The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-10-21
Our Washington Letter.
Correspondence of The Journal. !

\ NAeHINGTON. d. C., Oct. IL, 1897. The
people Of Washington are unfortunate in
a sense in being outside the world of strife
and removed from the political arena
Even in national elections they have no
direct voice OF interest in who may or
may not be elected to office, and vet on
the other hand they have the advantage
of living IN a city to which there is no
counterpart in the land, and one that. while
not political centre itself. sees the re-
Elections of things political from all over
the country. Especially is this SO when
| Congress is in session and representatives
from all quarters congregate to make laws
for the people and also to engage in ar
dent ard eloquent championships of prin-
ciples and politics. Even when Congress
is not in session, there are of necessity
many distinguished and reputable men
stopping at the capital, for more or less
patronage is being at all times distribut-
ed and wires are always being pulled by
the initiated and experienced. There is
no national campaign this fall, but there
are campaigns which are of national i'm
portance The Senate of the United
States is now very closely divided, it be-
ing considered that it was by only the
/ most consummate generalship that the
tariff bill was passed as advantageously as
it was, in the face of direct majority op-
: posed to the Republican party, and now,
in Maryland and Ohio, Senators are to be
elected. and it remains with the citizens
of those States to say whether the COM
I plexion of the upper house of the Nation
/ al Legislature shall be Republican and
progressive, or Democratic and obstruc-
tive. So that considerable interest is
felt here in watching the progress
which the campaigns are making in
those States. Interest centers spec
tally in Ohio, the home of the President,
and in the candidacy there of Senator
Hanna, the chairman of the Republican
National Committee of 1896, who led the
party to the greatest victory within the
recollection OF its members The party
pulling along good stroke. while on the
other hand the Democrats of the State
are divided into factions and pulling in
various directions. The gold Democrats
! are working vigorously against the sue
/ cess of the silvelites and the Populists
have placed regular ticket in the field
and are fighting the Democrats at every
point. At last the silver Republicans are
sore on the Democrats and refusing to CO.
operate with them in the election of free
silver John Mclean 10 the Senate. The
free silver proposition seems to be steadi-
| ly losing ground and none know it better
/ than does Mclean. This would seem to
account for his silence as well as that of
other Ohioans on the silver subject, nor
is this gradual dropping of silver the case
in Ohio alone. 1t is perfectly apparent
that the silver issue is a child of hard
times, and that it cannot thrive under
prosperity which seems to be returning to
! the country and which it is useless longer
to deny. 1t is the generally expressed
opinion among all classes of politicians
visiting the capital from various sections
of the country that the free silver senti-
ment is gradually contracting and losing
ground.
'Higher prices and plenty of work are
knocking it out, +" said prominent states
man the other day 81 come myself from
a rural district and | own farm myself.
and can say that | know of lots of old
time Democrats who voted for free silver
and Bryan who will never do so again, no
matter how regular the ticket is They
never believed in it as principle and they
/ see the mistake it would have been if
| Bryan had been elected They see that
all the representations that he made as
to low prices and ruin, etc, in case of
Mchinley's election have proven false,
and that on the contrary the promises of
| the Republican party have been and are
being fulfilled as rapidly as possible and
satisfactorily, too, and the result is that
though they may be Democrats they will
never be free silver Democrats again.
And many Of them would vote with the
Republicans rather than be forced onto
silver ticket The silver cause has ire
vocably lost its hold upon the agricultural
classes of the country, and will in future
find no sympathy among them Last year
was the best time the silverites could have
selected for the ''springing' of their issue.
Prices were low and the people dissatisfied
with the condition of the country, result
ing from low tariff, destructive of Ameri-
can labor; and by deal of sophistry and
laying of the trouble at the hands of the
"gold power they won over many people
to their cause. 1t was the most ingenious
ly conceived and executed political scheme
of many years, and it is startling to think
how many honest men it fooled. But free
silver has gone where the woodbine twin
eth"
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