The Saint Paul globe., 1898-09-16
The Maine Election.

The Vermont election showed the
strong recuperative power of the De-
mocracy no less than the marked apa-
thy Of the Republican masses. The
Maine election has served to confirm
the impression that there is q decided
drift toward the Democracy. The later
returns indicate Republican majority
OF not to exceed 10000, and probably
the final revision will show not more
than $4,000. The Republican majority
for governor in 1896 was 4S, 337. The
Republicans admit that they calcu-
lated upon a diminished vote this year,
but they were unprepared for any such
falling off as 25 per cent-and that Is
what the figures show on the state
ticket. On the legislative ticket the
Democrats gained nine members.
mot document, not a handbook,
nor speaker was sent into the state"
chirrups the secretary Of the Repub-
lican congressional committee. No
voice was raised in behalf of the be-
loved gold standard, for which the
party processes all the zeal of the new
convert The only signs of activity
were in Speaker Reeds district, where
the G. A. R. men got out and worked
against him because he would not
root" harder for them at the pension
pie counter in Washington. His ma
jority was reduced to 5000, as against
10000 two years ago. The Chicago
Tribune, which looks at things through
imperial spectacles, insists that his re-
| duced majority is simply q numerical
expression of dissatisfaction Of his Re-
publican constituents with his anti
national expansion ideas" The news
does not confirm any such theory. 1t
is immaterial, however. The fact re-
mains that the Republican losses were
not confined to a single district-they
were general throughout the state
The explanation Of these losses by
the Republican newspapers does not
explain. 'It is an off year." said the
Chicago Tribune, 'and so peculiarly an
off year that the Republicans did not
take interest enough to make a reg
ular canvass" If it was an "off" year
for Republicans, what should make 1t
so strikingly an ION" year for the
Democrats? Congressman Dingley is
recorded aS~having made not a single
speech, but as spending his time in
conference among the shore towns.
Your Maine Yankee is an inquisitive
person, and there are reasons for be-
IieVing that If the congressman had
taken the stump he would have found
it extremely difficult to crafty their
curiosity upon certain notable features
Of his extraordinary revenue-reducing
bill.
The best explanation Of a situation
ALWAYS iS that oh dc
facts, and the facts are that Repub-
lican party ties are weakening in Re-
publican strongholds everywhere; that
1t is becoming more and more difficult
! for intelligent Republican voters to
reconcile the want of performance with
the promises of their leaders, and that
there is a growing tendency to trust
! municipal and state matters less and
less to professional patriots of the
blatant Republican stripe.
Whatever the Washington correspon-
dent of the New York Times may tell
his newspaper concerning affairs at the
! national capital may be relied upon,
| for in all the turmoil Of the past few
months his was the correspondence Of
| one of the few Washington correspond
| ents who did not invariably go off at
half-cOck. When he writes, therefore
that there is no concern felt for Dewey
and the doings Of Aguinaldo and the
Germans in and about the Philippines
we are bound to believe that that is
| the truth. All these stories about rush
| ing American warships off to the Phil
ippines and great trepidation concern
ing the situation thereabouts are the
products Of immature correspondents
mental sWeatings; the cock-sure fell
lows whose wild imaginings are print
ell one day only to be cOntradicted the
next. The Associated Press has had
the good sense to shunt several good
| things of the Times correspondent out
| into this country during the past few
months. We beg to suggest that it's
service as a whole would be vastly i'm
proved and the country better informed
! if it seized more Of It. and, with the
! consciousness that it was good thing,
pushed it along. What the Northwest
| ern country wants is good news,
| promptly rendered, but, above all, re-
| liable news.
The plebiscite that Is to be a part
| of the programme of the Canadian
elections this fall is attracting wide
| spread attention outside Of the Do
minion. The question is asked, to be
| answered yes or no: Are you in favor
of the passing of an act prohibiting
the manufacture importation or sale of
spirits, ale wine, beer or cider for
use as beverages ?'' 1t has been an
| nOunced by Sir Wilfred Laurier that
! he believes if the antis have the ma
| jOrity that will be the end Of the agi-
| tation. The assumption is that, If the
prohibitionists have the majority, the
agitation will just begin. The refer
ence to the people has at least the
merit Of fairness, and it is evident from
| the tenor of the Canadian press that
the prohibitionists are likely to have
| the better end of the argument. The
actual reason for their success will lie
| in the fact that enormous quantities
of contraband spirits are distilled in
| the Dominion.
Just what sort Of independence II is
| that Mr.. Aguinaldo and his friends are
looking for Is not quite plain. IT Is
apparent that Of the 100000 Filipinos
100000 never heard of Spain and don't
know that they are subject to any sort
of rule at all; all Of the number mem
| toned and probably one-third of the
| a in6or, oF