The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-11-22
The Congressional Contest.

The newspapers and politicians of
the county are already discussing the
availability of several pronounced
candidates for Congressional honors.
The successor to Congressman Ryan
will be elected next fall, and the latter
will be opposed for denomination
bv many of his party associates.
Even now it is confidently predicted
by leading Democrats that Mr.. Ryan
will go the way of his Democratic
predecessor, Hon. James B. Reilly.
The only pronounced candidate now
in opposition is John o. Ulrich, Of
Tamaqua, the big, brainy advocate
of the sixteen-tO-one theory. But
there will be others.
Among the Republicans there are
big and little, great and small candi-
dates mentioned, and even dark
horses" are being groomed. The most
active along these lines is the gentle
man who on several occasions has
walked the floors of Congress, and
made the walls of the Capitol build
ing resound with his stentorian voice,
even displaying his prowess in throw
ing documentary evidence at the
heads of his colleagues. We don't
know but that he was fully justified
in that instance in defending the
dignity of SchuylkilI's representative
Information at hand leads to the
belief that former Congressman
Brumm is already laying his lines to
secure the Republican nomination.
Previous to 1896, as is well known
Mr. Brumm's close political friends
and advisers were those Republicans
who formerly affiliated with the
cheap p money craze, but who deserted
their favorite when he repudiated his
former beliefs and accepted nomin-
alton on a distinctly gold-standard
platform. Now Mr.. Brumm is said
to be throwing bouquets" at his
former Greenback associates and
soliciting their support, under the as
sumption that next years campaign
will not be fought with the financial
question as the leading issue.
We are not surprised at that. Three
years ago Mr.. Brumm was made to
fit the platform, and by making the
platform fit Mr. Brumm next year he
hopes again to go to Congress and
thus pull himself out of the ranks Of
the political "has-b beens." In this the
former Congr essman is the victim OF
misplaced confidence; and it is safe to
hazard the prediction that the Repub-
licans will force the fight along the
financial lines in this county and
state, at least, and that the next Con
gresham will not hail from Miners
Vile.
With the silver question or eIpan-
sion as the leading issue OF the cam
paign next year, old Schuylkill can
be counted upon to again return a
handsome majority for William Nc
Kinley. The election of 1896 demon
strated that, and the contests in this
county for the past two years have
merely added emphasis to that YER
dict The silver craze reached its
zenith in '96, and the followers oi
Bryan in schuylkill county have con
tinued since then to lose ground
Three years ago they were in undis'
puted control of the Democratic
party. They have been completely
unhorsed, and to day they stand prac
tically without following.
Under these conditions the Repub
licans have everything to gain and
nothing to lose by renewing the fight
in this county and state along the
same lines as those that predominated
in 1896, notwithstanding the efforts oi
the Democrats to force the finan,