Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-11-27
THE CONGRESSIONAL VICTORY
derance of Republicans Through
out the Country.

The republican majority on congress
is small, but it is sufficient. Nobody
looked for any such lead as was gained
in 1900, when there was the stimulus
of a presidential canvass to bring out
a big vote. There was larger issue,
too, then than was at the front this
year, for the money question did not
figure in the canvass just ended. That
question, in any shape hitherto known,
will not be up again in any campaign,
presidential or congressional. The vic
tory in 1896, which gave the republic
ans complete control of the govern
ment which they utilized by putting
the gold standard in the statutes on
March IA, 1900, supplemented by the
republican victory in the fall of the
latter year, settled the money issue.
Under such circumstances it was not
possible for the republicans to get up
the interest in the election of 1902
which was aroused in 1900. The re-
publican majority in congress, how
ever, is gratifying to the party and
will be encouraging to the country,
says the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The result on congress shows that
the republican tide throughout the
country is still at the flood stage. The
reduction in the ma jority as compared
will 1900 is less than the average de-
cline for the presidential term
congressional elections. There is al
ways a falling off in those years for
the party which holds the presidency,
and often it is enough to put the other
side in the ma jority in congress. This
was the case in 1874, 1852, 1890 anI
1894, to go back no further than 30
years. This year the republicans made
an excellent exhibit. They had the
general business conditions through
out the country on their side, and the
however, were not so exciting as were
those of 1900. for the democrats made
no serious fight on anything. The
democrats saw the absurdity of the
militarism cry long ago, and dropped
it. The Imperialism pretense, too, van
ished before the canvass was fairly
under way. The presidents words and
acts on the trust question knocked out
all the democrats follies on that ques-
tion, and removed it from the canvass.
No fight of any consequence could be
made by the democrats, and the in
terest in the canvass diminished accor-
dinghy.
Apathy this time did not hit the re-
publicans. The causes Of the apathy
were these-the republican prosperity
throughout the country gave the aver
age voter something else to think
about than politics, and the democrats
were so manifestly and decisiyely
wrong on the issues that they made
no fight Of any consequence on any
thing, and this deprived the republic
ans of all incentive to make an active
canvass. The result of the election is
a fine tribute to the courage and wis
dom of the republican party and to the
personal popularity of President
Roosevelt. 1t shows that the country
is unwilling to make any experiments
like that of 1892. The panic which the
latest democratic victory brought was
a lesson which will not have to be
learned over again for few years at
least. The democrats were more near
ly united in the congressional canvass
of 1902 than they were in any previous
campaign since 1892. but this did not
avail them. The democratic victory
of ten years ago was not due to the
popularity Of Cleveland, or to a loss
of public confidence in the republican
party. 1t was caused by foolish no.
tion that the prosperity which the
country had been enjoying for many
years at that time was so permanent
that not even the success of the de-
mocracy could shake it. The convul-
sion which came on few weeks after
Cleveland's Inauguration in 1898
showed the folly of that view. The re-
suit in the congressional election
shows. what was often shown in the
past, that on any square division be-
tween the parties, even where the dem
ocrats are, as they were this year,
united, the republicans are in the pre-
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