The independent., 1903-08-27
CLKvELANDs CHANCxs

somewhat general view of the po
itical situation, and in doing SC has
my conclusion upon undisputed facts
That there is serious division in tn
lemocratic party and that, as Louis +
POST says, the Bryan democracy i
making the fight of it's life, goes with
tut saying. That there is a division
n the republican party, wide and seri
,usous, is not so well known, bu
here are many facts that lead think
ng men, even in the republican party
o fear that it will have most disas
i Gus effects. The Wall Street Jour
lal says:
President Roosevelt, as it well
known, has offended powerful Wall
street interests in three ways:
First, he directed his attorney
general to bring suit against the
Northern Securities company; sec
ond, he invited John Mitchell, pres
ident of the united mine workers,
to the White house, and took steps
to bring about settlement of the
anthracite coal strike in a way
that was not pleasing to the coal
operators; third, he has publicly
advocated, and has had enacted
into law, a policy of publicity to
be applied to the industrial COM
panies doing an interstate husi-
ness. Any one of these things
things would have been cause
enough, from the standpoint OF
that lesser Wall street, which looks
at everything through the micros-
cope of it's own immediate selfish
interests, to have merited Presi-
dent Roosevelt's defeat for a Sec
ond term. All three of them to-
gether constituted an indictment
against him so strong that it has
been the general belief that no
measure however drastic would be
neglected to bring about his re-
tirement at the end of his present
term"
Taking all these things into consid
ration what conclusion can be drawn
the outcome of the nex1
residential election? Cleveland is
nd always has been the idol OF Wal
treet. If the monied interests there
brow their whole force and power tt
Cleveland, will he not carry New York
Rhode Island, New Jer.
ey, Delaware, Maryland and all the
outhern states? Cannot the moniet
interests buy Indiana which is al
rays for sale? The republican party
n Wisconsin is in factional fight tt
finish, and viii not the railroad re-
ublicans there join forces with Villas
rho was a member of Cleveland:
abinet, and carry the state over tt
i'm? Is Illinois in any shape. after
he disgraceful administration of Gov.
rnor Yates, to put up fight that will
old that state to the republicans?
Cleveland has always been an anti
and Massachusetts is hon
ycomDed with anti-imperialist socie.
les, every voter in them being per
uaded that that is the ali important
uestion. The stagnation and suffer.
ng that has been caused by the stop
age of so many cotton mills, the loss
hat wage-workers have suffered in
of the tremendous fall in
tocks which they were induced tC
purchase by the republican papers
nd the rise in the cost of living or
ccount of trust prices has put even
Id Massachusetts, in the doubtful col
mn.
The Independent called attention tC
he fact two or three years ago that the
lonied interests might conclude that
would be cheaper for them to take
p the democratic party than to pay
he awful assessments that Mark Han
a levied on them to buy elections, fol-
hey would have all the southern
tates without cost and would only
ave to buy two or three, whereas un-
er Mark Hanna they had to buy a
cod many.
Think over all these things and each
ian ask himself whether the claim OF
be leaders of the Cleveland democ-
acy that they "can win" is entirely
In such contest as that, the west
nd the northwest would scarcely be
actors in the contest. All these states
hight go for Roosevelt with over
helming majorities and it would not
fleet the election of a president. Wall
treet would not spend dollar in them
nd it would be mighty poor pick
1g" for the politicians.
Neither must it be forgotten that
here are many shrewd republican noli-