Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-12-10
The Elections OF 1879.


ELECTIONS for State officers in which
party lines have been drawn and each
party has had ticket in the field have
taken place during the year in twenty one
of the thirty.scven States of the Union,
viz. California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kan.
sas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massa.
chusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missis.
sippi, Nebraska, New York, New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Penn
sylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and
! Wisconsin. This list does not include
those States which have voted simply for
/ constitutional conventions and for dele
| gates thereto, as other questions than those
| OF party politics entered into and con-
| trolled those elections to q greater or less
extent But the twenty.one States we
have mentioned cast 223 out of tho 800
votes of the ELECTORAL College, SO that the
result in them is of great Importance in
its bearing upon the Presidential contest
next year Let us now, at the close of the
years political business, look over the
books and strike general balance.
The spring elections were of "mixcd"
character. New Hampshire gave a Re.
| publican plurality OF 1872, whereas in 1874
she had given Democratic plurality Of
lao; and Michigan increased the Re.
publican majority of 1869 which she had
given in the gubernatorial election in No.
vcmber to %, 400 in the election in April
for Judge Of the Supreme Court. But, on
the other hand, the Democrats of Con
necticut increased their plurality from
6,7S2 in 1874 10 9,49t in 1876; and a split
in Rhode Island divided the Republican
vote almost exactly in two, and prevented
any election by the people. The vote cast
for the two Republican candidates in that
State was, however, the largest ever pOlled
by that party, and both of them had
decided majority over the Democratic
nominee.
The single election In the summer
that of Kentucky, in August-showed
quite a Republican gain on the election of
1874, but left the State, as before, hope.
lcssly Democratic.
The September elections, in California
and Maine, both resulted very discour-
agingly for the Republicans California,
which ut the last general election In the
State had given 1892 majority for Grant
over Greeley, now elected Democratic
Governor by clear majority Of ass and
plurality over the Republican candidate
Of 3O,2S1, while Maine gave Republican
majority OF only 3,752, the smallest since
the war.
But the turn of the tide came in the Oc-
tober elections. In Ohio the gallant and
sturdy fight which the Republicans made
resulted I'm q splendid victory, and the
Democratic majority of II 202 in 1874
was transformed into a Republican ma
jorty of 5,540 in 1875. Nebraska in.
creased her Republican majority from
12,403 last year to 16, 1876 this; Iowa,
which last year gave 2S, POP majority this
year gives 81, ,725,
The glorious beginning of October was
well followed up by the work of Novem.
ber. In Massachusetts the people turned
out William CASTOR, Democrat, who had
been elected Governor in 1874 by 7,032
majority, and put in Alexander III. Rice
Republican, by j,001 plurality. In New
York the Democratic majority has been
reduced from 50,8l5 last year to about
1900 this. In New Jersey only mem.
bers OF the Legislature were chosen, and
the returns do not give any figures as to
the majority in the State, but Democratic
majority OF II on joint ballot in the Legis-
laturc has been transformed to Republi-
can majority of Is, and we are within
bounds in estimating the popular Repub.
lican majority this year at 5000. Penn.
sylvania was Democratic last year by
4,676; it is Republican this year by ma
iority of about 10, 600 Maryland is Dem.
ocratic still, but by reduced majority.
Wisconsin gave Democratic majority at
her last State election of 15,411; this year
it elects Republican Governor by about
1000 majority. Minnesota holds her Re.
publican majority of 0,SS5 last year at
about 10000 this year. Mississippi is the
only State electiug in November in
which there were Democratic gains, and
in that State, as is well known, systematic
intimidation was rcsortcd TO to keep the
negroes from voting. In Virginia and
Kansas only members of the Legislature
were voted for, and we have no definite
returns from either as 10 the popular vote.
Both States, doubtless, remain as last
year, the first overwhelmingly Democratic,
and the last overwhelmingly Republican.
In the following table we recapitulate
the facts stated above, giving the majority
in each State in 1915 and 1874, and show
ing the net gains of the respective parties
We omit Virginia and Kansas for the rea
son stated above; Oregon because it is vet
somewhat doubtful in what way the Con-
gressional election of this year has result
ed and Mississippi and California because
they held no elections in 1874, and we
have no data for comparison without going
back to the Presidential election of 1872.
We have in each case taken the head OF
the ticket for the compilation of MAORI.
ties: