The Opelousas courier., 1900-11-10
The Election.
N. o. Picayune.

OF trusts; they want large stand
sng army; they believe in the con-
quest and annexation of foreign
countries. In the campaign just
ended the great body of capital was
on the side of the Republicans.
The vast trusts, the multimillion-
aires and the principal financial in
stitutions in the country were sup
porting Mr.. Mckinley, and they
poured out money like water to Sc
cure his election. 1t has been open
ly declared that the Republican
campaign cost 100000, 900, and it is
not strange that so many people
who did not in any way profit by
that enormous campaign fund, vot-
ed for Mckinley, for after all, who
wants to belong to a poor-man's
party, for that was the case of the
Democracy led by Mr.. Bryan.
Even millions of the poor men
went to the rich mems party to es-
cape the reproach of herding with
those who did not try to conceal
that they were poor aud needed the
support that they could hope alone
from democratic government and
institutions.
But the people have declared for
the trusts, and that settles the mat
ter. That the people of those
states that have never been op-
pressed by a standing army should
favor militarism is not surprising.
There is something royal and i'm
posing in the idea of a great mill
tary establishment, and it is attrac
tive to people generally who have
never seen in time of peace their
state legislatures and their city
councils dispersed aud driven out
by military forces, and never ex-
perienced the domination of their
elections by an armed soldiery, and
the people of the states at the
mercy Of local garrisons and raid
ing dragons. All this the people
of the South have seen with their
own eyes and suffered i'll their own
bodies until the iron of despotism
entered their very souls. They
did not vote for military McKin-
leyism.
Such is the temper Of the Ameri-
can people today, and they have
acted on it by triumphantiy elect
ing the man who represents III his
administration the doctrine they
approve. it is true that some of
Mr.. McKinley's large pluralities
have been cut down, but those
which he has received are large
enough.
The democrats have made some
gains in congress, but the news is
too meagre TO base any forecast
upon. But there is no good reason
to hope that the democrats can
control the house, and even n small
republican majority will be in
creased by turning out on frivolous
pretexts democratic members and
Iseating republicans. Democratic
tcontrol of the house would be a
Igreat safeguard to- the Southern
states, which are in danger OF suf-
| fering from proscriptive legislation
N. o. Democrat.
i During the next two years, as
| during the last four, the Republic
can party will be in possession o.
| all brances of the government
| This is well, since divided respon
sibility is least Of all things to be
| desired in representative govern
/ ment. The republic thus enters
| upon novel phase of its existence
and by the deliberate choice Of tht
people. The results of the momen
| tous change are to be appraised
lonly in the light of experience
From this time forth, the forces o
militarism and plutocracy are to b.
/ dominant in our national affairs
History makes the philosophy o
| such course of events only to-
Iplain.
1 It remains only for the Demo
i cracy to take its defeat in good
J, nature. Nothing is to be gainet
Il BY skulking, but everything is t,
be lost. The country is too grea
to be mortally wounded by the con
sequence of a single mistake. A
q the same time, it would be folly Il
belittle the meaning of the yerdic
Just rendered. It means the AFRO
gance of an aristocracy OF money
and the bloated expenditure whicl
an imperial policy implies. !
means the exploitation of the gov
ernment by powerful private inter
ests will proceed without an effec
Tive check. IL means that our ca
reer of foreign conquest, OH behal
Of the selfish syndicates, has bn
Just begun. It means that America j
to champion the political and socia
creeds which Europe, iii the ligh
of centuries of experience, is begin
lining to discard.
Mr.. Bryan's disappearance from
+ Epublic life will be assumed BY tn
partisans of monopoly, with whom
] the wish is father to the thought
d but the masses do not forsake thei
leaders in that fashion. The Ne
braskan hus made a wonderful
! fight, against the most fearful odds
- n go