Arizona republican., 1898-07-28
THE FALL ELECTIONS.

ting under way all over this country and attracting great deal of popular attention. As it is the preparations for the November contests seem to be much delayed everywhere, and nobody but the party managers and the ambi- tious office seekers is giving any ap- parent thought to the subject. The same cause that is responsible for this is also likely to determine, to a con- siderable extent, the results of the vot- ling. Ordinarily in the second year af- ter presidential election the party in power at the White House comes in for a good deal Of hostile criticism and has great difficulty in retaining the en l. dorsement that it secured two years before, even it it can avoid being de- feated altogether. But ordinarily also, the party in power while a war is being successfully waged, finds no lack of popular support at the polls. So one of the most interesting questions in connection with this falls elections i1
 
 ence-the unwillingness of the people 1 to seem to rebHke a party that has successfully done it's responsible share of work in defending the national honor in arms, or their dissatisfaction with the work of that party in domes- I tic affairs.
 l Perhaps before the time of election 1 comes round the war will all be over, but even ill that case the questions it will have left Us will be, for the most part, of other than domestic charac- ter. The voters, therefore, will be called upon to give their verdict or, ether than the usual considerations that are presented in congressional election next following a presidential contest
 AS for the one great issue of the last national campaign, the currency question, that has been lost sight of. for the most part, in the excitement of the war and in speculation on it's con- sequences, and it hardly seems prob able now that interest in it can again be aroused, in any event, in time to have much influence on the November results. Not only are the people in no mood to listen to a reiteration of the old silver and anti-silver arguments. but even if they were the election all ready held in Oregon seems to indi- cate that the elements of unsoundness and discontent have grown weaker, as political factor, since 1896.
 All things considered, therefore, the prospects for republican success this fall all along the line are very good. better than they probably would have been but for the war and much better than the prospects of an administra- ton party usually are in the first na- tional election following it's assumption of power. The republicans will al- most certainly retain control of the. house, and quite likely by nearly as large majority as they secured two years ago. The democratic sound money faction still holds aloof from the regular organization, fusion be- tween silver democrats and populists is not in a promising condition, many democrats who will ask for reelection have made bad record during the lat ter part of the last session in opposi- ton to the war measures and business of that sort, and the republicans are the only really united party in the field. In the last two congresses they have had in the house 252 and 2O4 members, respectively, and they will probably have no great difficulty in se- curing at least two hundred in the next congress
 What is far more important, they stand a fairly good chance of recover ing control of the senate also, thus putting an end to the malign power of the combination of democrats, popu- lists and silverites which has been so troublesome feature during the last few years. Of the thirty seats in the senate which will become vacant next March, and the next occupants of which will be mainly determined by AN~AA count positively on only eleven. That would mean for them a loss of four In regard to two others there is enough doubt to make it not improbable that the republicans can increase their rep resentation in the incoming group of senators from eleven to seventeen. If they can it will be a great advantage to the whole country. The senators whose terms are about to expire were elected in 1892, a democratic tidal year, and great many things hava happened since then. Many of them especially the democrats, represent nothing in existing conditions; and it will be for the best interests of all that they give place to others. We are none of us likely to get very excited over this falls elections. and we can await