The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-11-12
some inkling Of what attitude may be
expected of him. He saws:

expected of him. He says:
The democratic party has met with
an overwhelming defeat in the national
election, AS yet, the returns are no,
suf1lciently complete to permit analy-
sis. and it is impossible to say whether
the result is due to an actual increase
In the number of republican voters or
to falling off in the democratic vote.
This phase will be dealt with next week
when teh returns are all in.
The questions for consideration at
this time are: What lesson does the
election teach? And what of the fn-
ture? The defeat of Judge Parker
should not be considered a persona
one. He did as well as he could under
the circumstances; he was the victim
of unfavorable conditions, and of a
mistaken party policy. He grew in
popularity as the campaign proceeded
and expressed himself more and moro
strongly upon the trust question, but
could not overcome the heavy odds
against him.
The so-calied conservative reno
Gratis charged the defeats of 1886 and
1900 to the partys position on the
money question, and insisted that a
victory could be gained by dropping
the coinage question entirely. The
convention accepted this theory, and
the money question. bur Judge Par
ker felt it was his duty to announce
his personal adherence to the COLO
standard. His gold telegram, as it was
called, while embarrassing to the dem
ocrats of the west and south, was APP
plauded by the eastern press. He had
the cordial Endorsement of Mr.. Cleye.
land, who declared the party had re-
turned to safety and sanity he hao
the support of the democratic papers
which bolted in 1896, and he also hao
the aid of nearly all of those who were
prominent in the campaigns of 1885,
and 1900, and yet. his defeat is an.
parently greater than the party SUI.
fered in either of those years.
Defeat a General One.
1T is unquestionable also tina
Judge Parker's defeat was not loca
but general, the returns from tn,
eastern states being as disappointing
as the returns from the west. The re-
{ organizers are in complete control O
the party. They planned the campaig,
and carried it on according to thei
| own views, and the verdict against tn,
plan is unanimous Surely silver can.
not be blamed for this defeat. for tn,
campaign was run on a gold basis
Neither can the defeat be charged t,
emphatic condemnation Of the trusts
for the trusts were not assailed a!
vigorously this year as they were foul
years ago. 1t is evident that the cam.
paign did not turn upon the question
of imperialism, and it is not fair t.
consider the result as a personal vic
tory for the president for his admin
istration was the subject of criticism
The result was due to the fact tina
the democratic party attempted to b,
conservative in the presence of condi
lions which demand radical remedies
1t sounded partial retreat when i
should have ordered a charge all alons
the line.
In 1885, the line was drawn for the
first time during the present genera.
ton between plutocracy and democ.
racy, and the party's stand on the side
of democracy alienated a large number
of plutocratic democrats, who, in the
nature of things, cannot be expected tc
return, and it drew to itself large
number of earnest advocates of re.
form, whose attachment to these re.
forms is much stronger .han attach
ment to any party name The republi-
can party occupies the conservative
position. That is, it defends those who
having secured unfair advantage
through class legislation, insist tina
they shall not be disturbed, no mat
ter how oppressive their exactions may
become.