The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-09-15
What it Means.

The Democratic leaders,. if they possess
the sagacity with which we are willing to
credit them, do not regard the result of the
election as an indication that the people gen.
orally look with favor Upon that organiza-
tion. With here and there an exception,
they well know that the vote of Monday was
given by men who have always held alle-
glance to the Democratic party, even if it has
at times been more or less slack. The Demo-
cratic leaders brought out their forces on
Monday as in p iaential year. They
were enabled to do this by so thorough an
organization in every school dis trict that
every voter Of the Democratic persuasion or
leaning was personally labored with and in
terested. No system of political machinery
can equal this, since by it every man is en-
rolled and sworn to do duty. missionary
work' as means of securing vote is much
more effective than public meetings or gen.
eral appeals. As soon as the Gen. Roberts was
nominated special committee,set about this
work of close organization, and it has been
pressed. In those years When the Republi-
cans have received their largest majorities,
they have succeeded largely through an
efficient personal canvass.
On the other hand. beyond few public
speeches, no effort was made to get out a
full vote. The extreme quietness with
which the Democratic leaders pushed their
canvass did not arouse the suspicious of the
Republicans. There was little talk about po-
litical matters and from that fact many con-
cluded that the rank aud file of the Democ-
racy had no thought of battle array or ''ser-
rYing in solid columns"
Although the Republican vote is very large,
there are several things which operated against
the Republicans and made it difficult to
bring out the largest vote of the party with
out the incitement of national contest, In
the larger towns the enforcement of the
liquor law has been a source of irritation to
large number of Republicans. We are
aware that it is different in the smaller towns,
but in the cities the effect can only be stated
in the loss of scores of voters. Another
cause of apathy and dissatisfaction is the con-
tinued hard times. The workshops are doing
limited business; wages have been reduced
and hundreds find little to do. 1t is quite
natural to attribute this to the party in power
even when it is known that the present busi-
ness stagnation cannot be charged to any po-
litical party since the same lethargy extends
to every civilized nation at the present time.
More than all other causes this last has
contributed to the reduction of the Republi-
can vote. To day financial crash in New
York, a local panic. or even the general de-
struction of the crops would give the fall
elections to the Democracy wherever they oc-
cur. Then there is certain amount of fric-
tion in the machinery of party which has
been in power twenty years. Many become
dissatisfied and Indifferent and in times of
comparative quiet show their dissatisfaction
or indifference by not going TO vote. ALI
these causes operated against the Republi-
cans on Monday.
More than this; thousands in the smaller
towns not appreciating the desperate effort
which the Democracy were making did not
go to the polls. They excused themselves on
the ground that the vote of each one of them
could have little effect upon the general re-
suit, the majority in the state had been so
large in the past.
We cannot discover in the result of the
election any indications Of ''tidal wave" or
any thing denoting that the rank and file of
the Republican party is joining the Democ-
racy. Aparty without principle, intent only
to secure power for what power confers, no
rational man thinks of looking to it as the
party of the future. A few men soured by
the neglect of the Republican party join the
ranks of the Democracy, but they do so in
order to retrieve their political fortunes. II
the party is true to its traditions, if it takes
advanced grounds upon live issues, if its SER
wants will but labor to bring economy and
efficiency to every department of the govern
ment, it will still retain its supremacy. If
we heed the lessons of Monday, we may
"pluck the flower OF safety from the nettle of
danger"