Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-09-09
CLOAK ROOM CHAT.
Democrats Find Little Consolation
In Political Outlook.

Il III ouAtOOAs
WASHINGTON, Sept. = Now that the
| democratic primaries in the South are
over the democratic congressman are be-
ginning to look forward to fall elections.
| They are finding little consolation. There
| are large chunks of gloom these days in
the democratic cloak room of the House OF
Representatives, where democrats sit
around and tell one another the truth
about the situation back home.
The autocratic domination OF President
Wilson in forcing through legislat ion he
thought the country wanted, but which
has proven highly unpopular with the
people, has added to democratic discour-
agement. The Underwood tariff has torn
up business generally. The blow at
American interests through the canal tolls
legislation is another unpopular act. The
proposal to apologize to Colombia and pay
her So, 000, 900 has not set well with the
American people generally. The break
ing of platform pledges by the disruption
of the merit system by providing q ,ooo, 600
to reward democratic henchmen for politi-
cal work is another thing that has set the
people back home thinking.
The result of all this is heavy disaffection
among the democratic ranks. Coupled
with this, is the terrific progressive slump
the country over. There has not been a
primary, q bye-election, or a registration
that has not shown that the bull moose
party has gone all to pieces. For instance,
Ohio, which gave the head OF the progress
sive party ticket 229,327 votes two years
ago, gave Garfield, the progressive candi-
date for governor, only s,167 in the prima-
ries the other day. This is less than one
twenty-sixth of the vote cast two years
ago.
The democrats know very well the
progressives are going back to the repub-
lican party. They also know disgruntled
democrats are going to vote where their
votes will have the greatest force. That
means they will vote the republican
ticket. So it is those facts that have
thrown such scare into the democrats.
1t is "a condition, not theory" that con-
fronts them.
The people generally know by the feel
Of things there is trouble ahead for the
democratic party. Democratic congress
men themselves know it, but what makes
it worse is that they are now hearing from
their constituents who are writing letters
in no uncertain terms. To make it still
worse, the democrats in Congress have
been doing a little figuring on what
actually happened two years ago. They
know many democrats were elected to
Congress wholly through republicans who
voted with the progressives, and also
that many other democrats were elected
by dissatisfied republicans who voted the
straight democratic ticket to make their
protest more effective. But this year the
shoe is on the other foot. Hence the
gloom.
For instance, the present House of Rep
resentatives is made up of i35 members.
OF those, 2s9 are democrats; 129 are re-
publican; fifteen are progressives; one is
an "independent'. There is also Mr..
Kindel, OF Colorado, who formally left
the democratic party, short time ago,
and one vacancy, Mr.. McDermott, Of Illi-
nois, the democrat whose resignation was
the net result of the democratic lobby in
vestigation.
II the democratic party loses seventy
two members in the fall elections, il will
be ousted from power in the House OF
Representatives. The republican and
progressive party vote combined, two
years ago, was greater than that of demo-
cratic congressman elected in seventy
nine districts. In fourteen congressional
districts, democratic congressman were
elected by maiorities OF less than a thous-
and votes.
1t is these facts, together with the big
swing OF progressives back to the republic
can ranks and the widespread dissatis-
faction over legislation enacted by the
democratic Congress, that is causing the
gloom that pervades the democratic cloak
room.