The New York herald., 1872-10-08

community generally shall neither be at the
mercy of cliques of spectators nor the caprices
of the Treasury Department.
This Days state Elections-The Com
ccntration OF the Presidential Issue.
The Presidential issue is concentrated in
this days experimental State elections In
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The public
servants directly concerned are Congressman,
State officers and Legislative members but the
real struggle is for the popular vote of each Of
said States as between the supporters Of Grant
and Greeley on the Presidential question.
Accordingly, as heretofore, on many occasions,
including these October local elections Of 1864
and 1868, they may this day so distinctly fore
shadow the issue of the great national battle of
November as to leave no doubt upon the sub
ject On the other hand, there may be such
gains to the opposition alliance from these pre-
liminary State skirmishes as to make the gen.
eral engagement of November the most doubt
full, spirited, desperate and sharply contested
Of all our political vicissitudes for many years.
It cannot be questioned that this Presiden-
tial campaign has been conducted by the party
press on both sides with unexampled bitter
ness and personal accusations and recrimina-
tions, and that the party strikers for and
against the administration have thus in many
cases been infamed until fully prepared for
the most desperate extremities against their
adversaries. From the charges and counter
charges Of the party journals against every
candidate in the feld-charges scattered broad
cast over the land-and repeated from the
stump, stranger would infer that we have
not an honest or capable man before the peo-
pie for their suffrages. He would also con-
clude from the evidence on both sides, touch
ing the preparations Of our party managers,
drummers and strikers, that this days elec-
tions, whatever their results, will be carried
by spurious voters, false swearing importations
Of bullies bribery, perjury, repeating intimi-
dation, violence, ballot stufing and fraudulent
counting. These common charges of election
eering devices and corrupions have In this
campaign been carried to an extent that is
simply revolving, and we have no doubt that,
from the actual facts of this day. elections, it
will be demonstrated that, though our noisy
politicians may be reckless and unprincipled,
the great body of the American people are
still honest in their convictions, honest in the
matter of their own rights and the rights of
others, and competent to maintain law and
order.
We hope, from the manifestations of pop
ular intelligence and popular justice in this
days elections, that among their immediate
effects we shall have an abatement of the
personal scandals and calumnies of the
party press, and that through the interval to the
5th Of November the campaign on all sides
will be conducted more as q contest between
great bodies of intelligent and responsible
men than as a scramble Of rowdies and border
rufhans for the spoils. In this anticipation
we are glad that the crisis of these October
elections is at hand; for surely, whether the
fortunes Of Grant or Greeley are improved
from these elections, their general results
must operate to bring our noisiest and most
reckless politicians to reason.
We await the results without apprehensions
Of any serious calamity to the country, and we
expect tomorrow morning to lay before the
readers Of the HERALD the fullest returns at
tainable from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
Nebraska and South Carolina, together with
such explanations thereof and such commen-
taries thereon as an independent observer in
reference to all parties is free to give. Rain
or shine, from Philadelphia to the Illinois
border, this day we shall have, perhaps, the
decisive experiment between Grant and Gree
ley; but among the unconsidered contingent
cies which may materially affect the results
are the weather probabilities. A rainy day is
democratic weather; tair day is essential to
o full republican vote.