Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-08
The sionificanee Of the Victory.

| WIS fHuHcdteU ny tuc HLSe AS'
4 election night. 1t was glorious AM
significant Republican victory. spien
did and unqualified endorsement of tn
national admilletx etsSnv Not befor
for a century, i've except 1.-The Civ
war period, has the party in power VOL
such victory in the off year election
Almost always the mid-term election
has resulted in the choice of a Congress
hostile to the party controlling the ma
tional administration. There arr
many reasons why this has happened
| and the rule has had very few excep-
lions. 1t was so before the war and il
was so in the administrations of Grant
and Hayes and Arthur and Cleveland
and Harrison.
The rule was broken in the middle of
McKinley's administra ton when the
1898 elections resulted in a Republican
victory. But even then, with the DEM
ccracy suffering from the total de-
moralization of 1896 and with the adj
minstration strengthened by the pres
tige of brilliant and successful war,
the Republican victory was not so COM
pIete as that won, this week. In 1898
the elections gave the Republicans
only the narrow margin of Is majority
in the House, while Tuesdays election
gives the Republicans a majority of
nearly 80 over all in the next House and
makes it certain that the next Senate
will have the present Republican ma-
jority of about 20. The meaning of this
sweeping victory is not to be mistaken.
The country knows to whom the good
times are due. 1t has full trust III
Theodore Roosevelt and those around
him. 1t realizes that Democracy is not
10 be trusted with national power and
is not fooled by it's campaign argu-
ments and promises.
In the East the factions of the Demo-
cracy got togetherand putup avigorous
fight. carrying no states, to be sure.
but gaining a few congressman here
and there. two in New England. three
or four in New York, two in Maryland,
one in Delaware, one in Virginia. us
old time strength was particularly
shown in Kew York city where the
slums, with their foreign and ignorant
herds, rolled up tremendous Democra-
tic ma jorities, which could not, now
can allegiance. The southern Demo-
cracy, as Il result of the disenfranchise-
ment movement. stifrened it's hold of
that section.s But these, were only To-
cal results. Through the whole coun-
try. East and West. and particularlyin
the West whose face is set to the future
and where an empire of new national
greatness is building with marvellous
strides, The country has reaffirmed its
loyalty to Republican principles.
Massachusetts by $1,000. Pennsyiva-
mia by 10000. Ohio by 100000. Iowa by
50. 900. Minnesota by 1900, Illinois by
10000. Kansas by 5000, Michigan by
- 900 Wisconsin, by 5000 and Indiana.
Nebraska, Washington, Montana, the
Dakotas, Utah, Idaho. California,
wyoming and even Colorado in the Re
publican column, each with thousands
to snare. Tbes. are stupendDus mar
gins of victory for an off-year election.
There is no possibility of mistakinS the
significance of such overwhelming ma
iorities They mean that the country
is unchanged in its determination to
have the policies of William Mckinley
and Theodore Roosevelt prevail, that
the nations stands with undeminished
conlidancc and enthusiasm by the
party which brought it from poverty to
prosperity and from isolation to a po-
sition of unquestioned power in the
front rank of nations. There is not a
crumb of comfort for. the 'anti-im-
per;alist" or the tariff -smasher in these
figures. Protection is endorsed and the
country again puts its stamp of APP
prevail upon the policy of the Republic
can party toward those problems
thrust upon us by the war with Spain.
A Democratic House at this time
would have been "a national calamity,
an obstacle in the pathway of progress
The chief argument by the Democrats
for control of the House was that. with
a Republican Senate and a/Republican
President. they could do ND harm there.
But they could and WOULD have done
harm there, and the country was wise
to take no chances with them. The
RepublicaI party does not desire to
shirk responsibilities. 1t wanted con-
tinued control of Congress that it may
make good its promises and allow full
test .of the, policies it has inaugurated.
| The great Republican victory of Tues
dayS6eans another and greater Repub-
| lican victory in November 1904, but