New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-11
Why Indiana was Lost

ice-Prestdent Colfax gives, in a letter to
| the Independent, a lucid exposition OF the
| canvass IL Indiana, its results, and the
| cause of them, from which We extract the
| following:
Though confessedly q reverse, the official
| vote proves, beyond question, that on a full
poll Indiana would be more decidedly Re
| publican than in October. 1868, instead OF
I showing an apparent Democratic gain Of
$500. as il does. The Democratic candidate
for Secretary of State is elected by 25OS ma
| iority, which also happens 10 be about the
average Democratic majority, on the State
| ticket: their maiorities ranging from 1867
on State Auditor and l994on Superintendent
OF Pablo instruction, to an average OF 3lU
on Supreme Judges. The vote east in Octo-
Der, 1865. for Governor Baker ~tRepublican)
was I1l.575: for ex-senator Hendricks. his
opponent. I70.6li. The vote cast in Octo-
Der, 1870, for Hoffman Republican candidate
for Secretary of STATED was l51 .50l: for
Eddy fDemucrat), leo, coo. The unpolled
Republican vote was, therefore, fully H.
, 900. ard the iupolled Democratic vote over
1905.
II IS estimated that about 6G10 were added
10 our number of voters by the fifteenth
amendment. SO that the stay-at-homes can
fairly be counted at 20,GQ9 Republican and
10,0p Demoeratic-about the usual proper
ton Of the two parties IN al uneNciting
canvass. which fails to draw ont the full vote
usually poiled in a Presidential campaign.
| hazard nothing, therefore, il claiming that
a full vote, if it had been cast. would have
| shown the State far more decidedly Repub-
licau thar in October. 1868.
Nor was this all. Not only was it, as so
often in what politicians call the o~f-year, "a
year Of comparative political apathy, but 1t
was also q positive year OF political disatiec-
-. i Il --f, t.,r % r-4ft ~ ~ ,A+
voting tickets at all. This disatfection was
not confined to one party. but was felt by
both in many counties, more largely affect
inE Republicans. however, than Democrats
in the aggregate. In Il large number of
counties independent tickets were i'll the
field against the regular nominations OF The
party in political ascrndancy: and where
this was not the case, the scratching OF reg
ular tickets Nas unprecedented. One OF Our
editors remarks:
Every county seems to have caught the
contagion, and the infection was wide
=, spread, extending into every township in
l The State. II is to be hoped that all the
I scratching necessary has been done that
viii be ieduil.d for years 10 come. 1t
| spread Ike wildtire, and men who had never
before voted anything but the straight
! ticket hesitated not a moment 70 erase the
names OF from one to five OF the cand!4ateS'
Thus, in Allen county. which gave Hen
bricks 2700 and Seymour 1000 majority in
1868. an Independent ticket was ELECTED
nearly entire, including a Republican as
one OF It's Representatives in the. Legislature;
the only county, however, III the State
which gave us q Representative by vote
splitting. In Madison county 800 Demo-
cratic in 1861 and Cass 400 Democratic in
1868! nearly all the county officers elected
were Republicans. But the Republican
l cnlJntJaa which in a similar U3v elected
! Democratic officers were tar more nU-
merOus,
The e~tay-athomes, rs the figures have
given prove, caused the Democratic triumph
on State officers. But IN Legislature was
lost by those who were at the polls; that is,
Republican candidates for the Senate and
the House were beaten by the votes of Re
publicans themselves. Tie Senate was
saved to the Republicans, but the House
was carried by the Democrats, giving that
party Il majority OF six on joint ballot. 1
have alluded to the gain Of one member in
Il Democratic county; but the Republicans
lost the following, where they polled q Pc
publican majority on the STATE tie',et at
this very election: In Howard ard Carroll.
a Democratic Senator vas el' cted, though
the district gave 567 Reput ,,ic9n majority:
III Jefferson, another Dr. mocrafie Senator,
the county giving 30 r,ennhIican majority.
We lose also Rep escrtat:yes IN Spencer,
Ohio, and swit7. GRAND, Jennings, Noble,
Iippecance, '~lntingdon, and Joint Repre-
sentative y Marshall and st J0seph-seren
ktpreser ltatives in all-where the Repub
hGau state ticket has a majority. This loss
Of nine members for eight, deducting one
> Republican gain in Allen county, carried
the Legislature for the Democracy by Re
publican votes. And in the only Congress
district where by Republican disattectio'
j Congressman was lost, the Republican
State ticket has u majority OF lis.
Such is It plain showing ot th" result II
this State, over which the democracy have
been so exultant. With votes enough, il
polled. 30 have achieved n brilliant I.epub
iican triumph, We have lost, by majorities o
less than threc-fourths OF one per cent OF
the total poll, State officers, Il Supreme
Bench, and a Legislature. And. with vote:
at the polls sufficient 10 have saved th'
Legislature. Republican Tote-splittinG gave
it's power into the hands o. their enemies
And, abovcall things else, | would say tina
: the Republican who sees to it that every on,
Of his political friends in his school distric
is brought 20 the polls, will have performed
the highest duty to his principles, ant
aided the most effectively il achieving thei