The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1867-10-19
BETTER THAN VICTORY.

What will be the effect of the elections
in Ohio and Pennsylvania upon national
politics? Is it repudiation by the peo-
pie of the policy of Congress, and an en-
dorsal of Johnson's2 Those two great
States contain FIVE and half millions
people, one sixth of the entire popula-
ton of the country, and have forty-seven
members in Congress. We are aware
that Democracy will construe it as
great victory, and that upon it they
predicate the election of a Democratic
President in '6S. All over the land are
echoing shouts of Democratic rejoicing
and it would he difficult to tell who feels
most grateful at the result, Vallandig-
ham, johnson or Brick Pomeroy. The
question is, what have they gained?
Hayes, Republican. is elected Governor
of Ohio by three thousand majority.
If they had a majority on joint ballot in
each of those States, it would make but
one of a difference in the United States
Senate, and that not until 1869, when
Ben. Wade's TIME will expire, and he
may be superseded by Democrat. The
term of Buckalew, of Pennsylvania, ex~
pires at the same time, and as he is a
Democrat, the succession will not change
the status of the body. Neither State
elects Congressman except to fill vacan-
cies. With the nine members, all Dem
ocrats, of Kentucky, admitted to the
House, the Democrats will still be nine
ty-three in minority, a change of but
four votes from that of the Thirty-ninth
Congress, while the Senate is Union four
to one. No States vet to vote have Con-
gressmen to elect, so that the practical
effects of the ground swell in seven
teen States leaves the Republicans with
forty four more votes in the House, and
nine in the Senate, than is required to
pass any bill over the Presidents veto
by two-thirds vote. In Connecticut,
Kentucky, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Maine and Rhode Island, where the
ground swell " has been the heaviest,
the actual Democratic gain in the vote
of 1867 over 1866 is Just zoos votes. At
the election in 1862, when Democracy
surged up and carried everything before
/ it on the peace issue, the same prognos-
tications of the overwhelming defeat of
the Union party in 1864 were INDUCED
/ in, and with much more cause than now.
1t was claimed to be a condemnation of
Lincoln's policy. and a remonstrance
against the conduct of the war. But
when, with Mcclellan, the strongest
man in the party, at the head of the tick
ct, the question was submitted to the
people thereafter, they endorsed
both Lincoln and the war with 100000
majority, such as was never before given
in the country. A party immensely
in the majority carries the elements of
its own weakness. Too great confidence
induces apathy, and invokes disaster.
The Republican party have felt the
effects of it before as they do now. This
will rouse them to vigilance and earnest
labor. 1t will bury intestine quarrels,
and from this nettle, danger, will be
plucked the flower, safety. 1t will give
unanimity of purpose, quicken, vitalize
and prompt to action. 1t will throw the
small fry sspirants for the Presidency
completely overheard, and with Grant
for our leader and nominee, we can go
into the contest and win il, and thank
God for the Democratic ground swell
of 81.