The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-06
REPUBLICAN DEFEAT .ExPLAINED.'

'When one-fourth of a party because
Of accident have control and determine
to run things their way, and if they
cannot, TO smash things, it is very easy
TO demoralize the Whole outfit, and
that is what happened in Salt Lake
and Utah this year"
50 said our morning contemporary
yesterday This was said for the pur-
pose of minimizing the Democratic vic
tory in this state. Why our contem-
porary should talk about one-fourth of
the Republican party in this state be-
ing in control of the party we cannot
campaign programme Of that one
fourth had the full ard hearty endorse
ment OF our contemporary. Both
branches of the party nominated Mr..
Holbrook, worked hard for his election
and gave him a genuinely hearty sup
port. Yet he was not elected.
In this county it was the same in re-
gard to the Republican ticket. Our
contemporary Endorsed, in terms of
highest praise, all the candidates, and
did all in its power to elect them. Yet
they were not elected.
Our contemporary advised Republic
ans throughout the state 10 support tine
party legislative ticket, alleging,
among other reasons, that it
was essential that there be a
Republican legislature to act in
urged every reason it could why there
should be a Republican Legislature re-
turned. Yet the legislature is almost
unanimously Democratic.
If one-fourtlh of the Republican party
were in control in the state, our con-
temporary was backing up it's policy, so
far as local politics is concerned, with
all its power. Everything was said to
be most harmonious in the party, and
during the campaign nothing but a
concord of sweet sounds was heard to
come from it.
1t is but six months since the Re
publican legislature adjourned. a legis-
lature that elected two United States
senators. and the record of IT'S achieve
ments is still fresh in the minds of the
people. VIII anyone claim that if that
record had been satisfactory to them
that a new Republican legislature
world not have been elected?
If the voters of this county had been
satisfied with the Republican admins
tra&ion of its affairs would they have
shown their satisfaction by throwing
all the Republican candidates out,
many of them having been members of
the present Republican county admin
istrafion?
1t is all very well to say that it is
rot great Democratic victory, and to
prove that it is notify plausible expla-
nations as TO how there were large de-
fections from the Republican ranks.
Very true; but is there any way in the
world by which a minority party can
hope to become a majority party save
through defections in the ranks of the
party in power to the party out of
power? 1t is this fact that always
gives hope and encoura cement to the
party struggling for control How other
wise would the Republicans have
wrested the state from the Democrats
in 1894? The Democrats have wrested
the control of the state from the Re
publicans in 1896 in tine same way.
We are not totally ignorant OF 6he
methods of explaining defeats, having
had some experience in that line but
the best explanation of all, the one that
fits all cases and must eventually be
accepted by every defeated party, is
this-lack OF votes.