The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-11-08
A GLANCE BACKWARD AND FOR.
WARD.

the nrst time In its history, lost every
Northern State in the Congressional
and State elections, losing the Sen
atorships in Ohio and Indiana which
had been held through all mutations
| OF politics. Worse than that, for the
first time in twenty wears the Demo
Gratis lost Kentucky, West Virginia,
Maryland and North Carolina. In the
States of Missouri and Tennessee the
Democrats won only by ''the skin of
the teeth" so to speak. 1t was the
| most disastrous defeat the party had
ever eXperienced-worse, even, than
during the war. Two years previous
Mr.. Cleveland had been elected Presi-
dent by very large majority. Within
| two years after his Inauguration the
party was split, and in no State where
the Republicans We're even fairly well
organized did the Democrats make a
track"
1t has been falsely stated so often.
that Bryan and Bryanism'' brought
the Democratic party to defeat in
1896 that the above facts have sig-
nificance. AS result of party
divisions, the Democrats were divided
in the Convention of 1896. When the
majority had spoken the minority re-
fused to yield to the ''arbitrament of
the National convention and refused
to support Bryan and Sewall. Some of
these men were impelled to that course
because they honestly feared that free
coinage would result disastrously;
others because they thought Repub-
Leans would win and they desired to
least an anchor to windward." What
ever the reason, thousands of Demo-
Gratis, who were led by Grover Cleve-
land, bolted the party. Some support
ed Palmer and Buckner, but by far
the largest number voted for McKin-
ley, who was elected by Democratic
votes, though he embodied every prin-
ciple antagonistic to Democratic faith.
In spite of this detection, Bryan re-
ceived much larger vote than Cleve-
land, and an immensely larger vote
than the Democrats cast in 1894. How
ever, the party was defeated, though it
carried ten Northern States that were
lost in 1894, and recovered North Car
DINA.
In 1898 most of the Democrats who
voted against Bryan in 1896 voted
with the Democrats. Maryland and
Kentucky, which had been lost first
in 1894, while Cleveland was Presi-
dent, returned to the party; West Vir-
sginia was close, and large gains were
made in several Northern States.
This brings us to 1900, when the
Democracy has suffered a defeat more
crushing than any in recent years,
except in 1894, when it was every
where defeated. Men will differ as to
the cause of defeat, but it will be
generally admitted to have been
caused by the activity of the trusts
and great corporations which opposed
Mr.. Bryan. Whether they effected
the result by a wholesale scare of
panic, by coercion and intimidation,
and the corrupt use of money, or all
three, the fact remains that it was
the united action of aggregated wealth
that elected Mckinley this year, as in
1896. There was less open coercion,
but the use of money was greater.
In 1894, Cleveland's policy was de-
feated by AN immensely larger ma
iority than Bryan's in 1900. In both
elections the Republicans scored sig
nal victories.
In August and September the Demo
Gratis had the best of the Presidential
contest. Upon the issues they were
winning votes everywhere. The Ger
man vote was hostile to Imperialism,
the labor vote seemed almost solid for
Bryan, because he opposed government
by injunction, and the tide was
toward the Democrats on the trust
issue. In October the Republicans quit
discussing these issues. They began
to- scare the business world; they
began to intimidate the laborers; they
denied that they favored Imperialism,
and said it was a ''bugaboo;" they said
they were more opposed to the trusts
than the Democrats, and declared that
the only issue was "Let Well Enough
Alone" This was dinned into the
ears of the business and manufacture
ing world, the farmers and mechanics
and others, until some were persuaded
that Bryan's election might produce a
panic-a fear so groundless that it is
surprising that it could affect single
well-informed voter. There still re-
NAMED unconvinced the bulk of the
men employed in the great enterprises
controlled by the trusts. These-or
many of them-were compelled to vote
for Mckinley under the penalty eX-
pressed or implied, of losing their