The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-11-08

rison was elected president OF the United
states. In the electoral college his majority
was eo-or within one or two votes of Ma
lor Mchinleys apparent majority this year
BUT IN Two years the people repudiated
Harrison by electng n congress hostile TO
him, and in four years they turned him
| and his party out OF office
Out OF the record Of the past the people
may draw encouragement for the present
Mr.. Brynn's defeat is not defeat for his
principles. perhaps not even permanent de-
feat for himself He and his party accented
situation In June last which seemed alb
solutely to compel defeat Democracy had
been discredited demcrallzed. assassinated
by Grover Cleveland To put a ticket In
the field seemed ridiculous. But with
really democratic platform, with frank
and outspoken Reputation of Cleveland
ism. the party has made inroads ON repub-
lcan strongholds and approached very near
to victory
Against Mr.. Bryan this year every agency
Of capitalism and cupidlty was arrayed
For his overthrow the most enormous cam.
paign fund known TO American politics
was expended while in his behalf pennies
were available where his foes had dollars.
Against him the sinister agencies OF cor
| ruption, coercion and intimidation were
cruelty employed. Yet, despite all, he has
made better showing at the polls than
| Harrison in 1892, and as good Us Cleveland
| in 1883.
The democratic party has every reason
| to be proud OF the issue OF this campaign,
| and every possible reason to adhere for the
next four years to the principles which
have made SO creditable an outcome pos
| sible.
WHERE ARE PALMER DEMOCRATS?
New Orleans Times Democrat.
| +t,a
that the Palmerites. or so called national
democrats, cut in politics is scarcely az
good as during the campaign. The Indian
apolis party was born, we were told, for
the express purpose of preserving the or
| ganization of the party Its members de-
cared that they were unwilling to support
Bryan and the Chicago platform, but, being
democrats, they could not vote Cor Nc
Kinley; and they proposed to elect the
latter-for that was their avowed pur-
pose-by taking votes from Bryan which
he would otherwise get. because he was
the party candidate. By putting UP an
other democratic candidate II was thought
that 1t would soothe the conscience Of
number OF former democrats, who would
|
name or standard of democracy.
The Sound money" democrats. we were
told at the time. numbered over a million;
and 1t was estimated at first that Palmer
would poll nearly million votes This
estimate was considerably reduced AS the
| campaign progressed, but 100000, or 0 per
cent Of the total democratic votes. were
expected to 90 to the generals, enough TO
| yiy a number
cratic States.
The election returns have considerably
changed these figures. The Palmer vote
has everywhere fallen far below the first
estimates. The total will be much less
than the prohibition candidate got IN 1892,
and Is possibly not as great as the vote OF
the socialis; and other minor parties 1t
is so small In Illinois. being below the
2 per cent OF the total which the election
law requires to make 1t political party.
that 1t can not be allowed recognition on
the official ballot In any future election.
The peculiar thing about 1t IL that SO
few OF the men who declared they We're
for Palmer voted for him. In the Chi
cago Records postal card contest some IL
per cent of the democrats declared their in
tention to vote for Palmer but the re-
turns show that not oue-fifth OF them did
so. Here In New Orleans the Sound
money" democrats found no difficulty in
securing one thousand signatures to the
nomination papers required to put their
electors on the official ballot; AMI they
claimed some 5000 votes; but they east only
764 in New Orleans. and 1900 or 1909 In the
entire State. This popularity is not con-
fined to Louisiana. The Sound money
vote everywhere fell below claims aud ex-
pectations. The Sound money" democrats
voted. but somehow the boxes did not con-
tain the Palmer votes which they claim Il
have cast.
, |
ment about the phenomenon, AMI II Is
frankly admitted that when it came to the
, final test the Sound money" democrats
went over 10 the republican party, and
swallowed Hanna, Mckinley, and The en-
tire dose. They were afraid chat II they
cast their votes for Palmer 1t might not
elect Mckinley, and thought t safer Ia
2 vote directly for the latter. The secrecy
9 of the Australian ballot protected them In
doing so. They could still claim to be
democrats. because they had Announced
their intention to vote for that 'stalwar,
, democrat" John NJ Palmer; and they could
al the same time satisfy their personal
, wishes by dropping a vote In the box fol
a Mckinley. 1t is said that in one ~ the
precincts in this city where there are six
vehement Palmerites all of then Noicd
only one Palmer vote was cast, which
caused great deal OF suspicion Of the
six toward each other until it was sug-
= | besttu tL"l u must NC W." W NJ WV
ton irrogularity. As it was. similar ir-
= ! rogulari;os occurred. not only all over
= Now Orleans and Louisiana. nut all oYel
e the Union. Tho Palmer democrats-save 6
. few. and many OF these through Ignorance
did not vote for Palmer,
The question is likely to arise as TO the
position of the Palmeriies toward the party
= The "natiouals' claimed that 1t was thei
c purpose 10 preserve the integrity of thu
party and reorganze Il after The fight
=, but there are rather few of them TO d,
II much IN the reorganization line. a PARTY
y or faction. which numbers barely 1900 o
e 1900 in the State or about per cent c
n the democratic vote, IL not likely TO d
:, much In the reorganlzinE way or 10 fgur
il very conspicuously in politics. They Nigh
have done something II they had Hhowi
u some strength. but without votes one cal
: rot accomplish much in politics.
~ II rnirht he worth while for the Coldfe