Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-21
GOOD REPUBLICAN OUTLOOK.


WASHINGTON. july Ia. All Oh llt Hl'ln-
bcrs of the House of Representatives OF
the Fifty-sixth Congress who nave been
elected up to this time are repubicans-a
rather inausuiCiouS beginning for cam
-paign in which sis months ago, the dem
oCratce and pupulists expected to win on
| hand. Tho greatest trouble of the dem
ocrats is due to their uncertainty as to
what 1T is advisable for them to do in
| the making of their Congress nomina-
| tons, whether to fuse with the populists
and slvcritc republicans, as in 1875, or
to discard all political association with
| Dopulists and thus sCcl, to win back DEM
ocrnts lost i'm 1896. hut who were rcgained
| in local elections on state or local issues
! in lN7, more particularly in New York
| and Chicago.
The total membership of the House of
| Representatives. exclusive of territorial
delegates. Is 2j7, of which the republicans
| had 2,2 I'm the last House. The "stra SHIT
democrats" numbered l25. and in ordcr'to
Keep these seats democratic concessions TO
| the populiSts are necessary, particularly
! in the West or Southwest, for without
auch support the party representation
! would ne almost insignificant. In the SIX
! New England States there WAS but ore
democratic representative i'm the House
+ Of the Flfty-ffth Congress to g republic
cans In the four middle Atlantic states,
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
and Maryland. there were Gl republicans
to line democrats and in the seven mid
die West and Northwestern states of
| Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana
chic. Minnesota and Iowa there were only
| u democrats to - republicans. In ALL
| there were la republicans and % demo-
Gratis only in these three groups of states.
| If the democrats adhere to the Issue or
| ING. what chance have they to incrcas p
tlcir small representation In these DIS
ItriCts? Moreover. small as II was, II
would have been still smaller except for
the aid received in some of the districts
from the populist voters. In the thirl dis
ItriCt of Michigan. for instance, the sue
iCcssfu congressman was the nominee con-
Jointly Of the democrats silver republic
cans. populsts and national prohibitions
lists yet he polled only 2i,ij6 votes against
g!.0i0 for his republican opponent. In the
2l~t district Of Illinois Jehu Baker the
Joint nominee OF democrats. silver rcpuh-
lCans and populsts. received a total vote
Of only 2S,5Nl against 25f9 for mis- repdhli-
can opponent. 1t is reasonable to assume
that a dis.ntcgraton of the political forces
which made these isolated successes pos
sibic in 1886 would cause the loss of sew
ordl OF the districts.
Moreover. there are very few gold DEM
ocrats in the Western ana Southw, stern
States. i'm which the democratic reprcicn-
tation In the last House was considerable.
IN Colorado, Idaho. Montana, North Da-
kotd. South Dakota, and Wyoming no
Palmer electoral ticket was voted for. In
Kansas and Nebraska the vote cast for it
was small. ana i'm California. long regard
cd as the chief of the gold States the Pal
mcr vote WIS 2Do0 only. while the popui5t
81 It Jral ticket Of Bryan and Watson re-
Ccivcd II Goa votes Are the democrats Of
the West likely to disconnect themeelvcs
from their former ropulist and silVcritc al
lies in the coming Congress elections 10y
disavowing the platform of 1896. AT the
peril of the loss OF districts which they
now Mold, with other political disadvan-
t3gcs easily imaginable? Relatively. The
pupulists whether they take that name or
call themselves silver r,publicans. arc
strong in the Senate. Nearly all the sma I
States of the Northwest and more partic.
uldrly the new States admitted in 1889 are
represented by popu!iSts or silveritcs eli
ther wholly or partly For the democrat
i'll this years Congress elections to throw
over oard their pOpulist allies Of a few
years ago would be to sacrifice their las,
chance of controlling the next init ed
States Senate by an alliance with the pop.
ultsts. In not one of the States where a
senator Is to be elected next winter l. il
at all probable that II gold democrat car
De chosen, save as the consequence of pcs.
siDle republican support in State other
wise incontcstably democratic
AGAIN, tho democrats in the Southc RI
: states must be on their guard lest rhcr,
! ,,o, ~ t,, , tio'in ~ puPuis's' M
! o,or,or ,c -, III :" le'o "Ns neatiV
H., cot. .n.'i''ll, "nu III .North 'Hlp
=, d,,,,aa,t 'll, W ni'lis o'ne'S Mhc''
,t,' ai"a,',.'', pol'u,lH' LuSioh gave br! Al
/ fusc on congressman at the same elcc
',,' Wv "oI,i"ctn'S WIN oi'H one con
&c., - ~ IN on, we Tar nee
'ra,,,. ~ 49,, o'"' si"' SUM '"ro'lna
i ~ , ""u iVN"H el't, S"NernorS UNI
I Ir,, ','u III an VI mem the popuhStS are
80. - - pL'"' WIN them Woul'