The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-04-28
The Prospects of the Republican Party.

The Prospects of the Republican Party.
Rather more than half of McKinley's
term having expired, and the national
nominating convention being but little
more than a year distant, it is natural
that the republican party's chance of
securing second lease of power should
be widely discussed Much, CT course,
may happen during the nineteen moni his
which intervene before November, 1900,
and the political situation may be ma
terially changed during the interval.
1t is conceivable, for instance, that the
price of wheat might fall to figures that
would mean ruin for the farmers, and
that the present flourishing condition of
our manufactures might be succeeded
by period of depression. Assuming,
however, that no change decisively
affecting the national prosperity and
the relative position of parties will
occur, we may attempt to answer the
question, Can the republicans look
forward to a second triumph at the
ballot box? This question will be,
naturally, considered from both posi-
tive and a negative point of view.
What claims, in other words, have the
republicans to renewal of the peoples
confidence, and to what extent may
they expect to profit by the mistakes of
their political opponentss
The republicans may fairly claim to
have fulfilled most of the promises
made in the program put forth by their
national convention at st. Louis. They
declared that their return to power
would be followed by prosperity, and,
whether it should be regarded as tie
effect of their measures CT merely as
coincidence, it is certain that that
prosperity is here. In no twelvemonth
since the civil war have so many farm
mortgages been paid off as during the
year 1898. AT no time has the volume
OF our native manufactures been so
great, and marked revival of business
in this field has been followed by a
general rise of wages. In every depart
ment of human labor, work is easily
obtained, and well paid. Our export
trade has reached dimensions never be-
fore exhibited by this or any other coun-
try; in this respect, the United States
now rank considerably above Great
Britain. Neither are our exports now
confined, as they used to be, almost ex-
clusively to raw products; we have be-
come large exporters of manufactures,
and, as regards locomotives and other
commodities fashioned of iron or steel,
we seem destined to distance all COM
petitors.
We may take for granted that the
republicans in 1900 will present solid
front They will not be split upon the
Philippines question, nor upon any
other issue. All the republicans who
cared more for the free coinage of silver
at Is to l than for their party allegiance
were lost in 1896. There will be no
further detection from the republican
standard on that score. 1t is on the
other hand, far from certain that the
democrats will be equally unanimous.
If the free coinage of silver at the ratio
named is again made the principal
plank in the democratic platform, as
we may now assume it will be, we are
likely to witness much larger seces-
sien of sound money democrats than
took place in 1896. 1t is great mis-
take to suppose that in that year, all
the democrats who believe in a gold
standard voted either for Mckinley or
else Palmer. 1t is probable that the
seceders were greatly outnumbered by
those sound money democrats who re-
NAMED reluctantly ia the party ranks,
believing that they should be able to de-
feat in congress any monetary legisla-
ton of which they should disapprove.
Not few democratic senators might
be named who voted for Bryan but
who, had Bryan been elected, would
have opposed bill for the free coinage
of silver at the ratio of 10 to l. At
pr esent in our eastern states if not
throughout the country, the silver
plank is much less acceptable than it
was when the last democratic national
convention put it forward, and should
it be placed again in the front of the
democratic platform, large number
of democrats, who remained faithful in
1896, are likely to recognize the neces-
sity of destroying it once for all.
As regards the candidates of the re-
publican party, it seems to be settled
that the former ticket shall remain un-
changed. That Mr.. Hobart has made
an admirable vice president is univer-
sally acknowledged; indeed, we should
have to revert to the earlier days of.the
republic to find his equal among the &C.
cupants of the office. Golfers Weekly.
At least two pulpits In this city are wide
q aL IN tho oop difioy, ,>f ,,.rcio,caI aH.i~a