The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-26
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS,
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPICs-CoMPILBD EVERY
DAT FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
The October Campaign.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana have
united their voices with those OF Vermont aud
Maine, in pronouncng the condemnation OF
the Democratic party. The struggle was
more evenly matched than in the far NORTH
ern States, and the maiorities are not so over
whelmiDg. But they are large enough Iney
make the general result in November absO-
lutely certain. Not only so, but they secure
10 the Rennblican candidates a clear majority
of all the electoral votes, without counting the
vote OF reconstructed State in their favor. The
whole number of electoral votes, If all the
States were restored, would be ST. Only 294
will, however, be cast, General Grant is secure
of 152 votes from the States which were never
claimed for the Southern Confedsracy, with
out counting New York in his favor. He is
also morally certain to carry Missouri and
West Virginia which will give him 16S votes
of indisputable validity. In addition to these
he will receive the votes OF several recon-
struoted States, and is quite as likely as any
body else to carry New York and California,
in which case Mr.. Sey mour will receive less
than fifty electoral votes. In any event, he
cannot possibly get more than ninety.
Although this result has been long foreseen
by those who have studied the subject with
impartiality, ana the hgures are exactly the
same as those which we gave last June, yet
the facts are so remarkable as to excite some
wonder in minds which have from the first
anticipated them. The Republican party will
next November, have carried three successive
Presidential elections by steadily increasing
popular majorities. 1t will have carried
majority of the Northern States for its Presi-
dental candidates four times in succession.
It will have had a popular majority in the
North at every annual election for eleven
years, with only one exception.
Such continuous series of victories is
marvellous thing. Public opinion undergoes
even more rapid changes now than in former
days. Indeed, the doctrines of the Republican
party have changed greatly in some respects.
Yet amid all these changes, and with the
heavy disadvantage of an enormous foreign
immigration constantly making votes against
Rand this is a fact not sufficiently considered
the party has maintained hold upon the
confidence of the people which is without any
parallel in the last forty years.
The principal cause OF this popular stead
5astness may be found in the extraordinary
obtuseness and wickedness of the Democratic
party-qualities of which it has made even
more than its usual display this year. Its
obtuseness was illustrated by the nomination
of Seymour-its wickedness and obtuseness
both by that of Blair: the former proving that
1t could not get out of its old rut, even to save
Its life; and the latter showing that the only
new allies that were welcome to its camp
were those who came with more ferocity
Of spirit than was possessed even by the
old line soldiers. Having thus opened the
campaign by. throwing away all chance
of success in fair fight, the party
managers undertook to maintain their
reputation for wiekedness, as we'll as to re-
cover their lost ground, by an organized and
widespread system of fraud. In Pennsylvania
they manufactured citizens by the thousand,
nnder pretended forms of law, but really in
open disregard of the law; and fearing lest
these should not suffice, they forged unknown
numbers of naturalization certificates. In
Indiana, where the law affords most unwise
facilities for suoh operations, they coIonlzed
voters from Kentucky in numbers which
suficed to carry two Congressional districts,
and very nearly carried the State.
No one seems able to devise the means Of
Furnishing or fully preventing these monstrous
frauds. The public conscience is not awake
TO their true character, and respectable
men do not treat political forger as they do
the forger of note. Unfortunately, all par
lies are more or less guilty in this respect.
The Republicans chea ed badly in Indiana in
1864, exousing themselves on the ground that
Sheir opponents were engaged in reasonable
conspiraoies. The Democrats, of course, have
an excuse equally satisfactory to themselves.
But, beyond all question, they do the most
cheating, and their preponderance of sin
brings its punishment in the loss OF nearly
enough votes among honorable men to make
mp for all that they gain by fraud. Moreover,
men who uniformly cheat their political oppo-
nents are absolutely sure to cheat among
themselves; and the notoriety of the Demo-
cratic party for the fraudulent character Of its
Internal management has much to do with its
present depressed condition.
How depressed that condition is we have
all been made aware by the extraordinary
proposition of a change in the candidates Of
The party. This suggestion, although not
adopted, has received degree of attention
that would never have been given to it If the
party had not despaired of success. The Re-
publican majority in Pennsylvania is not very
large, while that in Indiana is extremely
small yet no sensible Democrat dreams OF
overcoming either in November. The De-
mocracy has obviously lost all hope of further
gains; il has exhausted its utmost strength
and no longer dreams of victory outside Of
New York and New Jersey. OF course, no
change can now be made either in the ticket or
the platform. Rhetorically, it is well to praise
"audacity," but when one-third of an army
secretly longs for an excuse to desert, a
change of flag or leader in the face of the
enemy is a fatal experiment. The Democratic
managers want to keep their party together
for another struggle, although in this they
foresee inevitable defeat
The Republicans lose seven members of
Congress, and these losses, added to those
which are certain to be sustained in November,
particularly in the Southern States, make it
probable that the party will not have quite
two-thirds OF the next House OF Representa-
tives. While regrettiDg tha loss of some
faithful members we are not diss~tisfisd with
the general result. The majority in Congress
has been too large for its own good. 1t ha'
had the power Of suspending the rules ant
shutting off debate, whenever it was disposed
and ii has exercised this power far TOO Offer
for the welfare OF the country and of the party