Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-10
MEN AND ISSUES LACKING.
The Democracy lis without IA Single
Pretext for Being in
Existence.

1t is significant that when RepreSen-
tative Grosvenor the other day cited a
list of states which would give the re-
publicans 263 electoral votes for 1904 no
democrat questioned its authenticity.
The 25 states ON the Ohio congress-
mans roll give the republicans "a
votes in excess of the number required
to elect. These are the states which
are cited as certain to declare for the
republicans in the balloting. While
there may have been dem mocrats with
in sound of his voice who believed that
some one or other of those states
might have chance to go to the DEM
cratic candidate, not one of these
democrats doubted that the repub-
licans would have more than enough
votes to elect their ticket. No dem
ocrat anywhere who has any reputa-
tion for sanity predicts or thinks that
his party will carry the country in
1904. Every man of any standing in
the democratic party believes that
President Roosevelt will be elected
next year.
One of the reasons why no democrat
questions the general presumption that
the republican party will sweep the
country in 1904 is that no democrat
believes his side has either a man or
an issue which can command the pop
ular support. While several persons
Cleveland, German, Hill, Mcclellan,
Parker, Olney and others-have been
mentioned in connection with the nom
nation, there is no enthusiasm in
any quarter for any of them. The
coterie of Cleveland idolaters go no
farther than to say that he would
come nearer to winning than any other
democrat could. None of them i'm
agines that he could get the 239 votes
| in the electoral college which would
| be required to elect him. Moreover,
| only corporaPs guard of democrats
can be found anywhere who want him
nominated, or who think that if nom
mated, he would hold all the states
which Bryan had in 1900. No interest
| is felt in German outside of a few of
the southern states His race issue,
which he thought would create a cy-
clone of enthusiasm for him in the
south. excites only mild sort of an
interest, although large majority of
the democrats of the souln are in
| favor of the negro extirpation which
German is understood to be ready to
champion.
On issues there is as great a pov-
erty among the democrats as there is
on men. No democrat can say with
any approach to confidence what his
party will declare for in 1904 German
attempted to get the caucus of his
party in his chamber to attack the
president on the Panama question, but
1t broke away from him. He found
that his followers were so discordant
on that and on other questions that
he despaired of being able to get unity
OF action among them on anything.
Not question is before the people of
the United States that the democracy
can unite on. Every issue that comes
up between this time and the close of
the long session of congress next
summer the republicans will be able
10 get democratic votes on If those
g 'SNSS 9AONiu NC HCGuGu. On the
Panama policy more democrats are on
Roosevelts side than are on Gorman's.
All the southern members, with a few
exceptions, can be relied on to aid the
republicans in the administrations
policy on the isthmus, if any aid
should be needed The canal treaty
which the administration and the rep
resentatives of the republic of Pana-
ma have just framed will receive the
support of many democrats in the sem
ate. Neither an issue nor a man is in
sight on the democratic side which
can command any general interest
among the members of that party. So
lar as regards the leading issues of
republican policy, this is an era of
good feeling for the country. Sensible
democrats of all sections see this.
rms is the reason why predictions of
big republican majorities in the cleo
toral college of 1904 excite no dissent
from democrats, for they realize that
while these estimates may possibly
err in details, they are mathematicaIlv
correct on the main fact that repuh-
mean sentiment is still at flood tide
throughout the United States.