The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-05
4 Wonderful Campaign.

The campaign Just closed, says the
Chicago Times-Herald, will pass into
history as the most remarkable poiit-
ical contest in the annals of the repuo-
lie. The -bellum campaigns may
hae been marked with more pyrotech-
MICS, more torchlght professions, ana
more martial music, but no previous
campaign ever appealed with sucI
forceful directness and power to reason
and popular intelligence. That the
campaign ON the part of the sound
money advocates was predicaied upon
Il sublime confidence in the patriotism
and intelligence of the pCorlc was at
tested by the distribution, at enormous
expense, of millions of leaflets and
pamphlets on the currency question. 1t
must always be said to the everlasting
honor of the adherents OF Major Nc
Kinley that they stakcd their hope OF
victory on the proper presentation of
their cause to the reading masses of the
country; that they appealed to reason
instead of prejudice, to patriotism in
stead of stupidity,
It is an augury of a hopeful and hap
py era in American politics when the
managers of n great party decide to
invade the homes 'of thirteen million
voters through the agency of the print
ing press. 1t is cheering and uplift-
ing nortent of more rational political
methods when a great party champions
issues that can be safely intrusted To
the critical analysis of sharp logicians
and the keen scrutiny of clever schol-
ars and recondite historians. These are
the tests which the Republicans have
met They have challenged the schol-
ars, the flnanciers. the men of the
market-place and the toilers. Their
defcnscs have been impregnablc.
Not the least remarkable features of
the great battle of 90 which will make
it memorable in the history of our pol
itics are the spcech-making records of
the two leading candidates. Each has
conducted q campaign without parallel
in any previous contest. From his own
dooryard in Canton Major Mckinley
has addressed visiting delegations from
every section of the country, number
inC thousands of voters and represent
ing nearly every form of productive in
dustry. These visitations have been
continuous and uninterrupted, sOme-
times numbering as many as twenty
four speeches in one day. To each del
egation Major Mckinley has had somc-
thing to say. To each he has made a
mastery appeal, constructed with spe-
Cial reference to the needs and inter-
csts of the industry represented. His
ncver-fail!ng response to this daily cX-
action has furnished an astounding
revelation of the remarkable resources
of the man. Rich in historical allusion,
abOunding in sparkling metaphor, preg-
nant with solid and unassailable logic,
defended by statistics of high author
ity, his appeals stand unmatched in
the history of American campaign ora
tory for faulilcss rhetoric or for lofty
and digniiied arGumentation. Mr..
Bryan's rear-platform speech-making
tour, in which he made over 557 dd-
dresses in twcnty-ninc different states
travelling thousands of miles. furnished
an exhibition Of marvellous physical
endurance Unprecedented in the cam
paigns Of this country.
1t has been wonderful campaign
wonderful for the intense zeal of the
plain people, wonderful for the active
participation Of the business and pro-
fessional classes, wonderful for its
peaceful arbitrament of q great econ
oniic controversy involving the welfare
of 100000 people.