The broad ax., 1900-05-19
DEMOCRATIC LETTER.
REPuBLIcAn POLITICIANS ARE
PANIC STRICKEN.
zhsy Zee the signs Of Dths Times IN
ThIs sprinxs Lsesi Eisstisss-AIsh-
lsan. Inai.as and MIansssta Ara
washington Letter..

doubt as to the prospects OF Demo
cratic success next November those
doubts were thoroughly removed BY
the recent town elections In Indiana
ana Minnesota. The Democrats swept
Indiana Ike q cyclone. Everywhere
the Democratic majorities were in
creased: everywhere the Republican
vote fell on. Towns which have been
reliably Republican for years were
engulfed by thu Democratic tide.
Through the gas belt. which, has been
Q Republican stronghold, the Demo
cratic gains were enormous. Ander-
son. the home Of the Republican can
didate for governor. always q reliable
Republican city. was captured by the
Democrats after q fierce battle. All
the indications are that Bryan will
sweep the state In November by the
largest Democratic majority since the
| days Of Hendricks and Blue jeans
Williams. In Minnesota, the city of
St Paul went Democratic by 800.
reversing the majority of over 5000
which 1t gave Mckinley in 1896. Min
neapolis elected Democratic mayor
In 1888, making even more marked
change from the vote of 1886. All
signs point to this state supporting
Bryan In November. In Michigan the
Republicans are panic stricken. At
their recent state convention they en-
dor-ed Mckinley In the most per-
functory manner and adjourned with
scarcely q single issue presented In
their platform. A Hollander from
near Grand Rapids was made chair
man Of the Republican state commit
tee in some faint hope Of holding the
Dutch vote. which Is very strong in
the state, IN line with the party. This
win be impossible. The anti-Boer.
pro-British attitude of the administra-
ton has completely aiIenated this pow
erful vote as it has that OF hundreds
Of thousands Of Americans In every
walk Of life.
Out of the many elements which
have led to this marked reversal Of
opinion In favor Of the Democrats,
two are especially noticeable at the
present moment. First, the Occur
d'Alene investigation, now In progress
In Washington. has shown the work
ing men Of the country the serious
dangers Of military control. The fact
has been overwhelmingly demonstrate
ed that neither the civil or military
authorities in the Occur d'Alene dis
trict had any desire to arrest con-
Wet and punish the men who blew
mp the Bunker Hill mine. II was
proven that the mine owners had nu-
merous spies present at the time the
mine was blown up and on the spot.
Yet the criminals were allowed to es-
cape. because had they been arrested
and convicted the excuse OF keeping
the military in control OF the district
for over twelve months would have
disappeared The military are still
In control. and the permit system
whereby a workman must secure per-
mission from an illegal authority be-
fore he can even seek work Is still In
force. The other cause for the change
Of public sentiment lately manifested
Is the action OF the administration In
regard to Porto Rico. Imperialism
cannot be q success unless q people
have been bred to accept the doctrine
Of the Divine right Of kings. That
doctrine holds to an extremely linn
tied extent In the United States. and
the general public refuses to accept
- NAK1n1ar e.
fronted with the difficulties Of occu-
plying an Illegal and unconstitutional
position. No sooner had the Porto
Rican bill become q law than its am
biguities and crudities began to ap-
pear. So serious are its defects that
the cabinet has been holding councils
20 determine what shall be done to
remedy them, and further legislation
appears to be imperative. Had q
Porto Rican legislature adopted 90
crude measure every administration
organ In the United States would have
pointed the finger Of scorn and re-
marked that the Porto Rieans were
unfit Tor self-government. since they
were incapable Of drafting q worka-
BILE Law.
But the tariff feature presents even
more difficulties. The treasury de-
partment has already, issued a ruling
directly contrary TO the spirit Of that
Law. II has ruled that goods export
ed TO Porto Rico are not exports, and
are therefore not entitled to draw
backs" which are paid on certain
manufactures to cover the amount Of
the duties originally paid on the i'm
ported material used In their manu-
facture. Judge Lochren. Of the United
States federal court. sitting at St
Paul. has made an even wider decis-
ion In which he holds that Porto Rico
Is q part Of the United States and
therefore under the Constitution. He
went 50 far as 10 assert that had
Porto Rico not been under the Con-
stitution congress would have had no
power to legislate concerning II The
case which was before him related
20 the constitutionality Of the punish
ment OF q Porto Rican native by
United States military court in the
island.
arsna s-s..