The Portland daily press., 1867-09-18
Great Expectations.

No bet .er indication Of the utter efeteness
OF the Democratic party can possibly be adj
duced than the senile chattering with which
its adherents received the news of the Maine
election. On the evening of the 9th inst
they were in such state of morbid excite
ment over the telegraphie dispatches announc-
ing considerable falling off in the RepubIi
can vote that they actually, in the guileless
simplicity of their hearts, imagined that they
had swept the State for rum, Pillsbury and
johnson. The former element of this triune
power had been largely invoked in the capital
city, and under its inspiration the metropoli-
tan Copperheads were momentariy happy in
the belief that Judge Rice was to represent
them in the legislature and "Gov. Pillsbury"
latter gentleman, in response to the delicate
compliment Of a serenade, gratifed his hear
ers by an exercise OF those oratorical powers,
which in 1868 reused the bold yeomanry Of
Kingfield to the deeds ofvalor which have be-
come historical, none can say; but If he did
not it was because his supposed sudden eleva-
tion from an attorneys office to to the chief
magistracy deprived him OF the power of ut
terance.
From that time to this, though the brilian-
ey of their first hopes has been dimmed they
have been engaged in making the most alb
surd claims and indulging in the most inap-
propriate self-congratulation. They have call
edthe falling off OF the Republican votes Dem
ocratic gain" and then the gentle sopbists have
so overspread their newspapers with wood
cuts of guns, flags and exultant chanticleers
as to make those hight toned sheets look like
folio abridgments of Mother Goose, designed
for very small children. Nor was this foolery
confined to the local press. The New York
World claimed that it was uncertain il Cham
berlain was elected, and its sympa thizers fired
one hundred guns in honor of the glorious
news from Maine.
We are sensitively alive to the fact that it
is not magnanimous to triumph over a falle Il
foe, and wouldn't do it upon any consdera-
tion whatever. But what are we to think OF
the singular spectacle presented by an enemy
that congratulate es bimselfupon being soundly
thrashed, and puts on airs in the presence OF
the opponent that administered the thrashing +?
Look at the results Of the election as they are
indcatad by the official returns. The four
counties and the seven counties which the
Democrats claimed have dwindIed as fast as
Falstaff7s "rogues in buckram" increased
They are finally reduced to two counties
and three senators! SO the New York patriots
fred thirty-three and one third guns for every
senator of their stamp who takes his seat in a
house composed Of thirty-one members. They
are not much better off for representatives.
They claim fifty, but will not get much above
forty, even by counting, in their ingenious
way, all damaged Republicans and the dele
gate of the Oldtown Indians We beg pardon
OF the eminent successor of Peol Sockabasin,
whose euphonious name we do not Just now
remember, for mentioning him in this con-
nection for we are sure thath he would proclaim
in cultural tones that he is not so loo as that
though allied to the great family of that
| name. What hone for the future can there
be for party that goes irrt, .,~.-.--~.~-,
Radical majority OF nearly fourteen thousand
for Governor,-though fourteen thousand
Radical. voters staid at home, holding them
selves in reserve for the more serious work OF
next year-considerably more than two-thirds
of the House of Representatives, and almost a
unanimous Senate? All this the Republicans
have done under the leadership of General
Apathy, who will be mustered out in less than
| six months from the date hereof, and remain
on the retired list till we tire again Of striking
hard at an opponent that has not brains
enough left to know when he is knocked
down.