Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-11-16
a LOGICAL RESULT.

Such in brief outline, is the situ-
alton which confronts the American
people on the day after. There will
be a great variety of speculation as
to what has caused il ALL There
ought to be little trouble in arriv-
ing at q few rational conclusions.
There is no room in this country
for two republican parties. One
half of the party cannot assail for
twelve months in the year the fun
damental principles of republican
ism and then be assured of a re-
publican victory at the polls. You
cannot poison the fountain and
keep it pure, too. You cannot make
the electorate believe that our pub
lie officials are scoundrels one-half
Of the time and paragons of political
virtue the other half.
The present situation seems to be
a duplicate in large part of the
period which began along with the
second administration of Grover
Cleveland. The agitators told the
voters that their prosperity was un-
real, and that they were really mis-
erable when they had imagined
themselves happy. They kept up
their beating of the calamity gong
and finally won on that issue.
The Mckinley tariff law tempor-
arily defeated the republican party.
1t finally placed it's author in the
presidential chair, and kept him
there until his death.
Democratic orators and press, as
sisted by the insurgent propaganda
have convinced thousands of voters
that the Payne tariff law is a vic
ious measure. A few years of demo-
cratic administration will probably
clarity the atmosphere and place the
voters in a position of mind where
they will be able to look al matters,
not from the standpoint of individu-
al prejudice, but that of common
sense.
For the next two years legislation
will be at a standstill. The hands
of President Taft will be tied. We
will have practically no support in
the national law making body. The
presidential election is two years
away. and both sides will be playing
the political game with reference to
position in 1912.
The two years will not be wholly
wasted if the voters improve the op-
portunity to do some sound thinking
along the lines which pertain to
their own weliare.-Des MOines
Capital.
The democratic tidal wave that
has swept over the country is as
logical as anything that ever hap
in
and confidently predicted by all who
are acquainted with the ways Of
politics.
Victory for the opposition party is
the natural consequence of disor-
ganiZation of the party in power.
Entrusted with the national admin
istration and complete control of
congress in 1908, under pledge to
revise the tariff according to repub-
lican principles, the republican par
ty was given over TO factional fight
ing instead of uniting in sincere
effort to discharge it's mission. The
republican minority was more in
terested in advertising it's claims to
control of the party than in helping
to make record that would sus-
tain confidence in the party as a
whole. When the tariff incident
closed with the minority protesting
that the party had not fulfilled it's
pledge, and demanding further ac-
tion along that line, the republican
hope for vote of confidence in the
succeeding election went glimmer-
ing. When the insurgents saddled
upon the party and its tariff policy,
large share of the responsibility
for the increased cost of living, they
placed upon the party handicap
that could not be overcome.
The election result this year is a
warning of what may be expected
in 1912, unless the democrats shall
display amazing stupidity in hand
ling such power as they have re-
ceived, or the republicans can
demonstrate unforeseen resourceful-
ness in establishing order amid the
party chaos now shown to exist
Sioux City Journal