The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-05-02
Encouraging signs.


nents, last fall, by way Of explanation OF
the defeats which they suffered. APATHY
and "local causes" were assigned as rea-
sons tor disasters which followed six years
OF triumph. That any permanent changes
had ensucd in the relations Of parties they
would not believe. The next elections,
assured us, would show that the radi-
Gals had simply been caught mapping, and
had thereby lost small portion Of their
camp cquippage but their forces were in
tact, aud at the next fight they would
sweep the field. The Democracy were
confident of entirely another state Of
things, judging from tho facts that pow
crful revolution in public sentiment had
gradually taken place, aud that strong
tide was setting agaist the Radical party
which no effort could reverse. 1t was no
eddy, no whirlpool, but Il steady, flowing
stream. Every week, in local elections
held here and there, we see evidence that
the change Of political sentiment, SO sig.
nally manifested, was lot eyanescent or
due TO epheneral influences, but resting
on substantial basis of changed convic.
tions. In New York State, for example,
where Radicalism was swampcd under
$4,000 Democratic majority, the local
elections, show the vigor of the Democ-
racy unabating. They nre, in fact,
achieving new victories. In the town Of
Waterford, in Jefferson county, last week
for the first time in fifteen years. they
achieved triumph at the municipal cleo
tion. In 1866, Fenton carried the town
by majority Of l56. In 1867, the
Democrats knocked that majority down to
II and, last week, still pushing on the
column, they carried the town by 40 ma.
jority-a gain Of 81 since November, II
full vote being polled So in Herkimer
county, in that State. The radicals have
controlled the county for many years. OF
the nineteen towns, they had sixteen,
electing the Supervisors iu each. Last
week the Democrats carried three addi.
tional towns, thus doubling the number
of Democratic Supervisors. In four 9TH
er towns they so reduced the Radical
majoFitics that change Of so votes would
have given them majority of the Sapcr.
visors in the county. 4 significant fac.
IS that the Democratic maiorities in the
six towns carried by them are larger than
the aggregate radical majorities in the
remaining thirteen, showing that upon a
general ticket the Democracy would have
carried the county. Another sign of the
pcrmanence of the change of sentiment,
and Of one of the most powerful opera.
tive causes By which that change has been
produced and has been pcrpetuated, is in
the increased extent Of the circulation Of
Democratic newspapers; as one instance
of this, take the town of Hammondsport
in New York. In 1867, the New York
Tribune held the field there, outrunning
the World. Now the two papers stand
thus. New York Weekly World, s5 :;
Semi.wcekly II total, 96. Tribune week
ly, Z; serli.wcekly, 20; total. 81.
The sentiments Of community may
be pretty fairly inferred from the senti-
men:s of the newspapers circulating
amongst them. Where four.filths of the
religious newspapers taken at an Office
are Methodist, it is quite safe to conclude
that the active denominational sentiment
of that community is Methodist, and
where three-quarters of the political news.
papers distributed in any district are
Democratic, il is certain that the active
thought Of such community is running
in Democratic channels. The immense
increase Of the circulation of Democratic
newspapers in every State, from Massa-
chusetts to Missouri, is one Of the assur-
ing signs that the change in the relations
of parties is a thoughtful and deliberate
cne- spasmodic, a'sionate or capri
cious.
In the city of Reading, Pennsylvania,
at the next municipal election, the Radi-
Gals were routed, "horsc, foot and dra-
goons." The Democratic Auditor was
elected by 1856 majority, gain of 317
since the election in October. Both
branches of the Common Council are
Democratic, and majority of the Ward
offcAES.. Coming west and passing on to
Kansas, va notice there that the condition
of affairs is most -edcOdszSagsi;sSsg -K.s2sas
is Radical. But the prodigious majority
of 5000 against negro suffrage in total
vote of about 25 900 shows that the type
Of Radicalism there is not reliable. The
vote showed, too, that Democracy was far
stronger than any one had supposed
There had been no thorough organization.
The Democracy for years had been retir-
ing and quiet in the presence of rampant
jayhawkers, red-legs and furious radicals,
so that, in fact, they were scarcely known
as an organized party. But the large
vote which they cast satisfied experienced
campaigners that if timely and thor
ough organization had been had the Dem
ocracy would have carried the State. The
surprisingly large vote which they did
cast had one excellent effect. 1t has
spurred them up to make complete or
ganization to find out their real force in
the State. One of the counties where
they proposed to begin was Douglas coun-
ty, where Lawrence, the headquarters of
Kansas Radicalism, fourishes with all the
rank luxuriance of the most intolerant
Radical faith. They wero laughed at and
derided for any such attempt, not merely
by the Radicals, but by friends who had
only weak faith. It was predicted that
they could not drum up three hundred
Democrats in Douglas in three months.
But the movement was undertaken and
with most remarkable success. Last
week the Secretary of the Central Com
mittee announced that in three weeks eff
fort seven hundred Democrats were en-
rolled in the county. Clubs were formed
in every township. February 10Th a
meeting assembled in Lawrence to organ
ize a club. In that hot-bed of Radical