The Portland daily press., 1875-11-09

superficial point of view it seemed scarcely pos
sible that any combination could be formed of
sufficient cohesiveness and strength to over
come the compact host of 10000 voters which
the Democracy numbered one year ago. Their
organization was perfect, and their discipline
rigid. The right of private judgment was not
merely denied to the disciples of Tammany;
not man among them ventured to claim it.
"Theirs not to reason why
Theirs not to make reply
The General Committee, the County and Dis
trict Conventions, the delegates charged with
selecting candidates for Office of every grade re-
ceved their instructions from a commander.in-
chief, and obeyed them without whisper of
dissent. The submission to this authority was
quite as absolute on the part of the Captains and
Lieutenants as among the rank and file. Men
OF Influence and standing were every whit as
docile as the humblest followers of the cause
Successful opposition to phalanx thus
united and obsequioas appeared to be such
forlorn hope that it was with great difficulty
that eligible candidates could be induced to in
cur the hazards of a contest. Nominations for
lucrative judgeships were rendered to, and de
clined by, three or four gentlemen who thought
shCiO w 40 Nv pOsoUlitJ WustlcNCi VI tucI ot-
curing an election. Fortunately ticket was
finally made up, in all respects unexceptiorable
in many excellent. From the time it was placed
in the field the coalition grew stronger hour
by hour, and during the last week of the cam
paign doubt gave way to hope, and hope to con
fdence, SO that on the morning of the eventful
day, there were a great many who believed
victory attainable, though few had any ,oncep-
tiOn that it would be crowned by such sweeping
majorites for the county nominees, and by the
choice of so large number of anti-TammaDy
Senators Representatives and local officers.
OF the nine judicial officers elected by the
whole city, feur are Republicans and five anti
Tammany Democrats. -gs--nw
Of the nine civil justices elected by Districts.
two are Tammany. four ant-Tammany Dem
ocrats and three Republicans. 1,gso4
OF the five State Senators, two are Republi
cans, two anti-Tammany and one Tammany
Democrats. s ao-g ny - +
Of the twenty-one members of the State As
sembly, ten are Republicans. seven Tammany
and four anti-Tamma any Democrats. -
Of the twenty-five Aldermen, Tamnany gets
fourteen, the anti-Tammanyites one, and the
AaOPuDAS0ho OhiS oCNCus II ehC OppOSitiOu hdo
known its strength these figures might have
been reversed with ease. The Republicans failed
to make nominations of two Aldermen at
large and for three in Districts in which they
discovered on count that they had majority
Of votes. This shows how little they reckoned
upon the revolution which has occurred
The same rema-k is applicable to the canvass
in the state. If the Republicans had been con
scious of the impending overturn in the coun-
ties lying south of Albany, they could have in
creased their vote in their strengholds in the
interior sufficiently to have elected the whole
state ticket handsomely. Starting with an ad-
ting perhaps the adventitious popularity &C
quired by Gov. Tlden's administration, in con
sequence of his having followed the example set
him by the leading Republicans of the state,
and attacked the fraudulent canal contractors,
they looked upon Democratic triumph as a
foregone conclusion. In order to comprehend
the encouragement under which the Republic
cans in the rural districts labor ii is necessary
to take geographical view of the situation.
There are ffty-nine counties in the state. OF
these New York and Kings-ths city and
Brooklyn-can be counted on for an average
Democratic majority of forty thousand. with
decided tendency upwards. 1t takes vigorous
effort on the part of the Republicans to keep it
within those limits. There are ten others this
side of the capitalnear enough to the metropolis
to inhale its unwholesome political atmosphere,
and they are equally certain of five thousand
more of the same sort. The honest, hard work.
ing farmers and artisans in the country, many
of these have q long journey to take and los
of valuable time to incur in order to reach the
polling booths 1t makes great difference
with them whether there is reasonable pros
pect of accomplishing any thing by putting
aside their work and responding to the call OF
duty. Where the chances look dubious as they
did last Tuesday it is fair to presume that
enough of them staid at home, to give the
Democracy the small majority by which their
state officers have been chosen. A comparison
of the present with past returns will make the
presumption mathematical fact. The Repub-
licans of New York outnumber their oppo-
nents when they all vote.
The only thing that makes this result a mat
ter of regret is that our state will 60 into the
table of the Presidential calculators as so much
capital stock for a Democratic candidate. One
journal has already elected the next chief
Magistrate from that party by a majority of
seven electoral ballots. This is rather close
work and all the moro so because the computa-
tion includes New Hampshire in the Demo-
cratic columns, an assumption doubtless dicta-
ted by the necessity Of making the footings suit
the emergency rather than by confidence in the
accuracy of the predictions.
1t is just as we'll that the Democrats should
divide the responsibilities of the direction Of
state affairs with the Republicans. The Legs-
lature being Republican in both branches, NO
harm can be done, and the Governor can count
with certainty on the hearty cooperation of his
political opponents in the Senate and Assem-
bly, in every effort he may make to punish past
and prevent future, depredations upon the
treasury.
The change wrought in oar local government
by the subjugation Of Tammany is generally
accepted as a harbinger of benefit to the peo-
pie. If it threatened a substitution of the
anti-Tammany Democrats for the leaders who
now control that organization, there would in
deed be small ground for Fluctuations. As be-
tween the two factions, the superiority of the
latter morally, socially and politically is incon-
ceivably great This statement by no means
implies that either possesses any decided claim
upon public confidence. boz
The defeat of Tammany is attributed in no
small measure to the very sensible action taken
by the Democratic heads of departments in
reference to the employment of laborers. The
question arising whether two dollars day
should be paid for eight hours work or for ten
they disposed of in businesslike way by
agreeing to pay twenty cents per hour. Such
proceeding on the part of any private employer
at a time when there was q far greater demand
for, than supply of, places, would have been
considered judicous and proper. But the anti
Tammany Democrats saw and seized the oppor-
tunity to turn this action to practical account
by espousing the cause of the injured working
man and proclaiming their hostility to any in
crease of their hours of toll or any diminuton of
their wages. Itwas of course very transparent
piece of demagogism. but it evidently served
their purpose. Unlu ,kily the Tammany mep
have shown that they were not above similar
arts, for as soon as the election was over they
disavowed the labor tariff which their asso.