The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-18
rrrCrrovs AVID coon T11rna
A Question which win he RscsivinE More
Attention Next Month.

Vermont. Arkansas and Maine. has been the
falling OF OF the total vote In eaon. a. compared
with like elections In former years. In every
one Of these States, the 1rst OF which. Rhode
Island. held its election In April, and the last
OF which. Maine. voted only q few days ago In
September. this decrease has been notice.
able, but the cause or causes OF 1t are easilye&-
plainnble.
It is no longer the custom to hold earlier in
the year than November. the regular voting
day. the elections in any Of the States which
are uncertain. II was demonstrated that such
preliminary elections tended to debauch the
suffrage in each by stimulating large expeudt-
lures Of money. By taoit arrangement, there
fore. whenever o State comes 10 be regarded as
Z" doubtful" II arranRes to hold lts election on
the Same day when the elections In the great
mass Of the other States occur. whereas those
solid. steSdiast and politically unmovable
States, In which the result 10 q foregone con-
~cluslon. adhere to the early election plan. OF
the six States which have held elections thus
far In 1888. three-Rhodo Island. Vermont
and Maine-are in New England. n all OF
them are reliably Republican. No Democratic
candidate for the Presidency has ever received
an electoral vote In any one Of the three since
the foundation OF the Republican party. and the
success Of the Republicans In each In q general
election is accepted as inevitable. The same 10
true OF Alabama and Arkansas, on the Demo-
cratic side. Since thec close Of the reconstruct
tion period neither has been carried by the Re-
publicans. They are both solidly Democratic.
Oregon is less pronounced in lie political ALE
glance, but It is now q Republican State. and
has been carried by the Republicans in every
Presidential election since 1858.
One explanation Of the general falling of in
the total vote OF the six States which have thus
far held their elections In 1893 is that the re-
suit OF the ballot being foreseen, the independ-
emit, unattached. determining class OF voters,
who. in the other States. decide elections did
not to any material extent participate. The
contest In each was fought and won without
them. The extent Of the majority shows,
therefore, only the condition OF the dominant
organization in each and the organization. or
lack Of 1t. on the part Of its opponent. Politis
cal experience has demonstrated that proper
t~ionately the Democratic vote in all the States.
being more compact than the Republican.
comes to the polls more largely in an ordinary
and unexoiting election. The Democrats In all
six States. the two which they carried. Ala
bama and Arkansas. and the four which they
lost. Rhode Island. Vermont, Maine and Oregon
broughtto the polls their usual vote in an OF
year election. which is about 80 per cent. OF
the total. Generally. the Republican vote fell
short Of this percentage Of the total. except in
mblu0, WuoE0 InO H6puDuCdn LIBERALIZATION ID
excellent. and In Oregon, where former differ
encss between Republicans have been har-
monized.
In the important States-New York. Pennsyl-
vania. Ohio. Indiana. Iowa. New Jersey. Ne
braska, California, Colorado. Kansas. and Mas
sachusetts-where November elections are to
be held this year. the voters, who are Of the class
OF those who abstained from participation in
the States which have already voted. will take
an active an decisive part. They will be found.
no doubt. speaking in clear and definite tones
on questions which cut very little figure
in the fight in the States where the result of
elections is discernible In advance. One Ques-
ton which for obvious reasons has not hereto
fore been Of importance in the early elections
OF 1898. but which is certain to be q factor in
the November elections. Is the question Of
good times" which appeals strongly to the
voters In the States the industrial and COM
mercial interests Of which are Of first impor-
lance. In 1894. as Is well known. the total
prostration OF the commercial interests. Of
manufacturing industries. and Of labor condi-
tions under the Cleveland administrator was
the chief ~factorin Republican success. whereby
the composition o. the House OF Representa-
tives was reversed. In the Fifty-third Con-
gress there were 21S Democrats and 1873 men,
bers OF all other parties; in the Fifty-fourth
Congress there were 248 Republicans and 112
members OF all other parties. In the Presi-
dental election Of 1896 the economic condi-
tions Of the country were still unsatis-
factory. Many factories were not open;
many were running on half time. The
price Of cereals was low. the foreign
market OF American exports was limited,
credits had been contracted. and a large por-
ton OF the farming community was In debt.
1t iB true that the increased price for wheat
attained Immediately before the 1896 election
tended to make a change In the political condi-
ton Of some of the chief wheat growing States,
but, generally speaking. the farming and bust
ness conditions OF the country at that time
were languishinR. They did not begin to i'm
prove visibly and extensively until after the
Inauguration Of Mckinley. Since then they
have improved constantly. The importations of
foreign goods have decreased. the sale OF Ameri-
can goods has been enlarged. and the countryi s
enjoying. in splendid measure, the benefit of
the largest foreign market for its exports ever
known In the history of the United States. The
value Of American exports is 81. 200. 900. 600 for
the year ending July. 1895. breaking every pre-
vious record, and exceeding even the memorable
year OF 1892 by $200.000.0 900. For the twelve
months ending July !, the importations OF
foreign merchandise into the United States fell
off from $765. 100000 In 1897 to S616.O OO, 900
in 1893. while during the same period the ex-
portatlons OF American goods increased from
$1.032. 900. 900 TO 81. POO. 100000. The gain was
largest In the products OF agriculture. but was
considerable in manufactured articles. 1t was
largest In all into which labor enters as the
chief element. The effect OF good times Tor Of
hard times) on the party in power when a
House OF Representatives is TO be elected is
not to be moderated. and in all the chief States
OF the country this issue is likely to count for
much and to alter many calculations and con-
found many prophecies this year.
QUE IN 0ERMANY