The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-11-12
WASHINGTON.
from our Regular Correspondent.


hard wall of defeat again. True, the
defeat isn't as overwhelming as the
McKinleyites tried to make the coun-
try believe 1t was, but still it is defeat.
Democrats do not like defeat any
better now than in the past nor any
better than the republicans did four
years ago, but there are numerous
reasons which serve to make the de-
feat of Bryan especially aggravating,
not the least of which is the knowl-
edge that his election would have been
SO easy had the gold democrats given
him as loyal support as the silver dem
ocrats gave to Cleveland in his three
campaigns. Still there is very little
bitterness expressed by democrats.
They made their fight against the
greatest odds any party ever fought
against and came SO near winning that
they frightened some of the other fel-
lows almost to death, and, being good
citizens and thorough believers in the
rule of the majority, they are generally
disposed to accept the result philoso-
phically and to wait for time to even
up things, as it generally does, IN
politics and in everything else.
A majority of Mckinley electors
have been elected and majority of
the popular vote has been registered
against the free coinage of silver; it
is certain that majority of the next
House will be anti-silver republicans,
and that enough legislatures have gone
republican to elect enough Senators
to wipe out the silver majority in the
Senate and give that body over to the
control of the anti-silver republicans.
Granting that these probabilities will
all turn out to be facts, they are not
so terrible, from a democratic point
Of view, as they at first glance appear
to be. In fact, if the democrats could
not have the Presidency and both
branches ofCongress it is much better
for the future of the party-let it not
be forgotten that the democratic party
is the one deathless political party
that this country has known-that
the republicans should have them ALL
With the executive and legislative
branches of the government in their
hands there can be no shirking of
responsibilities on the part of the
republicans. They have promised the
country a renewal of prosperity, if
they were restored to power. Now
that is exactly what the country stands
most in need of and what the demo.
cratic party hoped to accomplish. A
majority of the voters of the country
have decided that the republicans
should have another trial. All right,
let them 60 ahead and give us prosperi-
ty as soon as possible. If they do it,
the voters will be sure to give them
full credit for it, and they may be sure
that the democrats will be too anxious
after their long period of "hard times"
under previous republican legislation
and policy to get little OF that pros
perity for themselves to raise any OBJ
stacles to prevent its coming or to
drive it away after it arrives. If they
fail, as they have done before, the
voters will see their mistake and will
give the democratic party chance to
see what it can do towards making
the country permanently prosperous,
instead of spasmodically prosperous
with long intervals of "hard times"
between.
Many things might be said about
the methods pursued to secure Nc
Kinley's election, but as the case is
analogous to that of some of our un-
scrupulous rich men who have no
hesitation about violating moral laws
to get money but are almighty careful
not to violate the criminal laws, it is
probably best to let them so without
comment.
Since the election there has been
considerable talk about reorganiza-
ton of the democratic party upon
some basis which will bring together
in one organization .all those who be
lieve in the fundamental principles OF
the party. Such movement proper
ly conducted is worthy of all COM
mendation. There may be two
opinions as to the need of areorganiza-
ton of the democratic party, but it is
certain, to my mind, and l think to
that of the most of those who are
familiar with the workings Of the cam
paign just ended, that the democratic
party needs organization very badly
In many States. That is one OF the
few things that the party might find
that it would be advantageous to copy
after its opponents. Had the demo
cratic party been organized as II
should have been Senators Jones and
Faulkner would have had more trust
worthy information from several
States than they were furnished with,