Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-03
The Elections OF 1898.

In careful review of the pending
campaigns, the Baltimore Sun refers
to the great Democratic landslides of
1890, and holds that what happened
that year may happen again in 1893,
President Mckinley was elected two
years ago after an extraordinary
struggle, in which the main issue was
the preservation of the gold standard
and of the national credit. 1t was
literally "a battle of the Standards"
the Democratic party being arrayed in
the contest, through the folly of its
leaders, on the side of silver mono
metalism, 1.-THE free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to
L." This cost the Democratic party
hundreds of thousands of votes and
converted the majority in favor of
Cleveland in 1892 into one for Nc
Kinley in 1896. But what has followed?
Nothing has been done under Mr.. Me-
Kinley's administration to settle the
monetary issue, upon which he was
elected. He has ignored it in his
messages. The Republican Congress,
elected on the same day and on the
same issue, has ignored it. The only
step taken by the President himself
was to send to Europe a futile
commission Presidents refuge
| seems to be always in commissions"
| to try and negotiate an international
agreement in favor of bimetalism. AS
against this purely negative action in
the direction Of monetary reform we
have'as the fruits of Mr.. McKinley's
administration the Dingley tariff, the
war with Spain, revival Of war taxes
and all the embarrassments resulting
from the annexation of Hawaii, the
capture of Porto Rico and the as yet
unexplained designs of the admins
tration in regard to Cuba and the
Philippines. In addition to all this
have been the scandals and the COM
plants growing out of the misconduct
of the war, tho feebleness and incom-
potency of the War Department and
the consequent sufferings and ill
treatment of our soldiers in camp, on
transports, in hospitals and on the
field.
1t is not remarkable, the Sun con.
eludes, that under these circumstances
and conditions the issue of the Novenl,
Der elections and the political com
plexion of the next House of Repre-
sentatives should be gravely in doubt.
Not only iriN New York. and ,Pennsyl
vania, where there are IMPORTANT Stat,
elections and State issues to be decided
but all over the Union, and where onl,
congressional elections are to be held
there is the same uncertainty as to tn,
result. The Springfield Republican
one of the ablest, as it is one of tn
most independent of Northern journals
paper which has gravitated from Re
publican antecedents to position o
political Independence, has these sig
nificant questions to ask and comment
to make in regard to the possible out
come of the coming elections: III
eff citizens vote for Democrat
Congressman, whether sound or un
] sound on tho money question, at tn
!; coming election in order to check th
Presidents Asiatio programme and t
; rebuke his weak surrender to the in,
perialists in an hour of delirium owe
. victories in war, who will be at fault
Can they be blamed if they take tn
only possible course open to them a
this late day to force upon the Presi
, | dent a material modification OF his dc
mands regarding the Philippines? The
did not raise this issue. The issue wa
/: raised by the man in power whe
he decided to extend this nation
sovereignty over great territorial pos
session in thet tropics sef Asia. An
t the man who raised the issue will b
responsible for loss of votes, loss Z
(; Republican Representatives and tn
+ election of a Democratic Congress. y