The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-10-18
The Attitude Of Democrats in the
Present Contest.

Present Contest.
The Democratic and Liberal leaders are
trying very hard 70 make 8 show Of ener.
gy and courage in the Presidential fight;
but 1t is only the last effort OIL desperation.
The fight for them Is a hopeless one aud
they know it Everybody else sees it,
too. The October elections were 50 de.
cisively against them that there can be no
recovery by November; but the result
then must be still more decisively in the
same direction. The Democratic papers
before the October elections declared that
on them hung the fate Of the Presidential
contest They recognized the fact that
not only would the vote in October show
how the States then voting would go in
November, but that the moral effect Of the
October vote would give direction and
momentum 10 all the doubtful and waver.
ing elements throughout the country and
immensely swell the triumph in Novem.
Der Of the party that won in October.
The October battle was fought and they
lost it Pennsylvania was the turning
point oil the field, and they lost Pennsylva.
mia BY odds so much greater than any.
body expected as 70 make the defeat ire.
tEieyable. By their own admissions be-
tore the fight the November contest ia
decided against them in advance; and the
only motive that can inspire them now 70
continue show Of fight is a vague hope,
not unlike that which cheered the luck.
less MIcAwBER, that something-they
have no idea what-msy turn up in their
favor between now and November.
But while the leaders make q show Of
desperate energy, 1t is apparent they are
not seconded by the mass Of their party.
There is lethargy in the lower ranks
that nothing now can overcome 1t was
this that constituted the fatal weakness in
October. This Is confessed by the Tn.
bHne and other influential Liberal and
Democratic papers. 1t is confessed in
the address Of the National. Democratic
Committee copied in yesterdays Register.
There were Liberal votes enough, they
say, 70 have secured victory ii the Dem
Ocrsts hsd only turned out and polled
their full strength. But they did not, and
hence these tears" And just here is the
fatal weakness Of the whole GRRE1ET
movement: that while Ar. GREELEY
brought some Republican recruits TO the
party these accessions were more than
Offset BY Democrats who abandoned the
organization in disgust No doubt in
each Of the three States, Ohio, Pennsyl.
TAniA and Indiana, q considerable vote
heretofore Republican was cast for the
Democratic peterborough perhaps 10
have given those States 70 the Demo
Gratis il the Democrats themselves had
unanimously stuck 70 their ticket
But in the nature Of things they could
not do this; and they did not Large
numbers OF them voted the Republican
ticket, and still greater numbers did not
vote Al all. In Philadelphia, while there
was registration OF 10000, the vote
polled was only about 10000. Who
were these $1,000 absentees! Certainly
not many Of them were Republicans, for
while some Republicans might refuse to
vote for Governor because their candidate
was Objectionable to them, they had no
such reason FOR refusing to vote on Con.
gressmen at large or on the rest Of the
ticket Certainly the Republican vote
was very fullypolled. Itwas Democratic
a6senteeiSm, added to Democratic votes
cast for the Republican ticket, that pro.
duccd the surprising result in Philadel.
phia and in Pennsylvania. The district
across the river is a fair example of the
way the thing worked in Ohio It was the
votes or the absence Of democrats that gave
Belmont county completely 10 the Repub.
licaDs and sTelled DASFoRD's msjority
so largely in the district. Does anybody
suppose these demoralized and Disguised
Democrats will pursue different course
in November The philosophy of party
attachments is against it. When man
once breaks with his party, he never goes
back to it Especially will Democrats
have no motive to do so in November.
II such things occur in the green Leaf,
how will it be in the dry! II Democrats
cut loose IN this way from old associa.
tons in October, when there was chance
Of success BY remaining, what will they
do in November when that chance is
confessedly lost? The fact begins to ap.
pear, in the results Of the recent elections,
that the nomination Of GREELEY aud the
acceptance OF the Cincinnati platform has
destroyed the Democratic organization.
Recognizing that action as an abandon.
meut Of all the old party tenets and ira.
ditions, Democrats are feeling themselves
released from old party tiesi and many Of
them are making up their minds that
Il they must take Republican or Repub-
llcan platform, they prefer the article
pure and uuadulterated. The appeals OF
leaders have therefore lost their ancient
magic. The rank and file no longer re.
spond when appeals are made TO the
memories and the glories Of the old
Democratic party; because the party as an
organization Is dead and the Baltimore