Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1880 — A HARD FIGHT. [ARTICLE]

A HARD FIGHT.

[later Ocean.] The election law* now ia force are stumbling blocks in the way of the Democratic leaders. Their efforts to repeal them failed only because President Hayes stood firm. Their efforts to render them of Utile effect, or their attempts to destroy the national authority, are thwarted by the last veto message of the President. The Democratic leaders desire to escape Fender al supervision in New York and the Southern States, because with voters exercising their rights, and with frauds prevented, Democratic majorities will disappear. The removal or crippling of deputy marshals is a strong feature of their programme, -and other features cover schemes looking to the control of the Presidential election, or, failing in that, to the management of the electoral count.

The importance and significance of the President’s last veto are fully apparent when the facta and circumstances of the next Presidential election are considered in connection with the spirit that is likely to prevail in the Democratic party at that time. It is a notorious fact that hundreds of prominent Republicans have declared, within the last few months, that all the Southern States are hopelessly Democratic. With Republicans conceding this, Democrats are justified in claiming that their candidate for President will receive the 138 electoral votes of the sixteen Southern States. Certainly he will on the programme followed at the last Presidential election.

In the Northern States we will have substantially the same conditions as in 1876. The Republicans have made a strong nomination. The Democrats will make a strong one, with New York in mind, and there will be a third ticket in the field to gather up the stragglers. In 1876 Hayes received 166 electoral votes from the eighteen Northern States of California, Colorado, Illinois, lowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Tilden received the 65 electoral votes of Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, and New York. Several of the States were very close. California gave Hayes a majority of 2,805; Illinois gave Hayes a plurality of 19,631 and a majority over Tilden and Cooper of 2,298. In Oregon the plurality was 1,057 and the majority 547. In Ohio the plurality was 5,441 and the majority over all 2,951. In Indiana Tilden had a plurality over Hayes of 5,515, but as against Hayes and Cooper was in a minority by nearly 4,000 votes. In Connecticut Tilden’s plurality wao 2,900; bis majority over all was 11,731; in New York his majority over all was 30,755. Last year in California the Republican candidate for Governor had a plurality of 20,319, the vote standing 67,985 Republican, 47,647 New Constitution and Democratic, and 44,482 for the Workingmen’s ticket In Maine the Republican candidate for Governor had a plurality of 21,176, but was in a minority as against the Democrats and Nationalists. In Ohio. Foster, for Governor, had a plurality of 17,000, and a majority over all of 3,352. In New York, Cornell, Republican, had a plurality of 42,777, but as against the other three candidates in the field was in a minority by 59,512 votes. At the last State election in Indiana, in 1878, the Democratic plurality was 14,113; but the combined vote of the Republicans and Nationalists exceeded the Democratic vote by 25,3Q2. It will be seen that there is in all the great States an uncertain element, which the Democrats hope to take advantageof? They will nominate candidates to carry New York and Indiana, which, with the vote of the South, will give them 188 electoral votes, leaving New Jersey and Connecticut out of the list; losing New York, and carrying Connecticut, Indiana, and New Jersey, and the South, they will have 168 electoral votes, and will depend on trickery in Maine, Oregon, and California to give them the others. Carrying New York and New Jersey, and losing Indiana and Connecticut, as seems probable, they would have 182 electoral votes and the Republicans 187. In such a case the Democrats will be prepared to count in their candidate. The Democratic leaders ar.e making the fight on the deputy marshals bill for the sake of carrying New York and to make sure of their hold on the? Sonth. They made the fight onMorgan’selectoral-count proposition With the idea of throwing out the Jyote of any State in case of a close contest. In many cases their schemes in Congress have been masked, but their constant aim has been to shape legislation to serve their purposes in case of ariose vote on President. Last year the Republicans of the Northerh States, alarmed by the attitude of the Democratic majority in Congress, swept every State in which elections were held. Their only hope of success is in manifesting the same spirit in the coming Presidential campaign. The mar gin for success is very small, but tne Republican majority must be so large that the Democrats will have no pretense for the employment of the means at band to precipitate trouble. And that the Republicans may have this majority they must carry every State that went Republican in 1876, and in addition New York, Indians, and Connecticut. With Garfield as a candidate, his record on the Chinese question being satisfactory to the Pacific States, Calif irnia may be counted reasonably sure for the Republicans. Connecticut, with four candidates in the field last year, gave a plurality of 2,482. The probabilities are all in favor of her giving Garfield a good majority. New Jersey last year elected a Republican Legislature, and it is possible that Garfield may carry the State. New York on a fair count is Republican. With the deputy marshals in the city to- prevent fraud, and the good work in the State-outside, the eleot-

- .JI *1. A oral vote may w ocw. Bat look which way tne Mepti oilcans will there ia a hard fight before them. They must nerve themselves to the work and enter the campaign with the determination and spirit that carried them to a sweeping victory in 1872.