevelands policy on the
money question and as a result the great
majority of two years ago, instead of
being held down, has been doubled.
I'm Kentucky, the great strength of
Democracy, the federal admnistrati ton,
by prostitution Of patronage, secured an
Endorsement of Cleveland and Carlisle on
the money question, and, as a result, the
Democrats are in the woods looking for
the remains of their once mighty party
In Ohio Senator Brice and Campbell de-
fsated the silver plank in the convention
ana adopted a gold platform, and as a
result, the phenomenal Republican ma
1ority which Mckinley got in the land
Slide Of two years ago has been increased
In Pennsylvania the Democrats adopted
gold plank, and the result is a Repub-
licsn majority of 10000. In New Jersey,
which is really Democratic state, the
Democrats adopted a gold platform, and
as a>result, the Republicans have carried
everything in sight. In Maryland, which
has been strongly Democratic for quar-
ter of a century, the Democrats adopted
gold platform, and, as a result, there
are not enough of them left to bury their
dead. In New York. the Democrats
adopted a gold platform, and, as re-
suit. the Republican majorities outside Of
Massachusetts, they adopted the same
platform, and, as a consequence, the Re
publican flood is neck deep all over the
state"
The governor further said he attributed
the general defeat to a feeling of most
intense bitterness against the federal ad-
ministration. There was feeling every
where among Democrats that tn federal
administration had trampled upon every
principle of Democracy and had simply
done the dirty work for the Republican
party. 1t had gone farther, in carrying
out the principles of Hamiltonianism
than the Republicans ever dared. There
was a feeling that the present federal
administration was the weakest and
most pusllanimous the country ever had.
AS a consequence the party representing
trusts and special privilege grabbers had
been victorious.
The effect will be to give new impe-
tus to trusts and to increase corruption
in Office. But in the end it would, he
said, benefit the Democratic party in
that it would retire a number of men
who had posed as Democratic leaders,
but who had kept the party from espous-
ing any cause or standing for any prin-
ciple.
THE Republican party in the city of
New York is entitled to sympathy on ac-
count of the manner of it's death. The
Philistines were destroyed by the jaw
bone Of an ass, and no people have en-
Wed them the manner Of their taking off,
but the jawbOne of an ass is a respect
able instrument of execution compared
with the jawbone of Teddy, which has
neither tooth nor singer, but simply
abuses at both ends and at the middle"