Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-12-15
WHAT IT MEANS.

True Significance of the Result of the
Elections of 1898.
The election of a republican house
of representatives is an expression OF
popular satisfaction with the results
Of republican financial and economic
policies. The last two years have been
years of prosperity for nearly all inter
ests. Most of the manufacturing in
duStries of the country revived under
the Dingley tariff, and while finding
an improved home market, due to the
larger employment Of labor and the
consequent freer distribution of money
among the people, number of them
have also considerably increased the
exports of their products. The agri-
cultural interest has prospered as al
most never before. This is largely
due to an exceptional foreign demand
for food Stuffs, but there has also been
a very material increase in the con-
sumption of our own people, made
possible by the policy which gave en-
plOyment to labor that was idle under
the operation Of democratic policy.
The condition of the wage earners has
been greatly improved, as the statis-
tics Of savings cOnCluSiyely show, and
while it is true that there are still
many idle people in the country, the
number is far less than two years ago,
while the average of wages paid in
most industries is higher. The COM
MERGE of the nation, domestic and
foreign, has been greater during the
past two years than in any other equal
period in our history, the accumuIa-
tion of capital has been enormous, the
supply of money has largely increased
and the price Of money was never
lower than now. These conditions
are known to the people and a large
majority are content with the policies
that have produced them, or under the
operation of which their realization
was made possible. Every man who
is able to reason from cause to effect
understands that they could not have
been realized with free silver and a
So-called rif-for-reyenue only.
The election of a republican house
Of representatives means that a ma
jority Of the American people approve
of the energy and yigor with which
the administration prosecuted the war
against Spain and are too fair and con-
Siderate to permit a few faults and
defects to detTact from the achieve
ment of one Of the most remarkab BILE
triumphS in the annals of war. Doubt
less some were deferred from support
ing republican candidates by the crit
icisms of the war department, but we
are disposed to think that the number
of such was not very great. So far as
the question of territorial expansion
is concerned it was nowhere really an
issue, so that the result Of the con-
greSsional elections cannot fairly be
regarded as having any bearing on
that question,
The election of a republican house
of representatives was blow, perhaps
a decisive blow, to free silver. Nearly
all the gains of democratic represent
atives were made in states where the
money question did not enter into the
campaign and most Of the men elected
are understood to be for sound money.
This reaffirmation of the popular ver-
| dict of two years ago will strengthen
| financial confidence and improve the
conditions that make for prosperity
Finally, the election of a republican
house of representatives with a SEN
ate in political accord, means that
there will be harmony between the
legislative and the executive branches
| of the government in dealing with
The questions growing out of the war,
md that these will be considered and
disposed of not from a partisan stand
fpoint, but with patriotic purpose I'd