The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-11
sr1x11 or xHu PRnss.
Editorial Opinions OF the Leading Journals
upon Current Topios-compiIed Every
Day tor the Evening Telegraph
OUR OCTOBER STATE ELECTIONS
THE CONTEST FOR THE NEXT CON-


From the N. Y. Herald.
Our October State elections in Pennsylva.
MIA, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska come
off to-day. Embracing, as they do, the
choice of full delegation from these States
for the popular branch of the next Congress,
and considering that they will, in all proba
bility. determine the political ascendancy in
that body, and that the Democracy profess to
be sanguine of initiating in these elections
political revolution which will open their way
to the next Presidency, the results of these
preliminary skirmishes will be looked for
with a lively interest, especially by the cal
culating politicians of both parties.
In the present Congress, which expires on
the 4th of March next, there are in the Penn
sylvania House delegation of oftwenty-four men,
bers sixteen Republicans and eight Demo
GRATIS in the Ohio delegation of nineteen
members twelve Republicans and seven De-
mocrats; in the Indiana delegation of eleven
members six Republicans and five Democrats;
in the Iowa delegation of six members six
Republicans, and the one member from Ne
braska is Republican. Total from these
five States in the present House of Represen-
tatives, forty. one Republicans and twenty
Democrats. But many of these Republicans
members, on popular vote in their respective
districts, in 1868, ranging from twenty to
Thirty thousand, were elected on the small
margin of one, two, or three hundred
majority. When, therefore, it is remem-
bered that in the October elections of 1865.
which were made the test question as
to the election of General Grant or Horatio
Seymour as President in November, and
that those October results were universally
accepted as settling the question, we may
say that the Congressional prospects for the
Democrats in these elections of to-day
appear to be really encouraging, and particu-
larly in Pennsylvania. On short popular
vote the Democrats in our State elections
always poll larger proportion of their full
strength than the Republicans. The main
reason for this lies in the fact that while the
strength of the Democrats is in the cities,
towns (not townships), and villages conve-
nient to the polls, and is largely composed of
men who have plenty of time to spare for
election purposes, the strength of the Re-
publicans is among the farmers, who at this
season of the year can be brought out from
their work to the polls only by some extraor-
dinary political pressure in October, such as
that directly involving the issues of Presi-
dental contest.
From 1854, when the Republican party first
came into the field, on the platform of no
further extension of slavery, down to 1868,
they have had all the advantages of the
popular sentiment of the North on the
slavery question: the war against the Rebel
lion, the abolition of slavery, and the recon-
struction of the Rebel States, involving the
thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amend
ments of the National Constitution, abolish
ing and interdicting slavery, and establishing
equal civil and political rights, without dis
tinction of race, color, cor previous condi-
tion of servitude." But all these questions
are settled, and there is hardly Copperhead
to be found who any longer insists that the
reconstruction laws of Congress and the late
amendments made to the Constitutionare' ''un-
constitutional, revolutionary, null and void"
We find the Democrats now fighting their
battle upon the heavy taxations and expendi-
lures of the dominant party, upon the tariff
and upon the alleged extravagances, corrup-
tions and shortcomings of General Grants
administration.
In short, the general issue now between
the Democrats and Republicans is General
Grant administration. Fortunate is it, too,
for the Republicans that they have Grants
administration for their platform, identified,
as it is, with retrenchments of expenses, COR
rections of abuses, greatly increased savings
to the Treasury upon greatly reduced sche-
dulles of taxation, large payments of the ma
tional debt, general confidence in the public
credit, law and order at home, peace with all
foreign nations, and respect from all quarters
of the globe. But for such an administration,
with such an excellent record as this, the Re-
publican party, after having finished the
slavery in Kansas and consummated in the
fifteenth amendment, would naturally have
fallen to pieces, thus clearing the way for
complete reorganization of parties upon the
new issues arising from the new order of
things. The party, however, from a great
revolution completed, practically takes the
position of new party on the platform of
Grants administration.
Herein lie the continued strength and
solidity of the Republicans as national
party. They may be shaken and damaged to
some extent in these October elections, but
the results will hardly shake the established
popularity of General Grants administration,
or his chances against all corners for the
Presidential succession. TO carry the House
of Representatives for the next Congress the
Democrats are zealously striving, because ii
will be the gaining of an important branch OF
the enemys intrenchments, looking to the
great battle of 1872, and because it will be
held as a sign of the beginning of political
revolution. But these elections, half way
between one Presidential battle and another
seldom possess any great significance. We
apprehend that the issues of success upoI
which the next Presidency will be decided
overwhelming all extraneous matters, are too
firmly established in favor of General Grant,
reelection to be disturbed by an opposition
party this fall, which is still without plat
form and without a candidate as a nationa
organization.
Nor does there appear much ground TO
great Democratic expectations from thss
October elections, looking at the results O
those of September. The probabilities are
Notwithstanding, that the Democrats will gail
in to-days elections considerable mum
ber of Congressman, because of the loca
divisions and general Indifference of til