The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-10

ed States Appraiser Wilbur
F. Wakeman, of New York city, in q
recent interview with the New York
Times.
II disagree" said Mr. Wakeman.
with the optimistic opinions ex-
pressed by many Republicans as to
the outlook of the presidential cam
paign. The Republican party enters
the race with the terrible handicap OF
imperialistic Democratic disfranchise-
ment. Thirteen of the Southern states
have an electoral vote of 142. BY un-
fair registration and election laws and
methods the vote of these thirteen
states is practically counted today, for
it makes no difference how many votes
may be cast for Mckinley and Roose-
welt, these thirteen states will be
counted for Mr.. Bryan. There are Az
votes in the Electoral College. Thus
there are 3O5 electoral votes which will
be counted according to the honest
vote in the respective states. We thus
enter the race as follows:
Mckinley and Roosevelt-necessary
to a choice. .....................22
Bryan and Stevenson (handicap 142)
necessary to et.................. SO
"Over a period of years the Demo-
cratic party of the South has gradu-
ally adopted such registration and
election laws and methods that a Re-
publican victory is impossible in that
section, and since 1896 laws for Demo-
cratic control have been added in Mis-
souri,, Kentucky and North Carolina.
In addition to the imperialistic Demo-
cratic disfranchisement handicap, how
forgetful we are! In 1892 we had an
| uneXampled period of prosperity. The
public debt had reached its lowest
point since the war of the rebellion.
National, commercial and individual
prosperity prevailed, and yet after the
| splendid administration of Mr.. Harri-
son the Republican party suffered one
of the most disastrous defeats in its
| history. In the spring of 1896 every
| one was saying that there was no
| question about the success of Presi-
| dent Mckinley. All kinds of odds We're
offered on the streets as to Mr.. Me-
Kinley's nomination and election, and
yet less than $4,000 votes properly dis
| trbuted throughout the Union would
have elected Mr.. Bryan to the presi-
| dency.
AT that time Tammany and the
New York state Democracy were, to
say the least, lukewarm, and yet upon
Manhattan Island Mr. Bryan received
over $4,000 votes. When l saw that
Republican procession going up Fifth
avenue just before the election in 1896
it seemed to me that Mr.. Bryan's vote
would be insignificant in this city. but
it was not. We again have the most
| aggressive Free-Trade member of the
Ways and Means committee which
framed the Wilson bill as the candi-
date of Democracy. We again have
William Mckinley, the chairman of
the Ways and Means committee of the
| Fifty-frst congress and author of the
| Mckinley bill. as the Republican cam
didate. In 1896 Republican mayors pre-
sided over all great cities in New York
state. Today Democratic mayors pre-
New York state Tammany and the
Hill Democracy, Indifferent in 1896, are
both in line and active for the Demo-
cratic ticket. With the enormous in
fluence of Democratic mayors and the
Democratic machinery in line we must
expect a great falling off in our vote
in the great cities of New York There
Is danger ahead!"
The danger can be averted with
proper effort. But it will not disap-
pear by reason OF Republican over.
confidence.