The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-21
A Close Contest, But . Grand Adminis-
tratiOn Victory.

A Close Contest, Bat . Grand Adminis-
tratiOn Victory. f
Our November State elections, from present
appearances, will be close contest between
the republicans and the democrats, upon
popular vote heavily reduced from that Of last
year. Only the immense sweepstakes and inn
portant issues Of Presidential campaign can
bring out the full strength Of the people. For
year or two, and sometimes for three years,
after the labors and cxcitements Of Presiden-
tial struggle our State elections have mostly
gone by default, one way or the other. This
rule has held good in all the State elections
of the present year, from Maine to California.
But, while they show, from Maine to California,
considerably diminished vote on both sides,
they show that upon the aggregate vote cast
there is not a State, 80 far, in which the repub-
lican majority of last year has been seriously
disturbed, except in Connecticut, upon the radi-
cal issue Of negro suffrage.
In Maine the democrats set up a compare
lively liberal and progressive platform, but
their endorsement OF President johnson was SO
intermixed with old party distractions that 1t
made no impression on the party lines of last
year. So 1t was in Vermont In Pennsylvania,
on the other hand, where the democrats were
saddled with "Jerry Black Buchananism,"
they have lost ground; and where the
republicans fatty rejected the abomina-
tons of Thaddeus Stevens, and the negro
suffrage sine qua non of Greeley they have inn
proved upon Lincoln's majority. In Ohio
General Cox, the republican candidate,
from his unequivocal support Of President
Johnson's negro suffrage policy, comes in
with splendid majority, Notwithstanding the
disaffcction of the radicals. In Iowa, where
the republican candidate for Governor boldly
took the ground for negro suffrage, he falls con-
siderably behind his party vote on the rest of
the ticket, although he Is elected. He was
saved by the red republican German element,
which in Iowa is very strong. But In none Of
these elections, from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
were The democratic party planted fairly and
squarely upon the solid platform Of President
Johnson; while in all of them, more or less,
their oopperhead leaders and copperhead prin-
cples still stood in the way.
In New York. and only in New York, have
the party fully recognized the mighty political
revolution brought about rom our four years
Of the most stupendous civil war since the fall
of Lucifer. The engineers Of the New York
democracy, however, are practical business
men, and do not care to fight under three times
tried and thrice defeated leaders and defunct
party distractions. Hence We find that the
New York democracy, leaving the dead to bury
their dead, casting out the ORAL of the Shent-
persistent Chicago Convention, and putting the
copperheads into the back seats Of the syna-
gogue, have fairly and fully come up to the
ratification OF President Johnson's policy,
Monroe Doctrine, financial system, Southern
reconstruction, Negro suffrage reservations, and
ell. The republicans likewise promise large
and liberal support 10 Mr.. johnson, and have
quietly given Greeley and his negro Suffrage
ultimatum the cold shoulder. Thus, with the
two parties on the same platform, and with Q
margin Of only few thousand votes between
them upon an aggregate poll last fall Of seven
hundred and thirty thousand, the issue In our
approaching November election may well be
considered doubtful.
It is possible, as there are only u few local
Offices and the spoils Of the Legislature at stake,
that the vote Of the State this fall will not ex-
coed FIVE hundred thousand oil told. The peo-
pie, as II satisfied that the result, one way
or the other, will be Substantially the same, are
Indifferent concerning it. The stump orators
on both sides have failed to raise breeze of
popular excitement. The Unaffected copper
heads on the democratic side, and the Disguised
radicals on the republican side, are the most
doubtful elements In the canvass. Whether the
copperheads or the radicals will WELD the
balance Of power In defeating their own party
Is the most important problem at issue between
them. The republicans have the advantages