Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-03
Yesterdays Results.

In the elections of yesterday the repub-
1iean party met with defeat The result Is
not to be measured by the returns from
Iowa. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. for
those are republican states at all times but
IN circumstances the most exceptional. The
real contests were in New York, Ohio.
Maryland and kentucky, where national
issues were sharply drawn, and where the
republicans had the prestige Of the two
substantial victories of 1895 and 1896 to
aid them Yet they lost. In New York and
Kentucky their defeat Is pronounced. while
in Maryland and Ohio the knitting of the re-
publican tickets in republican strongholds
tells of republican divisions carried to the
point of a total disregard of consequences
to the party at large.
There were issues and issues. and in the
Hight of these. the returns are eccentric to
a degree. In New York there was the boss
issue. The campaign opened with a de-
mand for local government free from all
bossism. The result is the reimbursement
of the most despotic boss in the history of
the country. Mr.. Platt Is smashed. and
Mr.. Croker returns to power and to more
power than he ever welded before. What
he will do with that power is plainly in
Dictated by his past record
In Ohio the issue of bossism was coupled
with the issue of sound money. Indorse-
ment of the administration was likewise
an issue. Such a campaign seemed to call
for conspicuous show of the sound money
strength developed in the cities of the
state last year. But in all the cities the
legislative tickets. which represented the
rational issue. were knitted without mercy
The effect of every vote cast against Mr.
Hanna as a boss was so much to the good
for Mr.. Mclean. whose domination of his
party In the state is complete. the vote
Tor Gov Bushnell can carry no comfort to
the administration. for it is in effect not an
Endorsement of The administration.
In Kentucky the issue strictly ma
fonal. The Bryanites boldly challenged
the republicans to another contest on the
silver question. and they have won. The
republicans. indirectly had assistance both
from the gold democrats and from the pop
ulists. but even with that were outvoted
They have nobody to blame but themselves
Two years of bitter and relentless faction
fighting could but produce disaster. They
have fallen into ditch which they them
selves dug
In Maryland the credit of the splendid
Tight made in Baltimore for sound money
is largely due to the gold democrats They
StOOu Jul against T. GOrmin, and the day
in the city was Won Both in and out OF
Baltimore the republicans INDUCED in local
divisions with the usual result of cut
tickets and large stay-at-home vote.
Can these republican divisions be healed
in time for effect on the Congress elections
next year? If not. what bearing are they
likely to have on the complexion of the
next House of Representatives.? And if the
next House of Representatives is demo-
Cratic. what effect will that have on the
presidential election in 1900? This is look
ing ahead a little. but inasmuch as the
continuous performance" is now a feature
or our politics. it may be well to INQUIRE
INTO the matter Another day like yester-
day Is certainly not to be desired by the
friends of sound money