Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-10-02
HOW EIGHT YEARS HAVE CHANG
ED CONDITIONS.

parlSOn of the condition of the dem
ocratic party as it enters the cam
paign this fall, one year preceding the
presidential contest, with it's condi-
ton in a similar election just eight
years ago, affords one of the most
i pathetic contrasts of American pol
itics. Today there is just one state
north of the Mason and Dixon line
| and east Of the Missouri river which
has democratic governor. That
state is Minnesota. Nor does this
signify anything as to the relative
strength of the the two political par
! ties, for on the same day that John
Lind was elected governor the seven
congressional districts of the state
each chose a republican to represent
them in congress. The clannishness
Of the Scandinavian vote accounts for
this solitary exception to the rule
that the democrats are now out of
power in every state of the north as
! far west as the Missouri. Eight years
ago Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio
Iowa and Massachusetts had demo-
cratic governors. The congress of
the United States which had been
last elected contained in the lower
house only eighty seven republicans,
against 237 democrats and eight farm
mers' alliance men. 1t was then ev-
ident to the most casual observer
that the democrats were gaining in
strength SO rapidly as almost to in
sure their carrying the presidential
election the following year. This
they did by an overwhelming major
ity. Today their prospects as they
| approach this preliminary skirmish
of 1899 are as slim as they then were
fattering. This is something that
those now in control of the organic
alton will do we'll to ponder. 1t shows
more forcibly than anything else that
the way of the transgressor among
parties as we'll as men is still hard.
Nothing has occurred in the con-
ventions thus far this year to indicate
that the democratic tide, which seems
to be at low water, has begun to come
in. In all the states that have any
politics this year the democratic or
CARNATIONS have boldly and bravely
put its worst foot forward. MARYLAND
is perhaps an exception. In Massa-
chusetts and Ohio this general state
ment is particularly true, and Wash
ington observers are wont to contrast
the condition of the party in these
~
when Governor Russell was in con-
troll in Massachusetts and the Cleve-
land wing Of the party in control in
Ohio. James e. Campbell was then
governor, and while he subjected
himself to criticism for yielding to the
free silver movement shortly after,
it must be acknowledged that he is a
long way ahead of John r. Mclean.
In Kentucky the party is in worse
middle this year than ever before.
The Iowa democrats selected of two
candidates prominently before their
convention the one most extremely
devoted to free silver. Since Mr..
| Whites nomination, however, he has
apparently lost his enthusiasm for
that issue and is making some vigor-
Gus anti-imperialistic speeches. In
Maryland the Democratic party
| ordinarily represents a substantial
element of the communities, and this
year is not an exception. Southern
in their sympathies the Maryland
! democrats usually are, and yet with
enough of the Baltimore business in
terests in the equation to keep them
from those populistic vagaries into
which the democrats of the extreme
south, where the rural vote FREEDOM
mates, fall so readily. The few cleo
lions which have always taken place
! the year preceding presidential con-
test throws SO much light, as usually
to make it absolutely clear how that
! larger contest will turn out. This year
there will be less certainty than usual
in interpreting the meaning of the re-
suits on account of the existence of
war which is liable at any time to
have very sensational developments,
so striking as to obliterate in a night
all other issues and completely change
the face of politics. Barring the small
possibilities of such developments in
Philippine affairs between the coming
November and that month a year
later, it ought to be easy to tell from
the vote soon to be cast how the pres
identia1 contest will result. After an
other deluge like that of 1896 it is rea-
sonable to expect some reform from
within the democratic party. It's fol-