The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-11-23
The Anomalies Of the Campaign.
t'roun the Baltimore sun

trou the baltimore sun.
AS the rcturns Of the Presidential
election come in, majoritics are disclos-
cd for the successful Presidential c:,udi-
date which are almost unparalleled. In
the election Of 1916 Harrison carried all
the twenty-siX States of the Union eX-
ccpt Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, lis
souri,, New Hampshire and Virginia,
which adhered to Van Burcn, aud the
popular majority of Harrison, on less
than two and Il half millions aggregate
vote, was 100000. Every one laughed
when the veteran editor of the Rich
m"nd Enquirer, Thomas Ritclc, came
out, in the heat of that terrific over
throw of the Democracy, speaking in
undisniaycd and hopeful terms of the
future, and exnltingly declaring that
Virginia had been saved, and was can
asp in the roses of the Victor,' :ts he
phrasCu it. Vet such is the instability
of politics that, ut the next Presidential
election, James X. Polk, the Demo-
cratic candidate for the Presidency.
beat the greatest of American states
men, Henry Clay. In the present clcc-
tion the Democracy have not even the
consolation that upheld Mr.. Ritchc and
inspired him to hope of the future.
From Maine to Mexico, and from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, there seems to
be, with few exceptions, an almost un-
broken current Of Republican triunnpl,s.
The only consolation for the defeated is
that which II Georgia negro suggested
to his master, whose plantation had
been swept over by u tornado. The
negro was sent out to ascertain the eX-
tent of damages to the estate, and. after
including the surrounding farms in his
observations, he summed up his con-
clusions by saying: "Mustcr, there's
only one ronSolatiOn--it' = Il yiUriWf
thing.'
While the almost universal failure in
the Presidential election may bc ac-
counted for in part by the disatlcction
Ola considerable number of the Dcmoc-
racy to the support of !, Liberal Repub-
lican candidate, and especially one who
had been AS prominent in his antugo-
nisn to the Democratic party :,s Mr..
Greeley, it is not easy to sec the reason
abicncss or consistency of their discrcd-
itable apathy in the congressional ca,,-
VasS, where men of their own party
were in the field, mon whose Dcmocr;,-
cy was un1uestioned, and some OF
whom had already served in Congress,
and had proved themselves faithful
and efficient, commanding the respect
OF men of both parties.
EhOS" Conservatives who were not
satisfied with the Liberal nonin:.,ion
for President might at least have given
their aid to good men for Congress, ,.S-
pecially in view of the fact, which cx-
pericncc has proved, that tho country
is in more danger from an unscrlpulous
minority in Congress than from an as
pirin&s and ambitious INccutivc. There
was no reason that faithful represtnta-
tiVes should be sacrificed, and through
that sacrifice the interests Of the people
at large endangered because of disailct.-
tion to the nomination of Mr.. Greeley
for the Presidency. Yet, all over the
country, as well as in Maryland and in
our ncighboring State of Virginia, the
most important branch Of the Federal
Government has been given over in
undue strength through tho crimina |
apathy which has followed the nomi-
nation Of an unacceptable candidate
(unacceptablc To the delinquency for
the Presidency.
1T is to be hoped that the heavy Re-
publican najOritics in Congress will not
be SO infatuated by their success :,s to
use their power in Il way whiel win
make the country, rs wcti rs those
whose apathy has contributed to such 4
Onr-sidcI victory, view the ronSr,Iurn-
ccs of political Indifference and neglect
of duty.