Gloucester County Democrat., 1906-10-04

those WHO pUSccSS tutiioIlts tudt
the Republican tide has reached
the food and is now receding.
Oregon, Vermont and Maine elections
are straws which show which way the
wind is blowing. All three show Demo
cratic gains and Republican losses
Oregon the least of the three. There Is
a reason for everything under the sum-
and the reason why Oregon showed less
Republican loss and less Republican
gain than Vermont and Maine is be-
cause the business of the Pacific coast
has been doomed by the Philippine
wars. more formerly than now.
In the case of Vermont the net result
was the cutting down of the Repub
lican majority by 10000 to the congress
sional district, while in Maine it aver
aged a good deal less. Two years ago
Vermont rolled up Republican ma
iority of over $4,000. This year the
Green Mountain State gives only $4,000
majority for the Republicans. Two
years ago in Maine Governor Cobb was
elected by over 10000 majority. Now
he pulls in with less than 5000. Such
reductions of Republican majorities all
over the land would give us the house
of representatives in the Sixtieth con-
gress by an overwhelming majority
Even half such reductions would give
us the house by seventy-five majority
One-third or even one-fourth such re-
ductions would give it to us by good
working majority. OF course local is
sues figured somewhat in both Maine
and Vermont; still general causes oper-
ated largely. Two years ago, when the
Republican gains were large, the st.
Louis Globe Democrat, an arrogant and
raucous stand pat organ, declared that
Vermont is an unfailing political ba-
rometer. and when Vermont rolled up
her beastly Republican majority in
September. 1904, the Globe-DemOcrat
said that it meant that Judge Parker
would be fiattened out completely, and
so he was. Now, when the returns
show a net Republican loss of 10000.
the CD. says, after the manner of Mr..
Toots, that it's of no consequence. 1t
seems >that in the G.-D.'s philosophy as
well as in Webster's old blue back
speller very much depended on whose
OK is gored, but if Vermont is an in
fallible political barometer when she
goes Republican. why is she not just
as infallible barometer when she
turns toward Democracy? It's a poor
rule that doesn't work both ways.
Much attention has been paid to the
result in Maine for more than half
century, or, to be exact, for sixty-six
years. In the September election in
1910, the year of the coonskin, log
cabin, hard cider hysteria, the Wings
carried the state, which was consid-
cred a prediction of the result in the
presidential election and added to the
delirium For two months the follow
ers of "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too"
made the land resound with the re-
frain
"Maine went hell bent for Governor
Kent" and thereby added thousands
Of votes to General William Henry
Harrison's majorities. So, while every
body expected both Vermont and
Maine to go Republican this year, the
results as to the size of the majorities
are significant and cheer the hearts OF
Democrats everywhere. The hearty
thanks of the country are due to the
heroic Democracy of the Green Noun
tain and Pine Tree states for the amaZ-
ing battle they put up. The Republic
ans had, as usual, all the money they
wanted and rushed some of their big
guns into those states. Uncle Joe Can
non campaigned SO hard that he had q
severe chill, and no doubt Mr.. Secre-
tary of War William III. Taft worked
several pounds of superfuous adipose
tissue off. Things were so hot and Hon.
Charles e. Littlefeld's scalp was in
such imminent peril that President
Roosevelt was persuaded to declare
that he would consider the defeat of
Littlefield as national calamity not
withstanding the fact that Mr.. Little
field was one of the seven men in CON
gress who voted against the railroad
rate bill. On the other hand, the Dem
ocrats had no campaign fund and could
not pay the travelling expenses of out
side speakers. So, as most Democratic
speakers of renoWn are poor as church
mice, the Maine Democrats had to do
their own fighting and speaking except
the aid rendered them by Hon. Samuel
Gompers, president of the Federation
of Labor It was not only in cutting
down Republican majorities on the
state and congressional tickets that the
Maine Democrats gained, but they
gained largely in the legislature in both
branches and elected their local tick
cts in nearly every city of the state.
These results give them much better
footing for fighting in the future.
A Lovely Row.
Some time ago Hon. James School
craft Sherman, chairman of the Re
publican congressional committee, sent
| forth q pathetic appeal to Republicans