The Portland daily press., 1874-04-30
The StOpping Place.

Maine is the place where a test is likely to
be applied to the Democratic reaction" so
called. The successes of last fall and this
Spring have aroused in that party hopes of
conquest which the terrible reverses of 1872
seemed to have crushed forever. Though
long experience of moderate prosperity al
political low tide, followed by utter rout wneh
the great waves of popular feeling rolled IN,
has little chastened the Democratic spifit
aud made its expectation less sanGuine' YET
Democrats begin to discern DEFINITE purpose
on the mart of the voters of the country in
the almost uninterrupted sequence of Repub-
lican reyerses since the last Presidential cam
paign They begin to hope with trembling
eagerncss for the fultilment of the promise
long deferred.
But so far nothing that is really significant
has happened. Not one of the elections
since the memorable autumn of 1872 has
brought he two parties face to face. The
first real trial of strength will take place next
September and in Maine. And il is a very
happy circumstance for the Republican party
that Maine is to be the first battle ground.
Here we can meet the enemy fearlessy. In
whatever vagaries the party may have III
dulged elsewhere, we have kept to the good
old track laid down in the last national plat
form. No local measures of doubtful eXpedi-
ency or honesty have engendered moral
weakness. The Republican party OF this
State has got no stain from any Of the recent
transactions that have brought reproach on
the party. at large. Maine had no salary
grabber, no Credit Mobilier SPECTATOR, no in
fationist. No other Stale of the whole thir-
ty-seven has come out of the era of expos
ures so'spotless as this State of Maine, which
has none but Republicans in the national
legislature. No Maine Senator or Represen-
tative has dared, even if he had the inclina
ton, to defy the wishes of his constituents by
following the lead of Butler Or voting with
corruptionists. Maine furnishes ice for the
rest of the country and when schemes of
doubtful propriety are preached in Congress
little ice from Maine has often gone great
way toward chilling the incipient fraud and
nipping it in the bud.
Not that our Maine delegation is perfect
py any means. IL mas come very near max
ing one grave mistake this very session, but
as soon as public opinion at home was fully
disclosed change of plan was at once made.
Either because there is little foreign immigra-
tioa to lower the tone of the body polite or
ths people are comparatively poor and not
much divided into classes socially, the moral
atmosphere is more bracing here than else
where, and the representatives of our people
are very intrequently found guilty OF public
wrong.
Consequently there is little reason to an
prehend that the reverses which have within
the last year befallen the Republican party
elsewhere will darken the political skies of
Maine in September. 1t is difficult to see
what issue can be raised in either the Guber-
material or Congressional election, that the
party need to fear. Indeed, it is quite likely
that some ice from Maine will be the first
cooling application which the now exultant
and hopeful Democracy will receive.