Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-12-16
Taansa1a pilot.
The Political Outlook.

The Political Outlook.
The spirit of the Chicago convention
of '96 snatched democracy from its
death-bed, infused into it new life, and
kept it during two presidential cam
paigns the most vigorous political party
that has ever existed in this country
We speak, as it seems to us, advisedly
and conservatively when we say this.
1t should go almost without saying
among unprecedented people, when a
party has been able to cast almost half
the entire voteof the nation during two
presidential campaigns. without cam
paign fund, as against a party whose
campaign fund was limited only by the
amount it saw fit to ask. The demo-
cratic party has, since the Chicago con-
veBtion, shown the nation the greatest
exhibition of political yirility ever seen
in this country. We do not except the
republican party in 1860 That party
had an abundance of campaign funds,
and it only won through the disruption
of the democratic party.
And yet today the immediate future
of the democratic party is something
which no one can foretell. The ele-
ment within the party which well nigh
killed it during Mr. ClevelGnd's second
administration, and which deserted it
and went over to the republicans dur
ing the last two presidential campaigns
still hangs on to it, dragging it back
ward and downward to the low ideals
which wrecked its fortunes then.
And now, in this year of our Lord
one thousand nine hundred and two,
and of j. Pierpont Morgan the first (or
there about the conundrum which the
wire pullers are vainly trying to solve
is Which party will get the next big
campaign contribution from the trusts?
And around this central conundrum
are many others. VIII Roosevelt make
any serious effort to curb the trusts I?
If he does win his efforts have sufficient
backing with a republican congress to
be effective If his party in congress
should ignore the trust question, viii
he nevertheless be nominated as their
presidential candidate If he should
be, would the trusts prefer republican
trust congress with a republican anti
trust president, or a democratic anti
trust congress and democratic trust
president?
The democratic party has not blum
dered since 1892 when, with the aid of
republican capitalists it elected Grover
Cleveland. During the last two presi-
Dental campaigns it has been frank,
outspoken, honest, and consistent But
there is sort of political proverb that
the democratic party does always man
age to make a stupendous political
blunder just in the nick of time to save
the republican party Such was the
blunder committed by Mr.. Cleveland
during his last administration, in ignor-
ing and preventing tariff REFORM
although he was elected upon that
issue. The Chicago convention, and
its candidate, Mr.. Bryan, almost
accomplished the hopeless task of
retrieving the party from that blunder,
which two years before, in the fall of
1894, had given the party the worst
defeat it ever experienced in congress
sional election.
The results of last months election
do not seem at all encouraging to those
who were inclined to follow the "expe-
dieney" school of politicians. Ia no
state where their views were adopted
has the party met with scecess. On
the other hand it may well be believed
that in those states the party has lost
much in losing the confidence of its
mostsincere supporters. An of year is
expected to reduce the administrations
strength in congress, the last election
has hardly come up to the average in
this respect
From the present outlook, about the
only thing that may with certainty be
expected is phenomenal growth in the
socialist vote. As 10 what the two lead
ing parties may do no one can at pres
ent foretell with much confidence.