The Republican journal., 1905-11-16
THE LESSON OF THE ELECTIONS


usual interest and Importance, and the
results should be satisfactory alike to
Republicans and Democrats-to all, in
fact, who stand for good government
and are opposed to graft and bossism.
To begin with New York city: On the
face of the returns Mayor Mcclellan,
the Tammany candidate, was re. elected;
but the Tammany machine was wreck
ed and Murphy, the Tammany leader,
is discredited with his followers. Many
Republicans voted for Mcclellan as a
lesser evil than Hearst, the yellow
journalist. Another noteworthy feat
ure was the reelection of William
Travers Jerome to the district attor-
neyship of the county of New York.
He was the candidate of no party, but
was nominated on the petition of indie
pendent citizens, and his election is
gratifying to good men every where.
Pennsylvania which in national con-
test is good for anywhere from 200, 200
~ wv, wv ltV publlNtli II uJOlips, ClCSlCNt
the Democratic and Prohibition candi
date for State Treasurer by majority
of about 100, 900. That does not, how
ever. give a correct idea of the situa-
ton. True Mr.. Berry was nominated
by tie Democrats and by the Plohibi-
tionists. but he was elected by the
votes of Republicans who saw in this
election an opportunity to rebuke the
State machine without endangering the
supremacy of the Republican party in
the nation or i'll Congress. AS the
Brooklyn Eagle says; The defeat Of
the Republican candidate for State
treasurer is less a protest against Re
publicanism than it is against graft. ;"
In Philadelphia the issue was clean
government, and the result was a
sweeping reform victory.
In Maryland the issue which engross-
ed popular attention was a proposed
constitutional amendment, the avowed
purpose of which was to diSfranchiSe
negro voters. The amendment was de-
feated by decisive majority, and this
result is generally accepted as RELOCATING
30 the rear Boss German, one-time
possible Democratic candidate for the
Presidency. The Republicans elected
some of their candidates in Baltimore
and carried three of the four city legis-
lative districts.
In Massachusetts the result demon
strated the wisdom of Gov. Douglass in
declining to again be candidate, for
Massachusetts is normally staunch
Republican State despite the big Demo-
cratic vote in the city of Boston: and
the Republican State ticket was elected.
the candidate for Governor
running many thousand votes behind,
because. it is said, Of his attitude Oh the
reciprocity issue. An interesting feature
of the contest was the election of John
j. Moran as District Attorney of Suf-
folk county by 1000 majority. Both
party organizations and the neWspa-
pers were against him and he had little
money for his canvass, and most of
that was used in advertising his ideas
in the newspapers. He made his cam
paign Oh graft and promised to send to
Jail thieves of high or low degree. in
office or out, if elected. He also de-
clared early in the campaign that he
would III no event be a candidate for
reelection, so that he will enter upon
his duties absolutely untrammeled, and
will, it is believed, keep his pledges to
the public.
Republican disagreements in Ohio and
the general revolt against bossism re-
suited in the election of the Democratic
candidates and the downfall of George
B. Cox of Cincinnati, the well-known
Republican boss. Mr.. Cox, when the
result became known, promptly gave to
the Associated Press a statement an
nouncing his withdrawal from active
service. Unlike some of the other
bosses he recognized the handwriting
on the wall
There is nothing specially noticeable
about the other elections. Virginia
went Democratic, of course, the Re-
pubicans gaining a few members of
the legislature, but a significant state
ment IS that, THE negroes throughout
the State refrained from voting almost
entirely" Nebraska, the home of Bry-
an, remains i'll the Republican column,
and il Rhode Island there was clean
sweep for the whole Republican State
ticket. In New Jersey the good gov
eminent forces Won
The most notable victories of the
elections of Nov. 18th were in the truest
sense non-partisan. IL some cases Re
publicans were elected by Democratic
votes, in others Democrats were elected
by Republican votes. Party lines were
broken, and with results that indicate
a new order of things in the future.