The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-11

The elections of Tuesday must satisfy
every person who is capable of drawing a
conclusion that the cause of IS to 1 is hope
lessly lost. In an off year, when the nat
ural drift is against the party in power, the
Republican States have not only held their
own but others have been added to the
list. The gains which the Democrats have
made in the House are mainly of the cleo
ton of men in New York and other Eastern
States who will not vote for free-silver
coinage. Two or three silverites have been
elected to the House in Chicago, but this is
said to be due. to the hostility of Repub-
lean voters to Governor Tanner.
The most significant evidence of the death
and burial of silverism is the result in the
States of the Northwest which were car
ried for Mr.. Bryan in 1896. All of them
that are not large silver producers are prac-
tically lost to the heresy of 16 to l. In
1896 the Bryan electors in Kansas had a
plurality of 100; this year the Republican
plurality is about 1900. Nebraska, Mr..
Bryan's own State, gave him over 1900
plurality in 1896. This year, if the Repub-
licans have not carried it, the Bryan plural
ity is inconsequential South Dakota was
carried for Mr.. Bryan by about 200 plurality
and the two representatives were elected In
1896 by ZOO plurality. On Tuesday the Re-
publican ticket, with both members of the
House, was elected by a fair majority.
South Dakota is a silver-producing State.
In 1896 the State of Washington gave Mr..
Bryan 1880 plurality in a total vote of
$1,000 On Tuesday Washington was carried
by the Republicans by plurality of 10000
an overturn. In 1896 President McKinley's
plurality in California only 1900 in a
total vote of 100000 This year the Repub-
licans have carried the State by plurality
of several thousands. Even Wyoming APP
pears to be lost to the cause of Is to /. To-
day, in the light of the results of last Tues
days elections, the only 16-to-1 States in the
North are Colorado, Idaho, Montana,
Nevada and Utah, silver-producing States
with sixteen electoral votes. Counting Mis-
souri, as a Southern State, those States are
all that a candidate on 16-to-1 platform
like that adopted at Chicago in 1896 can ex-
pect in the North. Furthermore, if a Presi-
dent had been elected on Tuesday the can
didate on the 16-to-1 platform would have
received twenty less electoral votes than
did Mr. Bryan.
These facts should not fail to convince
Democrats of fair intelligence that the in
dependent coinage of silver by the United
States at the ratio of Is to / is as dead an
issue as is the once popular heresy of the
issue of irredeemable greenbacks for a
stable national currency. 1t is dead be-
yond resurrection, and if the Democratic
party goes before the people on that issue
in 1900 it will not receive the solid vote of
the South or that of the silver producing
States of the West. Such men as Senator
Turpe will not see it, but the dead will not
or cannot bury their dead. There must be
some Democrats in the party councils in In
diana who will protest against being led
to third slaughter at the dictation of such
men as Ex-Governor Altgeld, Ex-Governor
Stone of Missouri, Senator Jones of Arkan-
sas, Senator Teller and about-to-be ex-Sen-
ator Allen of Nebraska, in the interest of
limited number Of silver-mine owners. They
have forced out of their party ten thousand
business men to get few Cheadles and
disgruntled office seekers.