Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-11-08
By
Frederic
]. Hdskin

president power to suspend certain pro-
visions to permit the making of recip-
rocity treaties. The reciprocity feature
was introduced by Mr.. Blaine, then in
the cabinet, through Sena tor Frye. The
bin was passed In the last days of Sep
tember and was signed by the president
on October /. 1t went into operation on
October G.
OF course tho congressional campaign
was already on. 1t was only four weeks
until the election. II was impossible for
the country to have felt the effect Of
the measure, for il was not yet in work
ing order. But all during the long de-
ba te the Democrats had made the most
Of their opportunity to riddle the bill
and 70 point out the alleged evils it con-
tained.
Peddlers were sent through Republican
congressional districts with wagons load
ed with tinware, for which enormous
prices we're asked. The housewives were
told that the Mckinley bill had put up
the prices This campaign device was
worked in Mr.. McKinley's own district
All over tho country the Democratic ora
tors were bUsily engaged In tearing down
the new bill before 1t was really passed
The result Of the election in Novem-
Der was an unprecedented rout of the
Republican forces. Speaker Reed was
reelected i'm Maine in September. but
that was before the bin had passed. Mr..
Mckinley. Mr.. Cannon and many other
Republican leaders went down in the
general disaster The house which pass
ed the Mckinley bill had f73 Republicans
TO I56 Democratic and / Independent. The
house elec,ed in 1890 had 2Sl Democrats,
only 8S Republicans and IA Populists. The
Democrats had the largest majority In
that congress. the SD, ever possessed by
any congressional party.
The Democrats in great clee began at
once TO prepare for the presidential cam
naign Of 1892 The Mckinley bin had
been repudatcd. the house was over
whelmingly Democratic. but the senate
still was Republican. Great political I'M
rest filled the country. The Republican
congress in 1870 attempted to settle the
money question by passing the Sherman
compromise measure providing for the
purchase of a certain amount of silver
bullion each year. But the problem
grew more and more insisteut. The coun-
try was in a very bad condition, tinan-
cially. and in the west the farmers were
grooming under burden of debt and
poverty which was threatening political
revolution. The Farmers Alliance de-
veloped into the Populist party and the
new organiza ton made some surprising
advances in the west, sending "a repre-
eentatives and two senators to the ed
congress. The westerners of all parties
were for free silver. The fasteners, of
both parties, were for the gold stand
ard.
But in 1892 neither party was willing
or able 10 take a position on the money
question The Democrats forced the fight
ing by declaring unequivocally for re-
duction of tariff duties. The Republicans
defended the Mckinley bill as best they
could. in view OF the disaster of 1890,
but they talked more about reciprocity
than about protection.
Harrison and Cleveland again were the
leaders of the two parties The Populists
nominated James Il. Weaver, of Iowa,
and IN many western states the Demo-
Gratis and Populists fused against the
Republicans. The result was a conirma-
ton of the election OF 1880. The Repub-
licans gained back some of the congress
sional districts they had lost two years
before, but the Democrats had 900 MEM
bers of the house to 128 Republicans and
eight Popuists. while the senate had
again changed complexion and was prac-
ticalIy under Democratic control. There
were A Democratic sepators, s. Repubii-
cans, one Independent and two Popultsts.
with three vacancies. This gave the
Democrats a MAJORITY of three and a
plurality over the Republicans of six.
CLEVELAND carried states which there
tofore had been deemed solidly Re
publican. including Illinois and Wiscon-
sin. receiving 277 electoral votes to 145 for
Harrison and % for Weaver. This was
the only time since the civil war that
q. third party candidate for president
has received any electoral votes. Weaver
carried Colorado, Idaho Kansas and Ne
braska and got one vote from oregon
and one from North Dakota.
The result was that the Democrats on
March l. 1888 came into complete con-
troll OF the federal government for the
first time since Buchanans administra-
ton The president. the senate and the
house of representatives all were Dem
ocratic After the election in November
the Democratic press was jubllant, but
even before the beginning of the new
administration signs of dscord began
10 be apparent and the rumble of the
coming storm was plainly to be heard.
The Democratic triumph was destined
soon to be turned into party catastro-
phe.