The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-10
A CHAOTIC RESULT.
TIE OPPOSITION PARTY WAS
LE4DERLESS
And Depended on the Local Is
sues,

the party, that there is nowhere any
dangerous discomfort with Republican
rule or with the condition of affairs
Had the people been so disposed they
could have maintained the Republican
strength in the House instead of reduc-
ing it nearly, If not quite, to zero. They
could have left Rhode Island, one of
the most intensely Industrial States, in
the Republican column instead of turn
ing it, by curious twist, over to the
Democrats led by man. in his way,
as radical as Tom Johnson. And they
could have given to Odell in New York
much more comfortable plurality in
stead of placing the State almost with
in the grasp of a Democrat whose rest
less ambition pauses not even at an in
dorsement of leading measure of So
cialism. Did the country necessarily
indorse with enthusiasm the trusts, or
the high tariff, or colonialism so con-
trived as to send American government
where the American Constitution can
not go? BY no means. The Republic
can party received no certificates of in
fallibility.
Gus election returns from the Atlantic
to the Pacific. and at the same time
have regard for the local conditions in
the various States, the chaotic nature
of the results will be more easily ap-
parent. 1t will profit one to do this
from the Independent point of view,
with particular refernce, perhaps, to
the Democratic party, which was the
aggressive force in the balloting.
Eliminating the solid South. the coun-
try divides easily into a number Of
groups. There is the New England
group-Massachus New Hamp-
shire, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Here we meet the singular fact that in
Rhode Island there was chosen the
only Democratic governor east of the
Mississippi river, and he man known
in the past as single taxer," a sup
porter of Bryan and a resident of a
congressional district whose Demo-
cratic convention a month ago explicit
ly Endorsed the Kansas City platform,
Dr. Garvin is sincere, high-minded
man. whose has fought corrupt cor
porate influences in Rhode Island for
almost a generation, and politically he
is an exact antithesis of Mr. CASTOR,
who was nominated for governor by
the Democrats of Massachusetts. Had
CASTOR done as we'll as DR.. Garvin he
"would have carried Massachusetts.
Now, adjoining Rhode Island is Con-
necticut, which used to be close when
Rhode Island was safe in Republican
hands. In Connecticut we face the
oddly of Democratic failure to equal
the effort for governor in 1900, notwith-
standing that In 1900 the State Demo-
cratic candidates were bound to the
Kansas City platform. This year the
Connecticut Democrats ignored that
platform, and cut away from anti i'm
perialism, yet did worse than before
side and New York almost Democratic
on the other.
In the group of New York, New Jer-
sey and Pennsylvania the outcome is
no less curious when viewed in the
dry light of political principle. The
New York contest had formidable per-
sonal factors, with a strong touch of
the Socialistic issue, and the conserva-
tive rural counties appear to have
barely overcome the tremendous push
toward Albany or the restless metrop-
oils. Yet If New York was almost
political disorderliness which comes in
Pennsylvania. which is ridden by some
Of the most braZen and lawles syndi-
Gates in the world, was overwhelming
ly Republican; and in New Jersey, an
old-time Democratic State. the Re-
publicans were remarkably successful,
in spite of Mr.. Cleveland's personal
appearance on the stump with tariff
reform as the paramount issue. Who
can analyze the results in those three
adjoining States, from the Democratic
viewpoint, and see anything but that
day; there never was a time when it was
the absence of widespread party
homogeneity and a dominating central
leadership?
1t is the same in the Middle West,
the trans-Missouri region and the Pa
cific coast. Tom johnson is beaten Sc
verely in Ohio, with his platform of To-
cal reform and reaffirmation of the
Kansas City platform-due not a little
to the Mclean boilers in Cincinnati
yet the Democrats were defeated with
no less severity in the adjoining State
of Indiana, which is one of the old
doubtful four notwithstanding that
the conservatives had again obtained
control of the party. In Michigan, Wis
consin, Illinois and Iowa Democratic
failures were conspicuous, although in
all those States the party had turned
its back on Organism" In Kansas
and Nebra ska. neighboring States, hav-
ing practically the same interests, the
singular spectacle Is offered of the one
turning more heavily than before in ten
years to the Republican side, and the
other displaying a slight reaction to-
ward Organism. In the Rocky Noun
tain States the Republican gains are
balnced by the fact that Senator Teller
has carried the Colorado Legislature
by a substantial majority, On the Pa
cific coast the Republican sweep Of
Washington is somewhat neutralized
by the strong Democratic drift in the
governship contest in California. And
not least interesting is the much-n-
creased strength Of Socialistic tickets
East and West, in this State aggregat-
ing a phenomenal gain of 300 per cent.
The spectacle thus reviewed may
fairly be said to be that of a Demo-
cratic party with no fixed or universal
ly accepted principles, depending large
ly upon local conditions for it's chance
successes. 1t was a chaos of defeat,
with here and there an upward surge
toward victory governed however NV