The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-11-26
Some Things to BE Remembered.

The results al the recent cbecHtfs Bhfc gwen tt IftEfai FoH4IetdH
the republican party remarkable abundance OF food ff reflection. The m"l'r
ties for Mr. Mckinley rolled M in til. et and north last year had pat them
an owe confident mood Not a few of them were so much carried away by tbe
triumph that they actually s" IN those ha3'r"esa permanent 'cee''pn " III
republican party strength The prediction that this republican vote could in on
short yer he reduced to the average it had shown before the Mckinley election
or Ever below 1t would IA beer ihnsheh u "Fh oy 'hem eya arr It" "
ginning to perceive that the majodties of last year arey very uncertain quantities
that they wereb brought about by the combination of different elements whic
united temporarily for tn 'o' pnrpoe :" aSeF'hsa Rea' poOhc dahsef' ma
the temporary alhes of the republican party reserved to themselves their iudq
mcut a to what conrsetm they would follow in the future, and that their judgmen
h. been largely determined by tn use ~ republican party h5 nade O
It's power. Republicans may also now be disposed toa admit that TO hold the com
binauon together it was above all things necessary that the republican part
should give its attention first to the object for the attainment OF which the com
lmnation had been formed, instead of using Its power and opportunities exclu
aively for the qualification Of its own partisan desire, and that as the rcppbi
ran rush for extreme protection and for the offices was particularly dstastefu
to the allies and the alliance was dissolved as a matter Of course and an antire
publican current in the elections was bound to follow. Asa general rle, n al
lance like that of last year will necessarily 80 . pieces Ms 800 as 1t appears tina
i4 principal beneficiary seeks to monoppolze all The advantages of it. with dire
gard of the terms expressed fairly implied upon which it was based 1t vii
The republicans plead lin vain, that owing to the adverse majority of the sen
tie of The United States they could not,bayc carried through any sound money
legislation If they had tried, The conspicuous fact b. that they did not try, and
that the manner In which they declined to try leaves ample room for the snpi
cin that they did not mean to try but had only the tariff in view. Neither does
the plea avail tat had they tried to put forward the sound money legislation and
allied the effect of the failure would have been bad as to business confidence
for the confe~iont that success was impossible produced an effect equally bad il
not worse Had they tried with spirit M energy n taled 'e country ana
the financial world abroad 1t least would 'haye had the assurance that there was
a powerful political party honestly determined to put our monetary system upon a
sound lasis, aud the combination Of forces which was victorious last year might
have been preserved in a onnon effort, with n prospect of future success AT
m rate. whether the excuses offered be good or bad, when the republicans in
power cody put he money question ASIDE IN "hch 'hey AhanS all hr Ell
forts to give the country a protective tariff higher than ever, and when they in
|dulged In such pranks Is the annexation of Hawai-, and when the clamor for
spells resonn1ed all oyer thu country win unprecedented hercehes@ md when
the insolencc of the bosses exceeded at bounds It'll no wonder that the bulk of
the allies of last year should have declined co operation OIL the field of state md
municipal politics These allies have certainly OF lost their interest IN the cause
for which last year they fought aide by side with the republicans, For that
canse they would, no donbt, be ready to fight again But they would not per.
NIT themselves to be uei for other purposes OF which they dsaprrove In this
respect it ia significant fact that tho anti epublicans currenthas been strongest
in tho-e states in which the sound money cause is least in danger.
The wise men among the republican leaders cannot fail to appreciate this
feature Of the situation. They can no longer nounsh the delusion if they ever
entertained it. that the Dnghy tariff alone will under present circumstances
bring OF taat general and lasting prosperity which is o tide us over all Difficult
ties They must have observed that the beginning of a business revival we have
witnessed has been partly overloaded again by the chronic distrust as to what
the future may bring with regard to the money question. and that the cloud of
uncertainty has ien still darkened by the prospect opened by the recent elections.
They cannot escape. the conclusion that the confidence necessary to the growth of
real and lasting pro-rerity,wiI not come to stay until the business world believes
on n sound basis They must see that only by doing now as much as is still pos
rile Of that which should have been done last summer that is, by advancing
hunger and the lingo tendencies in their party-they can recover some of the
strength they have lost 1t is not surprising that the republicans should think
with soae anxiety of the congressional elections which ire to take place next
wear They have reasons for uneasiness The money question will no doubt
a great probably the most important, part in those elections The epubl.
can leaders should consider in time how their party will stand in that campaign,
and what its CHANCES of attracting its former allies will be, if it has to confess
It has not even tried to serve the purpose which the forces combined lt
year had in common, and that it has no positive programme to offer. The party
will then have to nj substantially upon the strength of the same record which
cost 1t so many votes this year, and the prospect will be, to say the least by no
cheerful
The responsibility of the republican party in this matter would be less grave
the alternative were between it and an opposition party of a conservative
character Bnt everybody knows that Mt present the alternative is really be-
it and an opposition party given to all sorts of confused economic notions
and snhverivs tendencies The freesilver craze may have weakened in some
Of the country, under the influence of last years educational campaign and
this years high prices of agricultural products although in most of the states
were carried by Bryan it seem to be as rampant as ever. But be that
hat a democratic house of representatives would not only preclude all hope of
-ound money legislation during President Mckinley term, but also bring forth
nN agltatoh Hi hHHtit"ihh' uto"ihS sun iiHiero OBSTACLES IN the wa or u
of confidence The republicans are perhaps counting upon the willing
ness Of tho~c who helped them in last years fight against Organism to do the
ame thing If a similar crisis should arise. Even assuming them to be right in
snch an expectation. it would still be an extremely reckless game on their part
relying uron the generous patriotism of Others, to discourage and repl
tha, aid Al mnch as possible by the exclusive pursuit of n narrow partisan poll
". And ven If that aid might be counted upon to come forth again in the OK.
emergency of a presidential election, it will be far less If at all, likely to
offered in The election of members of congress unless the republicans in the
present congress give a proof of their good faith and courage as to the attainment
the common object -~
Take. a. IN example the state of New York whose delegation may deter.
the complexion of the house of representatives The Mckinley majority
more than a quarter of million was wiped out aud II democratic maiorityof
about seventy thousand substituted, partly by Il large number of democrats who
had voted for Mckinley now going back to their party, by Il large part of
he indeIp ndent vote which in this state is very strong, supporting this time the
democratic candidate as we'll ss by many dissatisfied republicans staying away
from the polls This of course, does not mean that those voters in passing from
one side to the other have changed their minds on the money question. But it
does near y want Of confidence in the republican party MS that party ap-
pears in the light Of its conduct since it came into power again. That want of
confidence will of conre, not he turned into the opposite sentiment it. the repub-
now in congress simply continue in the course they have followed so far.
Neither can be done by attempts to capture more spells for republican workers,
by an unreasonable inmigratonrc restriction law, or by the annexation of Ha-
n similar lingo fireworks 1t can be done in a great measure at least. on
by = resolute effort whatever obstacles may stand in the way, to solve the
great problem which formed the decisive issue of last years election, and by such
a policy in other respects a will commend itself to the good sense, the conserva-
tive sentiment and the enlightened patriotism of the American peope-CARL
ScHuRz in larIers Weekly,
A-W. NJ. pETEET.-N $#