The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-11-21
THE VOTING AND
THE PRESS.
What Is Shown by the Late Elections
The Sections.

The Sections.
The election returns tell a remarkable
story as to the power of the press. Whether
newspapers lead Or simply reflect public
opinion need not concern us, the fact being
that all over the united States the voting
corresponded with extraordinary closeness
with the attitude of the press in each
locality.
The Mckinley pluralities were proper
tionally largest in New England, New
York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey,
where the press was substantially unani-
nous on the great issue of the day. In
Maryland, the press of Baltimore, formerly
divided, was now in harmony and Mary,
land, an 0ld-time Democratic state, was
! Republican by an unprecedented majority.
{ Delaware was also fixed in the Mckinley
column, and Delaware is within the sphere
of influence worked by the Philadelphia
and Baltimore newspapers
Beginning with Ohio, the region of I'M
precedented majorities is broken, and it
is here that the influential press begins to
be more divided. There were two widely
circulated silver papers in the Buckeye
State, one in Cleveland and one in Gin.
cinnati, and it now appears that McKin-
ley's plurality will finally he about so, 0OO
or much less than he received when elected
Governor, and less by 10000 than Bush
nell received for Governor last year. The
Cincinnati papers also affected West Vir-
ginia, which was more influenced, how
ever, by the Pittsburg press, and we find
West Virginia Republican by 1O,0 600 plu-
rality. Both Indiana and Michigan had
strong, aggressive silver papers, one in
indianapolis and enc in Detroit, and the
returns show that the Republicans car
ried those States by plurllities of not
more than 2O,OOO in Indiana or -, 900 in
Michigan For Michigan, that is not u
great Republican lead, since Garfield car
ricd the State by $4,000 and Harrison four
years ago won it by - goo The Indiana
figures may still be reduced by the lutcs!
returns.
But farther West, in Illinois, Wisconsin
and Iowa. the press was as solid for gold
as in any section of the country, aud here,
too, we lind in each State Republican pu-
ralities running up to or even above the
100, 600 mark. The gold belt in the North
west ends with Minnesota and the two
DakOtas, which are influenced largely by
the press of st. Paul and Minneapolis.
The silver sentiment in those States was
strong, and the Republican pluralities
were comparatively modest, vet such as
they were they must he credited, no doubt,
to the influence of the gold press of the
twin cities
The silver belt Of the United States may
be likened to an irregulary- shaped cres-
cent of immense territorial extent, yet
of sparser population thon the gold belt 1t
begins with Virginia, and sweeps south
and up through the trans Missouri coun-
try to the Canadian line. Virginia had an
able silver press, and thus the influence of
Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia
was counteracted, and Bryan had COM
Portable lead at the home Of his patron
saint, Thomas Jefferson. Throughout the
South the press was more or less divided
in some cases, as that Of the New Or
leans Picayune, Galveston News and the
Louisville Courier-J Journal Southern news
papers were aggressively for gold, yet
the silver press was strong enough save in
Kentucky, to maintain the old solidity Of
the South, below Maryland and West
Virginia, on the new issues Kentucky
is so extremely close that the power of the
Courier-J Journal is still splendidly vindi.
Gated, for Kentucky is normally a strong
Democratic state.
Crossing the Mississippi, which cuts the
silver crescent in two, we find widely cir.
culated silver newspapers in st. Louis,
Kansas City, Omaha, Topeka, Denver and
Salt Lake City, which are the great dis
tributng points for that trans-Missouri
region Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Mon
tana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and Ne
vnda, which were carried by Bryan, were
all under the influence largely of the silver
press of those cities. On the Pacific coast,
however, the press was stronger on the
Republican side, save in Washington,
which was carried by Bryan. The Portland
Oregonan did much to save Oregon to the
Mckinley column, and so, too, of the
Republican press of San Francisco, which
fought the Mckinley campaign on the Re
publican promise Of international bimatal
lsm, and by this pledge succeeded in hold
ing the state by Il narrow margin. 1t
should be noted in passing that the greatest
Bryan plurality, in proportion to the total
vote, was cast in Colorado, where, as in the
extreme East, the press was substantially
solid on one side.
After making all necessary allowances
for the tendency Of newspapers to follow
a public sentiment rather than to create or
mould it, the history Of the presidential
campaign OF 1896 proves that the press in
aAGllMMn