New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-17
GAINS AND LOSSES or 1898.


Both interest and profit may be found in
tracing in the results of the recent Congress
elections the workings of that curious restless
ness of opinion which has been at the bottom
of 50 many violent oscillations in American
politics. Judging from the energy OF past pO-
litical reactions. il was perhaps scarcely rea-
Sonablc to expect the party inrenched IN power
in the executive department to retain this fall
the control it had won two years ago III the
lower house of Congress; for. save in lSN1-
the halfway stage of Mr.. Clcvcland's first Ad-
ministra tiOn-evcry President in recent years
has seen a hostile majority chosen in that
branch 10 Illustrate and cmbarrass executive
action for the second half Of the fouryear
term. To overcome the inevitable drift OF
sentiment which time and again had re-estaD-
lished a working opposition in the House of
Representatives was the difficult task set the
Administration of President Mckinley. Had
the reaction OF 1895 been as simple and gen
eral in character as that of 1894 or 1890. it
seems plain that the history Of those two cam
paignS would have been repeated a week ago.
though in far less exaggerated terms. Fortu-
natcly. the rcaction1ry drift this fall deyel-
oped two contrary and opposing currents. for
though the Swing of the pendulum in the East
entailod more serious disasters than had h,cn
anticipatcd n confederation in The Far West
not only ncutrazcd these unlookcd-for re-
verses. but now promises an easy extension i'll
1900 Of the Republican party's present lease OF
National powcr.
i was only natural. perhaps. that the force
of each of these reactions should have been
felt most violently in States in which party
lines had been practically effaced by the issues
of 1896 Thus in the great States of the East
New York. Pennsylvania Massachusetts and
New-Jcrsev whore the Bryan campaign proved
a wholesale failure. the Democratic gains this
year were dlsagrceaby marked and general
Tvcnty-four seats in the House were lost by
the Republicans in these four CONFERENCE.-The.
OF the four border States carried by President
/ Mckinley in 1896 only one. Delaware, showed
! a Republican gain in the House this fall; six
! seats were lost in Maryland, Kentucky and
! West Virginia. Illinois. too, where the reac-
! ton against Organism most emphatic two
/ wears ago, returned two more Democrats 10 the
/ LVIth Congress than it did TO the LNth. In
diana and Ohio. the Middle Western States in
which the silver forces made their best fight,
showed. on the contrary. no tiuctuaton of sent-
mpnt whatever. returning practically the same
DELEGATIONS 10 Congress as in 1896. In the Far
West SIMILARLY the drift toward Republican,
ISM proved strongest in the particular States
in which the party organization seemed
to have suffered the greatest decentralization
two years ago. Kansas. committed for nearly
n decade 10 Popu>m. became again Rcpub-
Ncan. sending only single Populist to Con-
grcsS on Of a delegation of eight. South Da-
kota. Wyorn Nc AMI Washington. all lost on The
frec-coinacc ISSUE in 1896, reversed their repre-
scntation IN the House. while Nebraska though
clccting delegation unchanged politically,
chose a Legislature which will soon retire her
present PopulSt Senator W. V. Allen, TO prl-
waite life.
on the whole tho two rcactiOnary impulses
noticeable in last weeks elections seem to have
restored that natural equilibrium in National
politics which has been lacking for the last eight
years The one has perhaps. revived Democratic
hopes in the East: but the other has opened an
ever faircr prospect OF .cturning Republican as
ccndancy in the Far West. Last weeks losses
| on the Atlantic Scahoard. though discouraging,
cndangcr Republican success in 1900 in 10
states except Maryland. In the Middle West,
though Kentucky has gohe over 70 the oppo-
sition. Indiana al least has been made securely
/ Republican, while beyond the Mississippi the
ONLY States now safely held by the silver forces
/ are Colorado Utah. Idaho Montana and Nevada,
! with ONLY sixteen electoral votes all told Ger
| tainlv in no midway election since 1870 has n
| Rnprblican Administration developed greater
! poli,ical strength or been enabled TO look for
ward with frmcr confidence TO party success
1T the end of the current Presidential term.