The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-23
DEMOCRACY In
THE DUMPS

13EySS-STHENSEEE=S
sItiS plainly TO be seen that, even SO
early in the campaign as six weeks
after the nomination of Alton B. Par
kel. the Democratic party is losing
confidence. The natural eXuberance
which at frst5win not admit the posi-
u biIity& of defeat; the rejoicing of a GER
g~tainzelement at5the cutting loose from
Mr.. Bryan, and the fictitious enthusi-
asmworked up over Judge Parker's
telegram, served for a time to bolster
up the spirits OF the party and spur
1T into the belief that victory was
within easy grasp. Then a reaction,
and n which is the legitimate out
growth Of actualsconditions, set in and
9theSDemocracy and its leaders lad TO
face facts.
There are several things which
combine to put Democrats il The
dumps One cf$them, and so irDo--
tantsthat itscsunot be ignored by tao2e
who look at { situation without US
Ing roae-coiored spectacles. is thar the
Reyrb1tcan party fs@a lighting organ
MISUNDERSTANDING gnd confident, uni
ted SEAPORT OF it's principles o1d
ITS caad.dates, and eEccG-aGai BY an
Inss.ot5ea record Of atctcr:ts in ev-
z cry Presidential an Congressional
#campaign in the last ten years. Its
majorfties in the Electoral college in
1886 and 1900 We're o small. but, on
the contrary, were so decisive that
little short Of a political landslide this
fall an%overcome them and elect
Judge Parker. Thus far there are no
signs of such a landslide. Republi-
cans are standing by their party The
organization is by no means idle. but
is preparing tosmalse a fight all along
the line.
This was to be expected, however,
under all the circumstance OF the
#Republican case, but the Democrats
find themselves also facing conditions
in their ovn ranks which most Griev-
ously ~affecttheir possible chances Of
success. Judge Parker has done more
than anybody else could nave done to
put a damper on his party and dash
predicted of him, and great eXpecta-
ations builded on him as the Demo
cratic Moses. By his speech when
notifed#of his nomination Judge Par
ker sent a chill through his party. 1t
is aquestion whether nyone a to-
day reca1I.a thing he said. His speech
SIS forgotten in the disappointment
oversthat which he did not say Some
of his utterances did, indeed, but as a
whole his speech was so lame and i'm
potent that his political opponents
can AFFORD to let it pass while they
note the disgust and disappointment
of his own party: AS for the speech
OF the -octogenarian make-weight who
was put on the ticket with Judge Par
ker, it may be dismissed with the
statement that it contains nothing
that can be twisted into a battle cry.
Before and right after the ST. Louis
convention we were told that it was
Sin the East where the Democratic
fight was to be mad and The
West would not be needed. Some
change has evidently come over the
spirit of the Democratic dream, for
now Judge Parker is being urgently
besought t. take the stump in the
West. 1t would be interesting to
know how far this change lis caused
by the knowledge that the East is not
tumbling over itself to get into the
Democratic camp, and that, therefore,
inroads must be made in the Republi-
can States of the West, and a de-
spairing effort made to hold even
those in that section which for
Bryan in 1900, but which have since
wavered in their allegiance. What
ever the cause, it is plain that the
Democrats at last realize the hard
task before them. The more they
study it the harder it will appear, and
November's elections will probe its
observation-disclosures Times.
GROWING THE VIRGIN.