Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1898 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

READY FOR THE BATTLE.

The Democratic managers intend to Inaugurate the Congressional campaign at an early day, says Senator Jones, national commander of the allied forces of Democracy. While the Republicans are quarreling and fighting among themselves over Cuba, the money question and civil service reform. the Democrats are ready to make a determined effort to capture the Hext House. The reports received from all parts of the country are of the most encouraging character.

According to these reports, the Democrats are practically certain to gain eight seats in Illinois, seven in Indiana, five in lowa, four in Kentucky, five in Maryland, seven in Michigan, four in Minnesota, twelve in New York, six in Ohio, five in Pennsylvania and two in West Virginia. This makes a total gain of sixtythree and it is not expected that the Republicans will gain more than four seats, making the next Democratic gain sixty. According to these figures, the next House would stand: Republicans, 171; opposition, 186. It is not doubted that the Populists ?ind the silver Republicans will act with the Democrats in the next Congress. In organizing the House the Democrats would be allowed to name the three principal officers and the chairmen of all the important committees, while one of the House officers and a number of the less important chairmanships would be given to the Populists and Silver Republicans.

“So far as the State of Kentucky is concerned,”, says Representative David Highbaugh Smith, of Hodgensville, Larue County, “the Republicans have had their day in court down there and have shown themselves to be unworthy of public confidence. The administration of Governor Bradley is so disastrous a failure as to amount almost to a disgrace. The men who have been sent to Washington by the Kentucky Republicans during their lease of power Have not made a favorable impression on the country. The old commonwealth is back again in the Democratic column, and there it is likely to stay. At the next election for members of Congress the Democrats will carry every district except the eleventh and the delegation in the next House will consists of ten Democrats and one Republican. Silver will be the battle cry all along the line. The platform will be the same in every district. It will be such that there will be no need for fusion. The candidacies in various districts will be distributed among the Democrats, Populists and Silver Republicans, according to the vote polled in 1896.

Gold Standard Blindness. Like ail other champions of the gold standard the Chicago Times-Herald assumes that if a farmer only succeeds in paying his debts, it is proof positive of his prosperity, and further, that he ought to be supremely happy. It overlooks the circumstance that men may and do pay debts under great disadvantages. A man may have a mortgage on his farm. Grasshoppers may come and destroy a crop; drouth may come and ruin another; his barn may be overturned in a cyclone, his house be consumed by fire, sickness and death may invade his family circle. Still, by almost superhuman effort, and by denying himself and his loved ones many things which they need, he may at last pay the mortgage. But would this prove that the grasshoppers, the drouth, the cyclone, the fire and the sickness and death were blessings and helped him to do it? According to the Times-Herald’s philosophy, yes. The mortgagee mightsurreptitiously change a SI,OOO mortgage into one of $2,000. The farmer might succeed in paying it, but would that make the act of changing the figures any less a crime, or a disadvantage to the man who is compelled to pay $2,000 when he only agreed to pay $1,000? No matter what robbery and extortion are practiced upon the debtor, it is all right so long as he succeeds in paying. That is the infallible gold standard proof.

National and Individual Footpads. When a man with a gun robs a defenseless man on the street he is called a footpad, and we send him to the penitentiary. If we can catch him. When a man with many,guns robs a defenseless country of its property and civil rights we call that diplomacy, sometimes; statesmanship sometimes, and sometimes war. The moral element is about the same in both cases, or a little in favor of the footpad, who takes his chances, while his august exemplar takes none—Louisville Times.

One Way to Wipe Out Deficit. We observe that quite a number of moral Republican editors are pointing with pride to the gratifying increase in the Internal revenue receipts. If an impetus can be given to the general drunkenness of the country the grand old Republican party will be rescued from the hole in the treasury and the ship of state will avoid the rocks. Will Not Down. With a yawning chasm between receipts and expenditures, with protection in abundance and revenue a negative quantity the Republicans say they want the tariff let alone for ten years. No doubt, but the people who pay these taxes do not propose to let it alone. “Maw, make Bill keep quiet; every time'l hit him with the hammer he hollers.” As the Republicans Reason. Wonderful is the logic of Republicanism. According to this system the Wilson bill brought about a deficit of $70,000,000 fourteen months before it was passed, and now it has brought about a deficit of $46,000,000 five months after it has been repealed. Political Pointers. We now have government by banks. Secretary Gage wants prosperity for the bankers only. Is there a Democratic club in your vicinity? If not, why not? The work

of organization Is going on everywhere. If every Democrat puts his shoulder to the wheel 1898 will be a great year for the people. Do you belong to a silver club? If not, why not? The battle of your prosperity can ne’er be won without your aid. In the Congressional campaigns every Democratic candidate for Congress must stand on a platform that Indorses the Chicago platform in every particular, as well as the financial issue. Do not allow a goldbug into any Democratic club with which you are connected. Point to the fact that a man cannot be a Democrat and an advocate of the British gold standard at one and the same time. Are there any gold bugs in your vicinity? Find out who they are and all about them. As such they have no business to meddle In Democratic politics. They belong in the Republican party. If you see an article in this paper that contains any points that would in your opinion remove doubt from the mind of a Republican neighbor please send him a marked copy. The great majority of Republicans are honest and only need to read the truth honestly told. It is the duty of every Democrat to make a personal neighbor-to-neigh-bor campaign in behalf of the Democratic platform. Work among Republicans who are disappointed at the action of the administration in slumping to the gold standard. Honest Republicans will be glad to listen to you. Says State Senator Burley (Rep.) of West Virginia: “The Republicans of our State are almost equally divided on the silver issue. We cannot go before the people with a gold basis platform, and at the same time hope for success at the polls.” Mr. Burley is not only a Republican, but is also an advocate of the gold standard.”