New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-03
THE POPULAR VOTE.
District.

Almost thirteen million sOvereigns will cast
their ballots to-day. thereby deciding the con-
duct Of the United States Government for the
four years to come. A few Of them are ignO-
rant incapable Of freedom themselves because
incapable If respecting The freedom of others.
as the riots and outbreaks Of violence caused 10y
Bryan men at Republican meetings have
proved. Others will vote in slavislI adherence
to a party name. with utter disregard OF the
object or principles OF that party. The abiding
hope Of all friends of free government through
ON the world is that the great majority Will
be found honest, loyal and sufficiently intelll-
gent to decide for public prosperity. National
honor and supremacy Of 1rw. In Judging how
the great vote will bc cas-, there IL first to he
considered the enormous change Of votes 10
the Republican side i'm the Congressional cleo
tons two years ago. For the CvcrpOwering
desire of those voters was then TO restore pros
perity by bringing back a Republican tariff,
and there il every reason to believe that the
number Of voters so determined s not fewer
but considerably greater than il was in 1892
The Continued prostratiOn Of business for
two years has more deeply impressed upon the
minds of nen that no Thorough and lasting
change can be reached without reversing the
evil change made by Democratic success and
Democratic legislation.
Careful scrutiny Of the votes by States shows
that about S0S,SO0 voters who had formerly
acted with the Democratic party voted in 1894
for Republican Congressman. For the present
purpose ii IL not needfnl 10 give details nor to
assume that the calculation Is precisely ac-
curatc. But it Is easily demOnstrable that
not far from 100000 such voters changed at
the East, including Maryland. Delaware and
West Virginia; about 10000 ut the West, and
over 10000 at the South, mainly In the border
States which are now contested. The loss
by the ordinary failure Of Republicans to vote
al elections Of subordinate importance masked
part of this gain. but there are 10 be added by
the natural increase Of the Republican strength
in four years about 10000 new voters. 30 that
the Republican strength. including the Demo
Gratis who voted for Republican Congressman
on the tariff ISSUE should be about 6170.000,
besides all that have been turned since 1894
About 100000 votes will be thrown away, as
usual on Prohibition and Labor tickets, and
an unknown number on POpulist tickets for
Bryan and Watson. where fusion has failed
or has disguised Populists
The Democratic strength. reckoning that
cast for Cleveland less the 100000 turned over
In 1894 and increased by the normal gain In
four years. would have been about 5.O70.O0O
| All the voting this year and the canvasses In
various States made by Republicans and Ma
tional Democrats 60 to show that at least as
| much as quarter Of the Democratic force will
| refuse to support Bryan. As this loss Is greater
than the entire Populist vote. II the whole Of
| it could be concentrated upon him, there is
reason to expect that his strength will fall
more than a million behind that OF Mckinley,
besides the portion Of Sound Money Demo
Gratis who will vote directly for the Republican
candidate in many States in order to put the
result beyond doubt. II half Of them should
so vote Mckinley would receive from c,1O0 COO
votes upward. with plurality over Bryan Of
more than 100000. Fer, while the Republi.
cans have lost votes in small silver States,
| those five States. although they have ten Sena-
| ton, cast IN lD& ~ 1900 Republican votes
n an against z2S1, 900 in Ave States east Of