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Show B THE PROGRESS OF THIS QUEER CAMPAIGN. HI It is less than a month to ejection, but still HI we are in the political doldrums, and there ap- HI pears not a single sign that the Democrats will Wm'i be able to get up a breeze of enthusiasm to trans- HV form what is now a drifting match into a real HI race. In many respects, the situation is very K like that in 1900. Then, as now, the first week in HW October arrived without change in the political HI indifference that had been pronounced through- IH out the campaign. Then, as now, the betting odds H on the Republican candidate were large. On the H sixteenth of October, Bryan had his great Tam- H many demonstration in New York City, which H gave the Republicans a few uncomfortable mo- H ments. But from that point on to election day, H the campaign proceeded without notable display H of enthusiasm. Mr. McKin ey got 202 electoral H votes against Bryan's 155. Such a result, follow- H ing similar conditions, may reasonably be ex- H paoted this year. Hs Apathy, it is clear, is tremendously discouraging H to the Democrats; not at all so to the Republi- H cans. The Republican party is now in power; H when the last ballot was taken, the majority of IH voters wore Republicans. It is therefore neces- H sary for tho Democrats to effect a complete revo- H lution of sentiment. Apathy is not? a sign that a H revolution is faking place. Such revolutions are H accompanied by violent argument, enthusiasm H and energy. They can not be. effected otherwise. H The only construction that can possibly be placed H on the present political indifference is that the H people are satisfied with Theodore Roosevelt. H But if it lacks energy, the campaign has some H humurous features. What, for example, could H be more provokative of laughter than the sight of H William Randolph Hearst and Mr. Parker shoot- H ing smiling glances at each other across the festal H board, while Sheehan and Taggart, both of whom H Hearst has abused, sit at right and left? What H could be more amusing than to read the political H editorials in the Examiner denouncing Roosevelt H and Republicanism In wild and lurid language, H but religiously refraining from a single solitary H mention of the name of Parker? What could b$ H more .stimulant to smiles than to read in these H same editorials denunciation of the Republican H party's "subservience to the trusts," while Auguat H Belmont, whom the Hearst papers have cartooned H a hundred times as the agent of Wall Street, is H running the financial end of the Parker campaign? Really, McEwen and Brisbane itfust have hard work to keep their faces straight while they pen these political lyrics. The case of Bryan is also highly amusing. He is supposed to be "firing the popular heart" for Parker. In his speech at South Omaha, he sent his auditors into a glow of enthusiasm with these stirring words: "I shall not tell you that I was delighted with the nomination at St. Louis. I opposed op-posed the nomination of Parker because he did not stand for what we have been fighting for in Nebraska for eight years. A Roosevelt victory In Nebraska is certain this fail. Parker Is too much "lilce Roosevelt. I have not recanted. I stand today to-day for every doctrine I have advocated." What sort of a reed is this upon which the "safe and sane" candidate leans so heavily? Yet the Democratic Demo-cratic campaign managers are reported to be depending de-pending upon Bryan to corral the radical vote? The country will watch with considerable interest Mr. Bryan's masterly efforts to catch files with a bait of vinegar. Meanwhilo, Thomas E. Watson, Bryan's running run-ning mate in 1896 (and Bryan says ho "stands today to-day for every doctrine he has advocated"), is making such a campaign as only a hot-blooded Southerner, of combative temperament and with red hair, could make lambasting the Democracy Democ-racy for the thousand and one absurdities and inconsistencies in-consistencies of its position. Watson says he has not changed his principles; Bryan says he stands by all those for which he has ever contended; con-tended; yet Bryan is on one side in this contest and Watson on the other. "Never shake thy gory locks at me and Hearst," Bryan must feel like whispering across the field of battle to his onetime one-time running mate; "wo are not really recreant; wait till after November .8th, and we three will be ths star figures in the reorganized, thoroughly radical Democracy, shouting for national ownership owner-ship of the 'railways, an Income tax, and all the rest." Another candidate for President no less a person than Eugene V. Dobs is adding to the Democratic campaign managers' general discomfort. discom-fort. It will be recalled that the elections of 1902 showed a tremendous Increase in the Soclal-st Soclal-st vote. The various Socialist parties received altogether al-together more than 300,000 vctes. In Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, the vote increased three hundred per, cent. In the city of Chicago, it increased four hundred per cent. The vote in Milwaukee was 11,731 out of a total of 58,611. In this state, it more than doubled. Doubtless the Socialistic wave in 1902 was made formidable by the coal strike, which had then just ended, but it is an interesting question ques-tion how many votes the party will get this year. Socialistic sentiment is very strong in Chicago, ond it is believed that the number of votes Debs will draw from Parker clinches beyond shadow of doubt the question of Rosevelt's success In that state. When Debs visited San Francisco, a few weeks ago, his meeting was little advertised, In the daily press, and his vbry presence was unknown un-known to the vast majority of the people. Yet Woodward's Pavilion was packed with a crowd estimated es-timated to number 6,000, while the Democratic campaign-opening scarcely drew enough people to the Alhambra to fill that small theatre. If the socialistic sentiment has grown during the two years past, the fact may also have a considerable bearing on the local congressional campaign, for It is reasonable to suppose that tho Socialist ranks will bo recruited most largely from the Democracy Democ-racy It is significant that none of the great Democratic Demo-cratic papers are risking the prediction that Parker will defeat Roosevelt. The Democrats appear ap-pear to hope that some miracle will be performed in their favor during the coming month. Otherwise, Other-wise, they already admit defeat. San- Franoisco Argonaut |