The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-24
DEMOCRATIC LETTER.
REPUBLICAN, POLITICIANS ARE
PANIC STRICKEN.
They See the Signs of the Time, in
This Springs Local Elections Mich
isan, Indiana and Minnesota Are
Lost
washington letter.

III the Republican managers had any
doubt as to the prospects of Demo-
cratic success next November those
doubts were thoroughly removed by
the recent town elections in Indiana
and Minnesota. The Democrats swept
Indiana like cyclone. Everywhere
Inc Democratic majorities were in
creased; everywhere the Republican
vote fell off. Towns which have been
reliably Republican for years were
engulfed by the Democratic tide
Through the gas belt. which has been
Republican stronghold, the Demo-
cratic gains were enormous. Ander-
son, the home of the Republican can
d1date for governor, always reliable
Republican city, was captured by the
Democrats after 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 1900,
reversing the majority of over 5000
which it gave Mckinley in 1896. Min
neapolis elected Democratic mayor
In 1898, making even a more marked
change from the vote of 1896. All
signs point to this state supporting
Bryan in November. In Michigan the
Republicans are panic stricken. At
their recent state convention they en-
dorsed Mckinley in the most per-
lunctory manner and adjourned with
scarcely 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 states- in line with the party. This
will be impossible. The anti-Boer.
pro-British attitude of the administra-
ton has completely alienated 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 demonstrat-
ed that neither the civil or military
authorities in the Occur dAlene dis
trict had any desire to arrest, con-
vict and punish the men who blew
up the Bunker Hill mine. 1t 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
IA control. and the PERMIT system.
whereby 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 success unless 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
it. Mckinley too is already con-
fronted with the difficulties of occu-
plying an illegal and unconstitutional
position. No sooner had the Porto
Rican bill become law than it's am
biguities and crudities began to APP
pear. So serious are its defects that
the cabinet has been holding councils
to determine what shall be done to
remedy them, and further legislation
appears to be imperative. Had a
Porto Rican legislature adopted so
crude measure every administration
organ in the United States would have
pointed the finger of scorn and re-
marked that the Porto Ricans were
unfit for self-government, since they
were incapable of drafting a worka-
BILE law.
But the tariff feature presents even
more difficulties. The treasury de-
partment has already issued ruling
directly contrary to the spirit of that
law. 1t 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 part of the United States and
therefore under the Constitution. He
went SO far as to assert that had
Porto Rico not been under the Con-
stitution congress would have had no
power to legislate concerning it. The
case which was before him related
to the constitutionality Of the punish
ment of Porto Rican native by a
United States military court in the
island.
Although the administration lead
ers put up the plea that an essential
object in the passage Of the Porto
Rican bill was to enable the courts
to determine judicially whether or not
the Constitution extended to the ISL
and of its own strength. 1t has done
everything 1t could to avoid decision