The Washington herald., 1906-10-14
IN THE FIELD OF POLITICS.

The statemens that Senator Daniel Of
Virginia Is to be rebuked by the people
Of his State, because he had the temefity
TO express some opposition TO Mr.. Bryan's
scheme for the government ownership Of
railroads, must be taken with consider
able allowance.
The day will corae, of course. when
Senator Daniel VIII retire or be retired
from public life He has been a long and
faithful servant OF his people. i veteran
of the Confederate side OF the civil war
tactfCi and affable in disposition, elo-
queni as DemOsthenes, and with suffl-
cient sentiment 10 please the most emo
tional Southerner, he Is likely TO remain
In the Senate Of the United States for
many years to come; and when he re-
turns to private life, it viii not be be-
cause OF his views on railroad ownership.
Virginia is not a State Of fads and fan
cies. The vagaries Of populism never
made much headway there. Even Bry-
anism was accepted with something of
grinace, and, as a general thing, the peo-
PIE Of Virginia have maintained the
steady tenor Of their way.
Men have died and their bodies have
been eaten by the worms, but not for
love; and Senators have been defeated in
Virginia, but not because they failed to
espouse every new-fsngled idea that
somebody saw fit to utter.
It is a pretty fight in New York be-
tween Hearst and Hughes. The betting
now IL H. Hughes favor. Over in New
York, however, some Of the timid ones
are shaking their heads IN anxiety and
scanning the figures Of the last mayor
atty election. Mr.. Hearst is letting no
grass grow under his feet He is cam
paigning through New York state. shak-
ing hands with the bucolic voters and
denounclng trusts and corporations and
bosses The people are fOcking 20 hear
him-put u WIZ De remembered that they
also hocked 70 hear and see Bryan. with
out voting for him. So that the crowds
are not an absolutely InfaIlible index of
the way the tide Is running.
II is Interesting 20 note that Mr.
Hearst, in one OF his initial speeches. de-
clarcd that he was in favor Of the pro
tective principle in the administration Of
the tariff. Mr Bryan IS not. Long -,
when Mr. Bryan was beginning his ca
reer in Congress. he made Il speech in
which he said that the protective system
was the most vicious ever devised in
human government. He would Ike If
overturned.
Presidential election year is stiH some
time distant but, nevertheless, it begins
10 appear as IL the Democratic party
would have its usual two factions I'm tho
national convention. In 1SsS il came very
near splitting upon the tariff issue and
in 1895 went 10 pieces In it, division upoa
the silver question. The latter is now
dead: or rs dead as it can De until Bryan
viii. The tariff issue however is very
much alive. ana the Democratic situation
Is Interesting. All the old-time. bred-in-
tle-bOne free-traders. Ike Villas and Wat
tersou, are reconciled 10 Bryan nowadays.
because be is with them On the tariff
question. They are of the William l.
Wilson stripe Of Democrats and the QueS-
tion Is whether or not We are soon to see
two wings of the party. one standing for
practical free trade and the other adrer-
ing TO the principle Of protection. Is So
who viii be- The Morrison, and who will
be the Randall OF the present day.
II IS "a pretty safe wager that # the issue
comes directly before the American pc1-
pie Of voting for or against the prGtec-
tive system, the latter viii win. Every
manufacturer knows that in lSs3 it was
the fear OF changed schedules that Led
TO the panic iu business circles more than
anything else The people may vote for a
revised and lower tIrin, but the Demo-
crat who makes the Presidential race
upon tariff platform, such as BRYAN
would like 70 dictate, will have some
trouble in securing electoral votes
And in the same connection, the tariff
rcformers in Massachusetts got a pretty
stin jolt the other day.
More and more this country is drifting
toward short and sharp campaigns. Here
IL is the middle OF October and there is
hardly a ripple IN The Congressional dis
tricts. All of the work will be practically
consolidated into the last twenty days.
One notable exception to this general
proposition was, Of course, the gubsrna-
torial campaign in Georgia. This lasted
for many months, and was hot as molten
lava from start 10 finish. The exception.
however, only proves the rule Ions
weary the voters. exhaust thu
candidates, and are not productive Of
beneficial results. just now, too the pep
pie are too busy ana prosperous to take
mucD interest in things political unless
There are big personalities and tremendous
issues involved, as in New York. Tie
different positions Of the two parties ara
so adequately set forth in the daily news
papers that the occupation OF the profcs-
sional spellbinder H. almost gone.
Almost. not entirely. From now until
election day In November his voice viii
be heard in the land But the brevitv of
the campaign checks his redundant
periods and saves al suffering country
from an overflow OF words.