Evening star., 1896-10-21
Looking Backward at the Landslide
of 1894.
WHERE some FOLKS WERE THEN
Many Changes Of Opinion in
the Interval.
r EV E n E A ND OUTG O

headquarters today:
Republicans at headquarters here recall
with great deal of satisfaction the opin-
ions expressed by leading men on the popo-
cratic side in this campaign on the result
of the various state elections less than a
year ago, when the reaction in favor of re-
publican rule in many parts of the country
proved so decisive that the leaders on the
other side felt the necessity of explaining
the cause of the landslide. Among the
most interesting of these expressions We're
those made by Gov. Altgald Of Illinois
Here Is the way the governor accounted
for the result of the election, according to
the Associated Press dispatches, which ap-
peared In the papers of November L. He
believed that the great republican landslide
of the day before was brought about chief
ly through the treachery of the national
administration and the gold bug wing of
the democracy in Wall street. And this is
the way he sized up affairs in number of
the states:
"In Kentucky he said, 1.-The great
strength of democracy, the federal admin
istration, by prostitution of patronage. Sc
cured an Endorsement of Cleveland and
Carlisle on the money question. and as a
result the democrats are in the woods look
ing for the remains of their once mighty
party.
In Ohio Senator Brice and Campbell de-
feated the silver plank in the convention
and adopted the gold platform, and as
result the phenomenal republican major
ity which Mckinley got in the landslide
of two years ago has beel Increased, Bush
nell being elected by upward of 5000
Majority.
He attributed the l5o.0oD majority in
Pennsylvania and the republican victory in
New Jersey to the effect of the gold plank
adopted by the democrats and admitted
that the result IL Maryland was so decisive
that there were not enough democrats left
to bury their dead.
Senator German, discussing the republic
can victory in Maryland said: Il believe
we were outvoted and outVoted honestly.
Under the laws of Maryland it is next to
impossible to cast dishonest ballot. The
republicans got every man in their party
and were aided by the democrats who had
a grievance" The Maryland Senator did
not attribute the defeat of the democracy
in that roclt-rbbed democratic state either
to the silver question or the adminlstra-
ton.
He regretted. he said, that Maryland,
after twenty-nine years of honest. economi-
cal and safe administration under the DEM
ocrats, should have passed into republican
hands II do not. however,, he declared,
regret anything that | have done OF the
part which l took in the fight. | did all
that l could do. As a matter of fact. tn"
fight was against us. 1t is not only Mary
land that has gone republican, but New
Jersey and kentucky. both democratic
strongholds, have gone over to the republl-
can column, while the republicans have
made great gains in the states Where they
had control.
One of the surprising features of the elc-
ton in Nebraska in 1893. which was for
Judge of the supreme court, was the vote OF
the administration, or sound money, wing
of the democratic party, which was repre-
ted a. about fOlT-EfthS OF the entlre
party vote of the state-probably 2J.oO) In
that election Judge Norval, the republican
candidate was elected by about 1000 plu-
rality over the populist and free silver can
didates Mr. Bryan early in the campaign
had taken an active part in seeking to Sc
cure the election of the silver candidate,
but foreseeng his defeat, left the state at
an early stage and devoted himself to the
campaign in Illinois. In Utah the same
year the republicans elected the state ticket
and carried the legislature by safe ma
jority.
O.Ferrull Then and Now.
Gov OFerrall of Virginia, who is NOW
opposing the Bryan ticket, in explaining
the republican landslide. thought THAI New
York, Maryland and Kentucky were lost by
democratic dissension. Ohio had gone, as
usual, republican, and New Jersey had
done SO, he thought because it was an
off year. Next fall,'' he said. I'VE will
roll up splendid majority for our national
ticket But the fall has come and Coy.
O'Ferrall is among the democratic dis-
senters himself.
In Kansas the republicans made prac-
tically a clean sweep of the state, carrying
a majority of the counties entire and elect
ing many of the officers Of other counties. @
The day following the election c. j.. llalli-
day, the populist candidate for chief JUS
tice, admitted that David Martin. his re-
publican opponent, would have 10000 ma
jority.
In Kentucky the democratic candidate for
governor a rampant flee silver advocate,
had been defeated, and SO had Senator
Blackburn, no made a campaign solely on
the silver issue.
Judge Lanes Defeat.
Another incident of ncte was the defeat
of Edward Lane by Mr.. Hadley, in the eigh-
teenth congressional district of Illinois. Mr..
Lane was a silver man, pure and simple,
and his election was advocated by the two
men who less than a year later were the
chief rivals for the popocratic nomination
for President on the silver ticket, Bryan
and Bland.
Buck HinrichSen, who was responsible for
the silver convention in Illinois. also es-
poused Mr.. Lanes cause vigorously. Not
Withstanding this, and despite the fact tha t
couple of weeks before election day, Mr.
Lane was defeated in district which was
usually safely democratic. Assistant Secre-
tary Scott Wike of the treasury, who this
year is a Bryanite, on November 6. 1895, de-
clared that his only regret was that the
majority for Hadley was not larger.
In Iowa the republicans also swept the
state. and Governor Drake was elected by
a tremendous majority, while his colleagues
en- the republican ticket ran much ahead of
him. The general assembly was over
whelmingly republican, and assured the re-
turn of Senator Allison.
\ Financial Argument.
The operation of the Wilson bill as COM
pared with that of the tariff measures un-
der republican administration in Its bear
ings on the revenue of the government,
finds strong illustration in a recapitula-
ticn of revenue by fiscal years recently
issued by a division of bookkeeping and
warrants of the Treasury Department. The
only time that the expenditures were in
excess Of the revenue since 1886 was from
1853 to 1868, which includes the war period.
From 1866 to 1893, when, with the excep-
tion of four years, the government was in
the hands of the republican party, the ex-
cess Of revenue over expenditures ranged
81