The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-15
Not a Year for Staying at Home.

In q current interview State Chair
man Elixir, while predicting a Republ-
can plurality Of 10000 in Pennsylvania
this year, says he does not expect to
poll more than 60 per cent. of the vote
cast one year ago. We dare say Mr..
Elkins estimate is correct; but if voters
everywhere would stop to think, there
would be next month no 40 per cent
stay-at-home element, and no 20 per
cent.
Now and then you here a man say:
40, it's only local fight, nothing ma
tional involved. l guess I'll not both
er about this off-year campaign" Let
us examine this statement. The plur-
alities for Mckinley and sound money
last year were large, generally the lar
gest on record. The country accepted
them as decisive. Confidence re-
turned. Mills reopened. Factories re-
sumed. Interest rates relaxed. Bank
clearings increased. All over the coun-
try, in every locality and throughout
every industry, times began to mend
and the outlook to appear brighter.
In short, the predicted results of Re-
publican restoration began to show
themselves more quickly, plainly and
generously even than Republicans
themselves had dared to expect. How
would it look, then, with Mckinley in
augurated only last March, to return in
November a vote indicative of nom
appreciation of his splendid work? In
all fairness, would it be decent?
But that is not all. You don't hear
of the Bryanites threatening to stay
away from the polls. Why? Because
they dare not. 1t is life or death with
the Bryan party now. Two consecutive
defeats like that of q year ago would
end Organism for all time. 1t could
never survive the shock. The sound
money wing of the Democratic party
would resume control of the party or
ganization and the men like Fitzsim-
mons, Boland, Bailey, ct. al, in our
own county, who We're instrumental
last year in switching the party over
10 the revolutionary leadership and
purposes of the Chicago convention
would find themselves left in the cold,
banled conspirators out of a job. Hence
none of these men will abstain next
month from voting. On the contrary
every one of them will work from now
on with desperation. They will poll as
nearly as possible the full Bryan
strength; and if any considerable num-
her of anti-Bryan voters of last year
fail to vote this year as they voted
then, these Bryan lieutenants will par
ade the fact as a Bryan victory and
will use it. as a leverage in the larger
elections to come.
More than that; an apparent reduc-
ton next month of the substantial
sound money pluralities of one year
ago would have an Immediately hurt
full influence upon business, introduc-
ing again the element of doubt as tC
the stability of our financial system
which last year, under the excitement
of Bryan'3 revolutionary canvass, op,
Grated so disastrously. We are con-
WINGED that the intelligent voters Of
Lackawanna county do not wish to ap,
pear ungrateful for the good results
already achieved as a consequence o
the Republican victory of 1896, nor dc
they desire to embarrass the achieve
ment of still greater results; but so fal
as their influence goes they will do boil
unless they stand by the Republican
party with the same decision and en-
ergy next month that they exhibited
a twelve-month ago.
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