Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-17
4 WARNING TO REPtBLICANs
Responsibility for -Four Wears OF
National Policies and Action.
Hes Weekly (repD

t.eslie's Weekly GepD
In some respects the recent election was
the greatest victory which the republican
party ever won I'm the forty-siN years which
have passed since that party first appeared.
President McKinley's electoral vote exceeds
that Of Grant in 1872. which was EST. and
which was the greatest total ever received
by any other candidate for president. Mr..
Mckinley's majority of the popular vote
also exceeds that of General Grant In 1872.
which was $4,000, and thus breaks all
records In this particular. The exact
extent OF his popular vote will not he
known until the official count is made in
all the states
Moreover, IN the canvass of 1872 recon-
struction In the south had not been COM
pleted and the votes of some of the south
ern states were rejected. Then. too, at
that time the democracy was under the
ban in the north and many persons who
would have been democrats under normal
conditions either rcfrancd from voting or
cast their ballots for the republca can
didatcs In the election of 1900. however.
the democracy was under no such disa-
biities. IL had an eloquent and magnetic
candidate. made a brilliant canvass and felt
confident of victory until the end. All this
has to be taken into the account in esti-
ndtnE IIc magnitude Ol tho TCpubUCHn
victory.
But this reverse does not wipe ont the
democracy. The outlook for that party-as
in 1864, 1858 and 1S72--was more than once
darker than II ls today. Two years after
Grants victory In 1872 for president the
democracy swept the country In the con-
gressional canvass and two years after
that, In the Tildeu campaign, the contest
was so close that the electoral commission
| had TO be called In TO settle the election,
| and even then the republican margin In tho
| electoral college was only one vote, while
| the democracy had a majority OF 5000 in
the popular vote. Most OF the time be-
tween 1874 and the end of the second half
| of Cleveland's term the democrats were In
control of the house of representatives.
But power brings responsibility. and no
party did yet or ever will meet all demands
to the entire satisfaction of all those who
helped to put II in control. The democracy.
freed from the burden OF the leaders who
have recently led II to disaster, and re-
stored to the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian
ground which II held in President Cleve-
lands days. will be able to take intelligent
| advantage OF the shortcomings of it's op-
| ponent and again secure control OF the
| government. Harrison, the whig, carried
nineteen states in 1S40 as compared with
seven which went to Van Buren,. the demo-
crat; but Polk (democrat) beat Clay (whig)
in 1874, and Clay was personally the most
magnetic party leader whom the country
has known. The democracy carried twenty
seven states under Pierce in 1852, as against
four which went to the whg Scott, but
the new republican party gained a plurality
in the congressional election OF 1854. almost
won the presidency in 1856 and did win It
in 1860
Under normal political conditions short
periods Of power for each party will be
the rule. The recent election was the first
time in twenty years in which the same
party carried the country twice in success
sion. 1t is unreasonable to expect that any
party will repeat a blunder like that Just
committed by the democrats twice. The
democrats will avoid that mistake in the
future.
Freed from all responsibility for the
management Of affairs the democracy in a
very critical time for the party in power
will be in a position to profit by every
mistake. or semblance Of a mistake which
the dominant party commits. The problems
which confront the republican party at the
beginning of Mr. McKinleys second term
are numerous and delicate. Ii will have to
meet the demands OF the situation with rare
judgment and intelligence in order to retain
it's ascendancy. The statesmanship Of the
republican party in the next four years will
be submitted to a severer test than any
which 1t has met before since reconstruction
days with this difference. that the de-
mocracy is in a far better condition to take
advantage OF republican errors than II was
then. period Of grave trial is opening
for the republican party. Some highly
picturesque politics may pc seen in the
United States between this time and 1904