The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-23
Progress Of the Presidential Cauvass-ver'
mont and Maine.

can see through ana Deyouu ~ 81 VI
vision which may be considered extraordinary.
He saws. furthermore, ga few weeks more OF
resolute effort will usher in long, bright
season of tranquility and safety pro-
phecy which, in its fulflment, we think ex-
ceedingly doubtful We are rather inclined to
the opinion that we have entered upon new
political agitation or modification of old issues
| which. for it's settlement, will be carried over
| to the election of 1872.
Monster political meetings of both parties,
East and West, North and South, are becom-
ing more and more the order of the day as we
approach nearer and nearer the sharp test of
our Introductory fall elections. The repub-
licans, looking to their general successes of
the last eight years, and confident in the
popular strength of Grant and Colfax, seem to
entertain high hopes of glorious victory.
The democrats, looking at the results of the
elections of last October and November in
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York on the
negro question, and of this years elections in
Connecticut, Oregon and Kentucky, and full Of
the idea of a coming groundswell on the money
revolution in November which will give the
victory to Seymour and Blair. Nor can it yet
be said that in this idea they are building upon
delusive foundation. The late Oregon and
Kentucky elections were mainly controlled by
the general issues of this Presidential contest,
and the results clearly indicate the continuance
of the political reaction which marked the
great State elections of last year.
Assuming, however, that the result in neither
Oregon nor Kentucky fairly indicates the gen
eral drift of public sentiment north of the Ohio
river and Mason and Dixon's line, or east of
the Rocky Mountains since the nomination of
Seymour and Blair, we shall certainly have
some pretty distinct foreshadowings of the
grand summing up in November from the re-
suits of the coming September elections in
Vermont and Maine, and especially in Maine.
These are two of the strongest republican
States, and so one sided and fixed in her pO-
litical character is Vermont that her election,
September l, will probably go by default. At
all events, the democrats seem to be making
there no extraordinary efforts to increase their
vote or to reduce the republican majority.
Comparatively, therefore, but little interest is
felt in regard to Vermont; but the case is
widely different in reference to Maine. That
State has for many years been regarded as the
State which opens the ball of the Presidential
election, and as giving the first distinct and
definite foreshadowing of the Presidential vic
tory. Hence we find both parties in Maine
working as vigorously for the vantage ground
as they worked for it in the initial election of
1868 of New Hampshire on the primary ques
ton of the popularity Of General Grant.
What, then, is the prospect in Maine? In
the figures of her State election of 1867, as
compared with that of 1866, the democrats have
some encouragement for vigorous fight. Here
are the figures:-
Republcan vote. 9,o2t 51,6io
Democratic vote. ...............4l,93 9 46,035
Republican majority. ........27,6 11,6l4
Here we have republican ma jority of over
twenty seven thousand reduced to less than
twelve thousand in single year, involving a
loss in the republican vote Of some twelve
thousand and a positive gain in the democratic
of over four thousand. The republican loss
may be mainly sbtributed to general apathy
but the democratic gain no doubt includes
considerable accessions from the republican
side. The Maine election will come off Sep
TENDER IA, and to some extent, great or small
it will be affected by the result in Vermont,
whatever that may be; but more directly and
powerfully Maine will be controlled by the
issues pending between Grant and Seymour.
II, therefore, in this coming Maine election the
democrats substantially hold the ground which
they gained last year, we may assume that the
same general causes which reversed the posi-
ton of the two parties in Ohio and Pcnnsyl-
vania last year will still prevail Our readers
will remember that, with the receipt Of the
vote of Maine of 1866 on the constitutional
amendment. article fourteen, the HERALD pre-
dicted q complete sweep Of the country by the
republicans on that platform in the elections
of that year still to come, and they will re-
member how thoroughly that prediction was
fulfilled. So with the republican loss and
democratic gain in Maine last year our pre-
dictions of a general reaction were borne out
in the great Central States.
From the time of General jackson. indeed,
Maine-'the Star in the East has been re-
rarded in the Presidential year as afIordng in
her State election pretty fair index of the
Presidential general result Many old cam
paigners will remember the Harrison campaign
song Of 1910, which included this ringing
though somewhat proiane stanza:-
on have you heard the news from Maine
And what Old Maine can doS
She went he'll bent, for Governor Kent.
And Tippecanoe and Tyler too,
And Tippccanoe and Tyler too.
And with them we Will beat little Van
And ever since that day ''the news from
Maine, in the Presidential year, has been
watched and waited for with the deepest in
terest by all parties Three weeks intervene
| 10. that clnctinn and already the CANVASS in