Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-29
fractional Differences in the Three
Most Important States.
TRYING CONDITIONS FOR THE VICTORS
Resultof Last Years Overwhelming
Successes.
D E MOCRATIC TROUBLES

The republican party is now laborinp I'm.
der the misfortunes that commonly follow
political victories
These misfortunes were foreseen at the
time of the last election, and many repub-
llcans regretted that in an off year the
Iarty swept the country by such an over.
whelming majority. That great victory
caused republicans to feel that '96 held no
uncertainties for them
This feeling of assured success resulted
In turning the party guns from their enc.
mics and fostered factonal fights. 1t was
VI derstood among republican leaders that
leadership at this time meant more than on
ordinary occasions. They felt that they
would elect a President to succeed Mr.
Cleveland. and there was little reason for
tfem to oppose the democracy. which they
believed to be buried at least until after the
presidential contest. In many states this
feeling has been uppermoSt, and factions
that had before considered it necessary to
harmonize, reopened their old fights and
leaders sought to control their states at the
expense of other ambitious men.
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
In Ohio the Foraker faction took heart
and downed the Sherman-McKinley people
at their state convention at GAINESVILLE. not
only nominating their man for governor,
but after their success entertained in many
quarters Ideas Of preventing the further
rise of Mckinley, who had previously been
looked upon Ohio's sure candidate for
the presidency. So high has this party
feeling risen that it is believed in some
quarters that the Sherman kinley fac
tion, rather than give their enemies an op-
portunity to become more powerful, will
defeat by inaction, If not by overt acts,
the election of the republican nominee for
the governorshp.
In Pennsylvania there is equally hot
ST OIL for ha YrA1 Of ha
state by the republicans.
New York is also in the hands, of ambi-
tious party leaders struggling for suprem-
acy. in an hour when supremacy means
so much Republican victory in that state
permitted Platt to raise his head and to at
tempt to assume a dictatorship in state ap-
pointments, which has been contested by
Gov Morton. While there has been TO op-
portunity to show that the fight in New
York threatens so serious consequences to
the party as IT does in Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania. yet there is very ugly feeling prev.
alent in that state
Necessity for Harmony.
These three great states. New York.
Pennsylvania and Ohio, have usually been
looked upon as holding the keynote to the
political situation throughout tire country.
OF nearly 900 delegates to the national
nominating convention the combined
strength of these three states alone will
be lis. 1t will be seen that they repre-
sent one-ffth of the votes of that con-
Vention, and the necessity for harmony
within their hoarders is consequently very
great Had the last election been very
close one, so close that republicans would
have been obliged to turn their attention to
strengthening themselves against the demo-
Gratis, 1t is quite generally believed that
factional fights throughout the country
within republican ranks would have been
much less severe. But the victory brought
trouble. the full import of which is yet
to be seen.
Democratic Difficulties.
1t is true that the democratic party,
notably In Illinois, Kentucky and In many
other states, has been carrying severe
nights within Its own party lines. But
these fights, as a rule, have not been mere
factional contests, with no meaning except
q Gesre fer supremacy among the leaders,
They have chiefly been brought about be-
cause of difference of opinion on the
money question. The silverites are fighting
for supremacy of their theories rather
than for the elevation to power of certain
men, The silver question Is a far moro
important one in the democratic party
than 1t is in republican ranks, for no one
believes that the silverites will be able
to secure any important concession in the
republican convention. 10 is generally be-
HeVed that that convention will inGorse the
platform adopted IN 1892 while the demo-
cratic convention may, and probably will,
have serious difficulty over the silver ques-
ton. Even the victory of sound money
men in Kentucky was but half victory,
because while they adopted a sound money
platform and indorsed President Cleveland
and Secretary Carlisle in lauda tory terms
they nominated free silver man on this
platform. The platform was more import
ant than the man, but the compromise
indicates that :he sound money element
of Kentucky was not altogether supreme.
Trying Conditions for vIctors.
Victories have always brought on trying
conditions for the victors, and this was
never shown more plainly than in the
present condition of the republican party,
almost unanimous on the great issues Of
the day-the financial and tariff questions
yet torn to an alarming degree by fac
tional fights carried on by ambitious men