Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1880 — THAT REPUBLICAN TIDAL WAVE. [ARTICLE]

THAT REPUBLICAN TIDAL WAVE.

[From the New Y. rk World.] It is well known to the readers—if not to the editors—of our esteemed Republican contemporaries that the elections of 1879 showed everywhere that the Democracy had vanished before the Republican party as beard before the razor, and that the Republicans were about to ride into power upon a tidal wave higher than any recorded in books of travel. Any doubts that may have existed on this subjeot must have been triumphantly resolved by the disoovery that the Republicans were so sure of carrying the pivotal State of New York that they intended to have its vote cast without putting the electors to the trouble of going through the motions of an election. It is not, however, until we examine the returns for the individual elections that the progresj made by the Republican party all over the country bursts upon us in all its magnitude and majesty and makes the heart of Democracy sink down into the boots of despondency. For instance, there are the Congressional vacancies. In California tne Republicans have elected three Congressmen—as they elected three at the preceding election; in lowa a Republican has succeeded a Republican ; in Missouri and Texas Democrats have replaced Democrats; in New York a Democrat has been ohosen in a district that went Republican in 1878. Altogether, in the language of a famous French speech, “ Nothing has been changed; there is only one Democrat the more 1” Let us, if we are not sufficiently impressed by this showing of immense Republican gains, consider the popular vote in the various States that held elections last year. In 1876, when the Republican party’s vote was at high-water mark, these States voted as follows:

PBEBIDKNT IN 1876. Total. Republican. P.ct.Rep. California 156,777 79 269 50.90 Colorado* 27,470 14,154 61.52 lowa 292,948 171,332 58.50 Kentucky 259,608 '.17,156 37.42 Louisiana 145.623 75,315 51.61 Maine 117.041 66,300 66.77 Maryland 101,046 71,972 43.88 Massachu otts.. 259,619 150,063 67.97 Michigan 316,669 1 66,901 52 27 Minnesota 124.053 72,955 56.70 Nebraska 51,806 81,916 64.51 New York 1,015,502 469,207 48.17 Ohio 650,771 381,698 50.21 Pennsylvania... 758,669 884,122 50.62 Rhode Island.... 26.627 15,787 59.57 Wisconsin 257,305 130,068 ' 51.21 Totals 4,623,949 2,347,215 50.76 *Vote for Governor; the electoral vote was cast by the Legislature. Upon again referring to our trusty almanac for the returns of the local elections of 1879 we find the following table: STATE ELECTIONS IN 1879. Total. Republican. Pr.ct.&ep. California 160,152 97,970 42.44 Colo-ado 30.871 16,920 54.80 lowa 291.464 157,751 54.06 Kentucky 226,635 81,682 36.12 Louisiana 114,469 41,460 36.66 Maine 138,336 68,766 49.70 Maryland 159,337 68,610 43.04 Massachusetts... 243,642 122,751 60 38 Michigan 258.725 132.313 51.14 Minnesota 106.316 67,461 54.05 Nebraska 71,680 46,113 64.33 New York 902,111 435.301 48.25 Ohio 669.170 E 36,261 60.25 Pennsylvania.... 532,379 280,153 62.62 Rhode Island.... 15,651 9,717 62.05 Wisconsin 189,005 100,535 63 lit Totals 4,109,981 2,023,794 49.25 Taking it by and large, as it were, it seems that the Republican tidal-wave of 1879 amounted to about 60,000 less than the Republican tidal-wave of 1876, which wasn’t big enough. The Republican poptffar progress is singularly like the mill in the story, which ground with such rapidity that the owner ate the flour as fast as it was produced, and went on eating till he starved to death.