Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-06-26
THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ISSUE.


intention of the politicians of the
Democratic party to contest the next
presidential election chiefly on the
currency question. The politics of
the nation has got into condition of
recent years where it is thought that
the more active men in the respective
parties can maks the issues. Politi-
clans may deceive themselves here,
for this is hardly the natural state of
affairs. In reasonable. politics issues
make themselves. Circumstances
arise in which it is obvious that one or
another policy is needed for the nation.
Sometimes it relates to the currency,
sometimes to the tariff, sometimes
to foreign affairs. In the years before
the civil war the slavery question
came up and absorbed all others.
When the war was ended and recon
truction OF the state governments of
the South was achieved there was
really nothing left to divide parties.
The Republican party undertook to
strengthen itself sufficiently to hold
its power by appealing to the re-
collections of the war. 1t had con-
quered rebellion and it had saved the
nation, and it's leaders were con-
stantly pointing with pride" to this
work. This was natural enough, and
it was to be expected of those who
controlled the government and were
DESTROYS of retaining their control.
The Democrats were injured by these
same recollections. They could only
strive to Offset them by creating some
new issue, or wait patiently for the
memory of the war to fade out in the
minds of the people. The latter al
tentative babe fair to be their hold,
until the Republicans, arrogant under
repeated success, became careless as
a party and allowed extravaganza
and corruption TO come into their ad-
ministration of the government.
Republican laxity here was what
elected Grover Cleveland to the pres
idency. This was the first Democratic
presidential success, and it chad re-
quired more than twenty five years
to bring it about. There had been no
issue of principle between the parties
in the meantime. The Democrats
had taken foolish ground as regards
the currency, but SO had many Re-
publicans. There was no distinct line
on it dividing the parties. There was
a movement made for a lower tariff,
but significant fact, often forgotten,
is that it began with Republicans, and
had for it's leaders Garfield, Allison,
Buchard and others of that party,
while it's most determined and effec-
tive opponent was Samuel j. Randall
of the Democratic ranks. When Gro
yer Cleveland was elected president,
It was not on either of these issues, or
any other issue OF practical bearing
in national affairs, aside from the
purity of the government. The civil
service had come into consideration,
but both parties protested to favor
| it's reform, and while a Democratic
| leader had the fortune to have his
name connected with the first civil
service reform measure, it had fully
as cordial support from the Republi-
cans.
It is often asserted, and in many in
stances believed, that it was the tariff
issue that made William Mckinley
president. In one sense this is true.
It gave him the Republican nomina-
ton for the presidency. The coinci
dence of business depression witha a
| tariff not made to the minds of true
tariff reformers made a high tariff
strong in the Republican par ty, and
Mckinley, as its most prominent rep
resentative, thus became the Repub-
lican candidate; Ibut the election of
! 1896 turned less on that issue than on
| another. The stampede of the Dem
| ocratic party over to free silver was
what decided it. By that the DEM
ocractic party was extinguished for
any effectiveness in the eastern states,
and it proved to have no support in
the western and southern states ad-
equate to overcome the loss. We shall
never know what the result of that
election would have been on the tariff
issue, because the currency issue
came up and put it out completely.
And now the question arises if the
trust issue can be made to do the
same thing for the currency issue that
the currency issue did for the tariff
issue. The Democratic leaders seem
to think that it lies with them to settle
this point. To our mind they are to
be the agents in it, but no more. If
there is a sufficiently strong feeling
among the voters to make the trust