Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-12-29
** II II Il Il II II

"A Glow Over Democratic Prospects"
There are certain newspapers which
are so bright and sparkling that they
are like things Of beauty and joys for
ever. The Kansas City Star is one of
these. 1t is always readable, if not al
ways wise. OF late years it has treat.
ed me well, so / have no recent cause
Of complaint Just before congress
convened I expressed somewhat elab-
orately my opinion to the effect that
Democratic prospects are improving
and gave reason for the faith that is
in me. Touching that, the Star in an
effort to be facetious says:
1t is said that Champ Clark is trying to
throw glow over Democratic prospects,
and the Republican papers are mean
enough to say that almost anything
thrown over Democratic prospects would
make them look better.
Now, that is more humorous than
true. OF course there are benighted
Republican editors and also Repub-
licans who are not editors who believe
that they have perpetual lease on
power, but those among them who use
their thinkers believe nothing of the
sort. On the contrary, many of them
fear Democratic landslide next year,
to be followed by another Democratic
landslide in 1908. For example, Les
He's Weekly, rather stanch Republic
an high class paper, in its issue of
Nov. % contains the following edi-
torial, which quote, headline and all:
A WARNING TO CONGRESS.
No national issues were involved in the
recent elections, yet the Democrats ev
erywhere are encouraged over the Re-
publican machine defeats in Ohio and
Pennsylvania. Says the New York
World: 1.-THE World recently asked if the
Democratic party was dying. 1t is very
far from dead" Then it mentions that
Roosevelts pluralities of $4,000 in Penn
sylvania and 255,0OO in Ohio in 1904 have
been succeeded by Democratic pluralities
for state officers in 1905 and exclaims:
What revolution 1t was!t Who could
have believed that such amazing changes
could take place within year?"
The st. Louis Republic. voicing Demo-
cratic opinion for the transmississippi
region, says that the Ohio and Pennsyl-
party has no popular asset except the
president, whose actual value Is not
known until he has passed through the
crucial test of the coming congress-
The Memphis Commercial Appeal, the
New Orleans Picayune, the Atlanta Con.
stitution. the Jacksonville Times-Union
and other representative Democratic pa
pers see in the election returns evidences
that the Republicans are not invincible
and tell the Democrats there may be
hope for them in 1908.
1t will be we'll for Republicans to pom
der these expressions. After long series
Of disasters the Democrats at last see q
ray of hope ahead for their party They
will be encouraged to work harder from
this time onward to the election of the
next president than they otherwise would
have done. This will mean larger Dem
eeratic vote than was polled in 1904 There
will be no 2,5OO000 plurality for the Re-
publican candidate three years hence
unless it be Roosevelt against a Socialist
Democrat. In the congress of 1905-07 soon
to open the Republicans will have to
make q creditable record In order to get
any plurality at all In 1908. The eyes Of
the country are on the Republican party
In very critical way.