| Show ItEPUDIUUX OVER CONFID ENCmE II That their great victorIes of last year and this year should have given the Republicans a feeling of confidence as to the presidential election next year is perfectly natural Two such landslides I land-slides in succession are almost without II with-out precedent and would seem at first blush to warrant any predictions no matter how extravagant as to the fu tune The power to use wIsely the fruits of victory is rarer than the power to gain it The overconfidence of the Republican party is its great danger just at present Great successes succes-ses turn the heads of men formed into a party as well as they do those of individual men Did these victorIes mean an unqual bled endorsement of all that the Republican Re-publican party had done in the pastOr past-Or were they chiefly a disapproval of the Democratic administration and party There is a vast difference between be-tween the tivo propositions Just what they mean cannot be definitely told by anyone nor can anyone positively deny that they mean all the most radical Republicans claim These same radicals radi-cals will act on the theory that the PeoPle demand the enactment Into law of the most ultra Republican ideas they will proceed to act as though thy could do nothing of which the people peo-ple will or can disapprove By this time both parties should have learned dIfferently from this The present frame of mind of the Republican party is such that it is very liable to ignore this fact The old and shrewd leaders will not but they wIll scarcely be able to control the young Hotspurs of the part There will be a terrible temp tation in th1 Congress that meets shortly to put the jUbilation over Democratic Dem-ocratic defeat into the shape of legislation legis-lation lIcKinle ism may break out anew and become rampant beyond precedent pre-cedent Then there will be jingoism galore and the eagle made to scream day and night It is pOssible that all this may be and yet not bring reverses to the Republican party Still the present overconfidence is the partys great danger nor must it be forgotten that Pride boeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall UTAH WILL be the banner state next year for she will have a star placed on the national banner then r |
