The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-08-21
TIE WORK TO BE DONE

There is only a little over two months
remaining in which the great Presidential
contest Of 1872 is to be fought and won.
As the duty of holding in check, if not of
re soutely meeting and overcoming the
opposition forces in This State, devolves
upon the Republican party as now organ
lied in Virginia, it is well for the leaders of
the party to look prudentlY over the field,
ascertain the real work to be done, deter
mine on the most eitectual way to do it,
an then like true men 60 to work and do
Il. This work is not so colossal one as
wholly TO discourage brave and resolute
men. We have been in many harder
and more discouragng fight than this pro-
misses 10 be, from the present survey of the
field, and the attitude of the parties in it,
The ardor with which the Greeley Lead
ers opened their skirmish along the lines
has not been responded to by the people
who must do the fighting to carry the day
against us in November. There is no en-
thusiam among them for the Cincinnati
nominee. lie is accepted reluctantly as
leader. Ills name produces no popular
outburst in his favor. Distrust, doubt,
felr, apprehension and partial dismay
show themselves everywhere in advance of
the fight. "What shall we win if we re-
pulse the enemy ?" is the anxious inquiry
of nine men in ten outside of the party lead
ers-those who alone are confident that,
with the election of Mr.. Greeley, something
may turn up to their advantage iii the end.
But this confidence is by no means general
among the leaders, nor does it amount to
anything like glow of generous enthusi-
assn in the breast Of any one. The ele-
ments Of the "wct blanket" are manifest
everywhere, and the feeling gathers
strength daily that prodigious mistake
was made at Baltimore.
This is really the condition of the cam
pagn as at present conducted in this State.
The strongest exhibition of popular enthu-
siasm showed itself on the eve Of the Balti-
more Convention, and even that wasted it,
self in the State Convention held in the
Theatre the next day. We doubt if any
demonstration of equal extent and enthu-
sasm VIII be again witnessed here in the
ranks of the Greeleyized Democracy.
With the first round of blank cartridges
tier principal ammunition was expended,
AMI ii has been impossible to work up
anything ike an explosive ingredient in the
campaign since. So distastelul has the
whole thing been to the popular heart OF
the South that the EaQttrer has ceased to
regard it in any other light than that of a
ssacrilice" which Virginia is called upon
to make, and in which she will mount the
altar with unfaltcring step and bare her
bosom to the knife without murmur."
This looks more like funeral than fight
more like hurrying up the chief mourn
ers than the bristlpg artillery to sweep OPP
posing lines.
The Enquire is also anxious to ascertain
the relative strength of the two political
parties in The State before it pushes its coll
umns much farther to the front. We will
try to aid it little while furnishing the in
formation needed on all sides. The vote
between Wells and Walker in 1860 is con-
ceded 10 be no fair criterion of the absolute
strength Of the two political parties as they
now stand arrayed against each other, OF
even as they then stood. Walker was run
as a Republican, the Conservatives think
ing that they were swallowing him, when
the fact was that he swallowed them at the
time, and has kept them so effectualIy
swallowed since that they have been
turned over in a body TO the support Of
Horace Greeley and the lifelong platform
upon which he has stood. The snake has
disappeared in the toad, TO reverse one Of
the flcile cartoons of Mast, and very
ugly looking toad it is in this stage Of tho
campaign. .ss
The registration Of 1869 showed the
whole number Of voters in the State to be