Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-10-25

Republicans of Cook County never
had more reasons for cOngTatulatng
themselves upon propitiOus circum-
stances In Il campaign than mt present.
Were II not for some unloOked-for
Developments and also some lucky out
groupings Of awkward situations, the
local Republican party leaders would
have had to go to the polls under cir
cumstances as distressing and ominous
as any that ever confronted them.
In the first place the attack upon
Robert T.. Burke by the little cotcrie of
cnvious and ambitious small fry of the
Democratic party organization was n
perfect godsend to the Republicans.
Mr.. Burkes temporary retirement
from active campaign work meant that
the trained leaders Oh their side would
not have to meet workmen as wise and
astute as their own In the battle for
mastery this fall.
What more 1t meant may be Judged
from the perusal of m article publish.
ed In another column Of this edition.
Then there was the coal strike. The
coal famine resulting from that and its
consequent direful results. would un-
dOubtedly have been charged up by a
great section Of the public to the Re-
publican party had the strike and the
coal famine remained In effect until
election day. What this would have
meant. with the consequent and ever
increasing misery and suffering OF the
people, can only be surmised, but there
are many sagacious leaders of the Re-
publican party who hold that 1t would
have spelled disaster for the party
ticket In this county.
Fortunately, the Republican Presi-
dent Of the United States succeeded. In
his usual picturesque manner Of doing
things, in bringing about u settlement
Of this formidable strike. and thereby
converted what would surely have been
a weapon In the hands Of the party's
opponents into an invulnerable shield
against attacks along the line indlcat.
ed.
This incident, too. taken In connection
with the manner In which Mayor Har.
risOn has thrust himself into prOnii.
nence as leader Of the campaign on
the Democratic side. Is calculated to
swing large labor vote to the Re.
publican ticket. President Roosevelt
has demonstrated that Republican lead
ers and public officials are not afraid
TO stand up for the rights Of labor as
against the grinding and cruel tyranny
Of organized and concentrated capital.
while the Democratic party Is unfOrtu-
nate enough to be responsible for a
chief executive OF this city who has
shown that Democratic public officials
are sometimes capable Of occupying u
very different attitude In such matters.
The recent strike troubles In Chicago
are just now being quoted as case In
point. and Harrison's prominence as a
boss Of the campaign Is being used and
with effect to divert the labor vote to
the Republican ticket.
>
The trust question was also forced
very prominently to the front by the
object lessons taught by the fight be-
tween the coal barOns and the miners
Of the anthracite coal fields. In Olden
days wise campaign work would have
made the most OF the situation, but in
stead of this we find that the Demo-
cratic campaign managers have been
forced by unusual conditions ana cir
cumstances TO content themselves with
just one campaign rally--a mass meet
ing at the Auditorium, Cook County
Republican managers never played in
such luck.
In addition To the troubles (too nu.
merOus to mention In detaiD which
threatened the Republican party from
the outside, there We're others which
threatened II from within. Some of
these came from the great Hyde lark
district, and though Dr. r. y. jamie
son, the unrivalled Republican leader,
with the assistance and cooperation of
his friends, has performed herculean
labors in smoothing out things down
there, the comparatively light regis
tratlon in the district shows how deep
seated the trouble was and how danger.
0ns II might have been had not the
Democrats been palslcd 10y an apathy
that more than Offset Republican re-
calcltrancy. From a certain balliwick
on the West Side, too, there were evil
dences Of discomfort that bOded none
too well for Republican success out
mat way, but superb organization work
has made matters satisfactory 10 the
Republican party even there. Thus In
dozen different ways have the pro.
pltious fates been working for the Re.