Roosevelt had a re-united Democratic party to face as well as some division in his own party on the tariff question: on the other hand, the Republicans had with them many favourable forces, the chief of which was the re-appointment of nearly all the ballot-counting States, in necordance with the census of 1900. "By this the Northern States, which had grown in population more' rapidly than the South, had more representatives added. A second influence was the settle tient of the coal strike. A third was the immense crops of the West and the high tide of prosperity now prevailing through-grain-growing belt. The North-ras doubtless made nearly unani the President's activities Northern Securities merger.
Montana have elected Ressmen for the first time The chief field of Dem rth is in the ci unquestionably. gaining ground.
arty eaters to the labour union clenent and in New York went even further the declaration that. the coal mines should be owned by the nation. At the time of the adoption of this plank by the State Convention, the coal strike was till on, and the anger of the public hot against the coal operators. The sudden settlement of the strike nullified in a large degree the effect of the plank, but it i indicative, nevertheless, of the Democra ie party in the North.
Curiously enough. by the way, the Democracy of the south draws its strength from a directly opposite class, the well-to-do business men, planters, and old southern aristocracy, make the party so nearly unanimous that in several States the Republicans do not find it. worth while even to nominate candidates; a democracy whose chief object is to keep the negroes from the privileges of citizenship which the ballot bunas. Were the negro question not the overshadowing one in the section, many, if not all, of the southern democrats would naturally be Republicans, for in that party they would find more congenial company and its protective pol-ides they find increasingly beneficial to their section.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.