The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-11-08
Tho EIectIOn-Its Results, their
Causes and Significance.

luU ItCout el0Ckluu III tub SIHLo W nR
proxlmate the result and to estimate
IntelIIgently the causes that produced
It. The result 10 10 brief that over last
year the Democrats have largely in-
creased their number In the House OF
Delegates. The precise numbers can
not yet be given. Several counties are
still In doubt, and the exact Atatus Of
some OF The men reported elected 10
not clear. Concedlng, however, the
gains which the Democrats claim, II
would seem that they have increased
their number In the House Of Delegates
from IA 10 25, and In the Senate from
30. The House appears to stand about
thus-DemocrAts, %; Republicans, 81
OF the latter IL appear TO have been
elected as representatives OF the ideas
advocated since last Spring BY the In.
TRLLidRNCBR and embodied In the
Ohio county platform. In the Senate.
there appear he TO seven "llberals;"
which makes q majority In that body
also In favor OF "let up" Thus II
will be seen the liberals" hold the
balance Of power In both Houses.
The Increase In the Democratic dele.
CATION Is due to several causes. One
was the division Of opinion among Re.
puhIIcsns in regard to the best mode
OF dealing with participants In the re.
bellIon. A very large portion OF the
party we're unwilling to vote for n cons
tInuAnce OF the present policy, and
even more unwilling to endorse the
local use made Oft the party machinery
In their own and other counties; but
this machinery controlling the nomi-
nations, a great many entered q
silent protest by staying away from the
polls or an open one by voting for
some Independent Republican. In
some cases the nominees were person.
ally Objectionable. or course II was
the game ofthe Democrats to encourage
division among Republicans, as Afford
Ing themselves a better chance; and
accordingly In some counties they In
duCed the belief that independent can.
dldates running on the "let>up" would
receive their support: but just on the
eve OF the election, wherever they
thought success possible, they put up
their own candidates, brought out their
quietly organized vote aud carried the
day over the divided Republicans.
l! would be quite useless 10 discuss
the responsibility for the division In the
Republican household. The most reso.
lutte advocate OF continuing our war
measures must see now, II he could not
before, how the current ia setting. We
thought we saw 1t six months ago, and
said 30. 1.-THE Republicans had unI-
teddy taken the field on q platform
like that adopted In this county, the
Democrats could not have made re.
spectacle fight. We should have de-
moralizsd them completely and swept
the State. Every one can see that now.
Had We been united here we should
have carried this county; but here
rs In Wood county, In Mason, and In
other counties, the Republican nomi-
nees were slaughtered In the house Of
their friends. 1t Is easy TO say on the
other hand that II we had held together
on tho platform OF continued pr oscrlp.
tIon. we should have been equally sue.
cessIul; but we do not believe this true,
We do not think the "llberal move
menL" exercised SO powerful an infu-
encU vs. that would imply. Whatever
hold It did take on the popular mind
was because 1t found the public feeling
ripe for 1t. Time and circumstances
had wrought a conviction against a
longer continuance OF the present poll
cy 80 deep and widespread In our own
ranks that II that movement had not
presented Itself, this conviction would
have found expression In some other
way-most probably by such general
Indifference as would have allowed the
election to 20 by default and have Civ
en- the Democracy the opportunity to
carry quite as many counties az they
did.
But 1t Is pro6tless to speculate on
what would or would not have hap.
psned had there been no Liberal move
ment" this Fall. There had to be one,
It could neither be suppressed nor
checked. The causes for 1t had gone
before. and the effects could not but
follow. Nor can II be turned back now ;
bat 1t may be. and we trust will be,
wisely directed. More than this: Had
It been possible to go through this elec-
tlon successfully on the proscrlptiye
platform, It would have overthrown
the party next Summer. We should
have had a legislature here this winter
that would not have moved an Inch.
We should have gone Into our nomI.
mating convention extSummer with a
large element determined 10 have a
liberal platform or bolt. The majority
ofthe convention would have resisted
this; the minority would have with.
drawni and between this division and
the load OF obnoxious discrimination
we should have had 10 carry through
the campaign, the fight would have
been hopeless and the result disastrous.
All this we have been saved from by
elecItng enough liberals to insure the
adoption OF progressive policy this
winter. That our party In the Legisla.
ture and out will harmonize on that
policy before our next State Conven-
tlon we do now doubt. The result will
be a harmonious convention, good
nominations, q liberal platform, and a
Republican success next Fall.
Upon the whole, this election shows
that the Idea Of continuing political dis.
ordinations In this State, for any great
length OF tlme,against persons who aid.
ed the rebellion, has ceased 10 be tena.
BILE even within the ranks OF our own
party. 1t shows further that the days