The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-10-16
New York World on the
Election.
A Virtual Surrender of the
Presidential Contest.
How the Dem ecracy Might
Have Won But Didn't.


NEW YORK, October Is. - The
World, of to-day, contains the fol-
lowing double-leaded editorial:
THE YOUTHFUL, INDoMITABLE
Observation-Disclosures may justly
cherish an honorable pride in the
vigor, courage, steadiness, loyalty to
principle, and patriotism of the great
party which has made so gallant
fight In the October elections. Con-
sidering that two or three years ago
the Democratic party was proclaimed
dead by its opponents; that every Re-
publican newspaper predicted for it
the fate. of the old Federal party
after the last war with England;
considering that Congress and
all the State governments were con-
trolled by its bitter foes; that it was
overborne lby calumnies; that its
statesmen were buried in the obscu-
rity of private life, and that four fifths
of the most widely circulated journals
have daily labored to bring it into dis
repute and odium-considering all
these adverses and depressing circum-
stances, it is a signal proof of endur-
ing vitality. that the party has been
able in the late elections to contest
every inch of ground against it's oppo-
nents, and in spite of their most
strenuous efforts to come within few
votes of beating them, which is an
enormous fall of many hundred thou
sand.
Indiana we have either redeemed
from the Republicans or come so near
it that there is scarcely any percept-
ible margin in the strength of the two
parties, although the Republicans had
a large majority in that State, and
although 1t is the home of the candi-
date for Vice President, one of the
most popular men In the party.
In Pennsylvania we have carried its
chief city, next to New York. the
most populous in the country, aud a
change of few thousand votes would
nave given US that State.
Ia Ohio the Republican majority is
but a trifle compared with what it
used % be a few years ago. For
a party that was confidently and
cheeringly pronounced dead, this
is very handsome showing.
But our gains were not SO great as
the party desired or deserved. In
quiring why we came 50 near success
In these elections we have Just missed,
two reasons appear, in the absence of
either of which our triumph would
have been certain. These reasons are
such as to show that majoritv of the
people are really on our side, and
have been repelled from our support
by things having no proper connec-
ton with the merits of the Ca nvass.
IF the military prestige of General
| Grant had been out of the scale, we
| should have been successful. Or that
remaining, if the perversions of Gen.
BIair's position had been out of the
scale, we should have succeeded.
1t would be payinga poor compli-
ment o,Gen. Grant or to the jud yment
| ofthe party that dominated him, to say
his popularity has not been worth, to
the Repu olicans of Pennsylvania,
half of the meagre majority by which
they have carried the State. Put half
of that small majority on the other
side, and the two parties would be
equal. IF that small number of votes
are due to the popularity of General
Grant-and it would be ridiculous to
suppose the contrary-the election,
had it been decided on the issues,
would have been in favor of the Dem
oeratie party. The same remark will
apply to other States. On the Demo-
cratic principles, pure and simple, we
should have succeeded. We have
been beaten by reasons quite extrane-
Gus to the questions in issue. We
conld easily have overcome the popu.
larity of Gen. Grant If another point
had not been raised to di.
vert attention from the issues. The