The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-23

ure of the Democracy to redeem its
pledge on the tariff by the action of
few Democrats in the senate had ut
terly Disguised the rank and file of the
party and they were intending to ad-
minister punishment by refusing to go
to the polls. The paralyzed condition
of Democracy a year and a half ago
was not due to either it's tariff views
or it's financial views, but was the de-
moralization which is the natural and
righteous punishment for a failure to
be true to the people. We give Mr..
Bryan full credit for having stirred
the hope of victory in the breasts Of
these disheartened voters, and of hav-
ing filled the campaign with dash
and enthusiasm and a good deal of
boastfulness 1t is also true that he
received the support Of probably more
than 6.O00,000 voters, though no one can
tell how large a percentage of these
voted for free silver on account of
party regularity, but with a mental
protest and determination never to
do it again.
AS long as that left Mr. Bryan and
his associates in minority of ninety
seven votes in the electoral college and
from three-fourths of a million to a
million of popular votes, it certainly
cannot he vindioa tiOp m have hean
beaten by a popular majority such as
has seldom been seen in our history.
Moreover, our correspondent will find
when the official returns come in that,
if we call the organization headed by
Mr.. Bryan the Democratic party, we
will find that it's vote in 1896 fell off
tremendously from it's vote in 1892.
1t should have a very substantial in
crease. There is q natural gain in
population, and there was the fusion
deal, by which the Peoples party vote
should have been added to the Demo-
cratic vote. We shall make, later g.
detailed comparison showing how
free coinage has affected the Demo-
cratic vote in the various states. For
the present, the figures from Kentucky
point the moral.
Four years ago Kentucky cast 175, 461
votes for Cleveland and 23,500 for
Weaver, or a total of 1913, 1861 against the
Republican candidate, who received
1876, AL votes. This year the vote for
Mckinley is 218,O55, an increase of near
ly $4,000 over Harrisons vote in 1892
and Palmer has 5,01S total of 223, 073
against the Bryan Democrats and
Populists. The total vote of the state
is 100000 larger than it was in 1892,
and Bryan gains over the combined
Cleveland and Weaver vote less than
$4,000, while Mckinley and Palmer gain
5000 over Harrison. The introduction
of fusion makes all such comparisons
somewhat unfair to one side or the
other, but the grand total Of SO over
whelming a majority against free sill
yer is a "vindication" at the polls of
those who said that it could not carry
the country.
AS for the National Democratic cam
paign, our correspondent knows that it's
candidates and their supporters did
not expect them to be elected. We will
publish the official totals Of this vote,
also, as soon as they are received, and
they will, we think, tell an unparalleled
story when it is remembered that this
party went into a national campaign
where it had no existence at all two
months before election; where it had
no prior organization In any state;
where even it's candidates had to be
placed on the ballot by petition; and
where not 10 per cent of those among
Democrats who heartily desired the
election of it's nominees dared to be
true enough to principle to vote for
them. Even as to ballots, and much
more as to convictions, we think that
the National Democracy has been am
ply indicated. From no point Of view
will you find this to be true of Bryan
ism We do not suppose that Mr.
| Hodgson will approve this article any
more readily than its predecessors, but
we do hope that he will read, mark,
| learn and inwardly digest it, and ask
for further information whenever he
wants it.