The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-30 00:00:00

THE LATE ELECTIONS.

In the leader of the Times on Wednesday on the
late elections in the United States we notice a
blunder, as illustrating the carelessness with which
the articles on America are often written. " New
York and New Jersey have entirely gone over
to the Democrats, carrying with them 59 electors,
sufficient to turn the scale, supposing the two parties
had been at all equal in strength before." Fifty-
nine electors ? What can the Times mean ? New
York figures for 33, New Jersey 7—total, 40.
Puzzled, we turned back to the correspondent's
letter, evidently the figures on which the Times
worked. There they were accurately given. What
then suggested 59 to the writer ? but here the
enigma was solved by Pennsylvania being quoted
next to New Jersey, and as that State is next in
strength to New York ; the former being 33, the
other 26, which suiting the writer better than 7,
he transferred them, and so obtained 59. In the
same article Mr. TIIADDEUS STEVENS is said to be
in favour of paying the interest on 5-20 Bonds in
currency instead of is gold. The foundation for this
is known to all who waded through THADDEUS STE-
VENS'S letter. If the writer of that article did, then
he has simply falsified a document which is suffi-
ciently plain whatever may be its faults. As the
correspondent's statement is not accurate, the article
grounded on it cannot be correct. The Republican
defeats have resulted more from the members of that
party declining to vote, than from the gains secured
by the Democrats. Last year about 60,000 Democrats
absented themselves from the polls, who this year cast
their votes in favour of their party. And on this oc-
asion 160,000 Republicans refrained from voting,
who last year swelled the Radical majority. The real
gain to the Democrats by deserters from the Re-
publican side, did not exceed 50,000. As the cor-
respondent explains, " the PRESIDENT is chosen by
a majority of the electoral votes, and each State is
entitled to as many electors as it has Senators and
Representatives in Congress, while in each State the
electors are chosen, not by separate districts, as the
members of Congress are, but each voter votes for
all the electors, so that the majority party secures
the whole number."

Now, if these electors had been chosen at the
recent elections, the result would have been as fol-

lows :

" REPUBLICAN.—IIIinois, 16 ; Indiana, 13 ; lowa,
8 ; Kansas, 3 ; Maine, 7 ; Massachusetts, 12 ; Michi-
gan, 8 ; Minnesota, 4 ; Missouri, 11 ; New Hamp-
shire, 5 ; Ohio, 21; Rhole Island, 4 ; Tennessee,
10 ; Vermont, 5 ; West Virginia, 5 ; Wisconsin, 8 ;
Nebraska, 3 ; making a total of 143.
" DEMOCRATIC.— -California, 5 ; Connecticut, 6 ;
Delaware, 3 ; Kentucky, 11 ; Maryland, 7 ; New
Jersey, 7 ; New York, 33 ; Pennsylvania, 26; Ore-
gon, 3 ; Nevada, 3 ; making a total of 104."
Should the States stand as they do now, this
would be the result. But it is not impossible that
the Southern States may be admitted in time to
cast their influence into the opposing scales. Judging
by the late elections, the result, according to the
Nation, our authority in this matter, would be as
follows :

" REPUBLICAN. Alabama, 8 ; Florida, 3 ;
Louisiana, 7 ; Mississippi, 7 ; South Carolina, 6 ;
total, 31.
DEMOCRATIC.—Arkansas, 5; Georgia, 9; North
Carolina, 9 ; Texas, 6-; Virginia, 10 ; total, 39."
Presuming that there be no change in the law of
suffrage, the result in Georgia and Virginia, if all
the inhabitants were polled, would be doubtful.
The parties are becoming so evenly balanced that suc-
cess may depend on the personal popularity of the can-
didate each selects for the Presidency. Supposing
General GRANT declines the nomination, the struggle
will then in its uncertainty become highly interest-
ing. The correspondent of the Cincinnati Com-
mercial lately reported Senator WADE as saying—
" I tried to see who the devil he was for ; but as
quick as I talked politics he'd talk horses ; and he
could talk for hours on that without getting tired.
Horses are very good ; but in these times a man
may be all right on horses, but all wrong on
politics." GRANT has steadily managed to " talk
horse" to all who have attempted to pump him on
politics. The 1V e w fork Tinses reports him to
have said :—" The office must seek him. lie cer-
tainly will never seek it. As between his present
position with its duties, honours, and prestige,
added to the opportunities it affords him for the en-
joyment of the society of his family, and that of the
Presidency with its responsibilities, labours, and
deprivation.: of social and family enjoyment, he
infinitely prefers the former." We have all along
thought it doubtful whether GRANT would stand.
And if he steps off the course then will come the tug
of war—CHASE versus HORATIO SEYMOUR, SHERI-
DAN Versus I\I'CLELLAN, BUTLER versus PENDLE-
TON ; with such names as those of CHAS. FRANCIS
ADAMS, Goheral SHERMAN, ;mil molera.te, sound
Inca of that elas., not one of whom, we fear,
I had a chance. The Judiciary Committee have