Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-11-16
WEDNESDAY EVENING. Nov.s16, 1858
Mu1rr nHr rannhlinans ara shouting


it may be worth while to consider how
much of victory they have gained the
causes that produced it and the results
likely to follow. In the first place, 1t
msy be observed that the enormous
majorities cast for Mckinley two years
ago have disappeared. This is notably
the case in Massachusetts, where
plurality of 173, 265 has been cut down
over q hundred thousand votes and
three democrats are returned to Con-
sress-the battle having been fought
squarely and honorably on free coin
age platform. Ia Connecticut the re-
publicans have hardly third of their
majority in 1896. In New Jersey they
have less than q fourth of the majority
in 1896 In Pennsylvania, where Nc
Kinley in 1896 had plurality OF $685.
600, the republicans elect their Governor
by big plurality, but their vote is not
equal to the democratic and prohibition
vote combined, and the democrats have
ten congressman. In New York the
republicans in 1896 had plurality of
some 26S, 900 votes This year, after
hard fight and the liberal expenditure
of money, a republican Governor is
elected by some $4,000 plurality. The
gains for the democrats in the West
have not been uniform and there are
some losses, but in Illinois, the largest
OF the Western States, there is large
democratic gain. The House of Repre-.
sentatives elected 10 1896 stands to-day
with republican majority OF fifty
seven. The new House of Representa-
tives has republican majority of about
eighteen or twenty, loss of over nalf
Many ofthese were elected by very small
maiorities, and change often thousand
votes would have given the House TO
the democrats. The republicans have
barely saved themselves from severe
defeat. Coming down to individual
States, we note especially the grand
democratic triumph III Virginia, Nor n
Carolina and Kentucky. The last State
was stolen from US in 1896 This year
it elects nine democrats to Congress out
of eleven. North Carolina is redeemed
from loathsome negro domination and
the still baser whites who have con
trolled them. Mr.. Grosvenor and other
republicans insist upon it that the elec
ton is a verdict against free silver coin
age, that free silver is dead, that the
cause of tariff reform is dead, and the
administration endorsed on all the OLD
party issues of the past. All this is
tantamount to calling President Nc
Kinley a liar and hypocrite. The
President ia bis elaborate stumping trip
to the West insisted upon it that there
should be no party issues made this
year. He declared that the war wss not
over yet and that when it was over, ali
our differences at home could be fought
out and settled, but that in the mean
time We should all present uaited
front to the enemy. This view was
largely re-afirmed by the administra-
ton papers. They urged that vote
against the administration ou the Sth OF
November would be construed all over
the world as vote Of want
of confidence in the President and
would strengthen the hands of Spain n
the negotiations at Paris. The Presi-
dents speeches all bear striking cor
trast to those made by him 10 1896.
One may search them 10 vain TO fud
single word against silver coinage, or
for the gold standard, or for the Ding
ley tariff, or for the new mammoth
scheme of national bank curreDc,
He was ELUSIVE in stating that tie
country and the sections all stood to-
gether. Nor did he say word for the
new republican platform that negro
editor who publicly assails the virtue
of Southern women is to be upheld as :
sacred animal and neither he nor hi
property touched by an outraged COM
munity. It is obvious, therefore, tina;
the President wanted nothing consid-
cred in this election save the Spanish
war and the issues depending upon it,
expansion and the like. 1t is also
clear that the silver question cut little
or no figure in the canvass, and nc
more did the tariff question; and that it
was only the Spanish war that saved
the President from defeat. Gunpow-
der popularity saved Roosevelt from
being showed under. Gunpowder
popularity elected Chanler to Cor
gress from New York city over Quigg,
converting republican majority of
1900 into democratic msjority of
5000 votes. The only wonder is that
so good q fight could have been made
under such condition against the
administration. Those democratic poll.
ticians who forced reluctant and hostile
President into the war with Spain are
entitled to all the credit for electing a
House of Representatives favorable TO