n for the reason that
the result so surprised me I scarcely knew what to make of it. We
lost Illinois by the overwhelming Democratic vote in Chicago. I
feared that city all the time, but was assured by the committees
that it would not be very much against us. I said all the time
that we would take care of the country and carry the State if the
Cook County vote could be kept below ten thousand Democratic, and
was assured by all hands there that it would be. We did carry the
country about as heretofore. As things have gone bad nearly
everywhere, I am not feeling so chagrined as I would if Illinois
had been the pivotal State. I specially desire to say that the
cause of the defeat does not lie at your door personally. Any man
in the country standing upon the doctrine of high protection would
have been defeated. The people sat down upon the McKinley Tariff
Bill two years ago, and they have never gotten up. They were
thoroughly imbued with the feeling that the party did not do right
in revising the tariff up instead of down. They beat us for it in
'90 and now again.

"Hoping to see you in ten days, I am, with great respect,

"Truly yours,
"S. M. Cullom."

Curtis, in his work on the Republican party, in commenting on the
result of this election, said:

"It will be seen that to the Solid South were added, California,
Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia,
and Wisconsin; while Mr. Cleveland obtained one electoral vote in
Ohio, and five in Michigan. The result was certainly disastrous,
and left no doubt that the people at large for the time being had
rebuked the Republican party for what they wrongly supposed to be
against their best interests. And yet, though a large majority of
the people had voted for Mr. Cleveland, they were probably sorry
for it within twenty-four hours after the election. There was no
such rejoicing as took place in 1885. In fact, as soon as it was
determined without doubt that the next Congress would be Democratic
in both branches, and would enable Mr. Cleveland and his party to
carry out their threats to repeal the McKinley Law and enact in
its stead a Free Trade measure, apprehension and alarm took possession
of the industrial and financial interests of the country, and could
the election have been held over again within ten days, it may be
estimated that a million or more votes would have been changed from
the Cleveland column to that of Harrison.