Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-04-21

EN'aN - N''s
the party is likely 10 be- weakened in
1904 10y Understanding the strength OF
the democracy. Ii is well enough 10
keep this point in mind. There is not
the slightest reason, however, TO sup
pose that the republicans will get the
notion that they a win without try
ing. The democratic party is in about
AS fiabby a condition as il has been in
recent years. but the republicans are
going to act on the theory that their
enemies will rur mp "A hard fight, and
will be prepared TO meet them. Other
republican papers seem 10 think that
the congressional canvas will he over
looked. They fear that the party will
give So much attention to the presi-
dency that il will forget .hat a house of
representatives is also t. he chosen.
Overconfidence and forgetfulness, in
fact, are things which they warn the
party against. As the campaign will
begin two months hence il is well for
the leaders and masses of the party 70
give some attention tp these points
No matter what the result may be at
the polls in November the republicans
will continue To hold the senate for at
least two years longer. and probably for
four years. The present majority of "a
in the senate can not he overcome even
if the democrats carry all the states
that their boomers pretend to think
they can carry. Bnt in the house of
Representatives rhr republican majority
is only 30 out of the 1856 members of the
chamber. Many of the districts in the
canvass Of 1909 were close. II the
republicans should lose sixteen districts
that they carried two wears ago and not
gain any other districts they would lose
control of the house But il is safe TO
say that if the republicans carry the
president they will win congress. The
party which carries the presidency
almost always wins the house which is
elected at the same time. Taylor, the
wing, and Hayes, the republican, had a
democratic house when they began
their service, but the conditions We're
peculiar in each case. Taylor's election
was due TO a democratic schism in New
York, the barnburner revolt. the barn
burners compromising the big ingredient
of the free soil party, which split the
democratic vote in the middle in the
decisive state of New York aud elected
Taylor without effecting in any
material degree the contest for con-
gross. In the Hayes case the electoral
vote was so close and uncertain than an
outside body, the electoral commission,
had to be called to decide the contest.
Every president since party divisions
began had a house of his own party
when he began his service except Tay-
lor ard Hayes. The party which elects
the president in 1904 will carry the
popular branch of congress. There is
not the slightest reason to doubt which
party this will be. But the republicans
are not going to be deluded into a feel
ing that they can win without trying.
The party's campaign managers will
act on the presumption that the con-
test will be close, and they will take
steps to bring ont the entire party vote.
Let nobody be in any doubt on this
point. The conditions seem to be fully
as favorable for the republicans at this
time as they were at the same date in
1900. The party is united and enthusi-
astic. Its candidate for president is
decided upon. There is still some
uncertainty as to the nominee for vice
president, but the chances are that there
will be a concentration in favor of
somebody before the convention meets.
In any case, the selection will not give
any trouble to the party, Nor will
there be any contest over the platform.
Everybody knows how the party stands
on all the questions of national import
a~nce-national expansion, the Panama
canal, the gold standard, the tariff and
everything else which is of concern to
any considerable number of the Ameri-
can people. Very little time will be
consumed in drawing up the party's
articles of faith. At the close of the
convention in June, which is likely to
be one of the shortest and most har-
monious gatherings in the history of the
party, the national canvass will begin.
The canvass may, and probably will, be
one-sided from the start, but the repub-
licans are going to take the same pre-
cautions toward getting out the largest
possible vote that would be taken if the
result in November were in the pro-
foundest sort Of doubt.-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.
Conservatism.
In this memorial tribute to Senator