New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-12
THE INDEPENDENT VOTE.
IT'S POWER IN THIS STATE.

| NEITHER PARTY ABLE TO CONTROL YOUNG MHN's
| vOTEs--STRESGTH or THE BOURBON DEMO-
CRATs-POwER IN THE ASSEMBLY CONFERRED
BY THE INDEPENDENTS.
| TO the EdltOr Of The Tribune.
| SIR: The Democratic vote in the State OF Now.
York in 1870 was 309559; in 1874. 4l8,S9l or 1850
greater in 1874 than in 1870 The Republican vote in
1870 was $685. 436 in 1874 SssO74 S6s less than in
1870. The population Of the State has increased in
the last decade about oDe-cighth II is reasonable
| to estimate that tho four years Of the decade be-
tween 1870 and 1874 are entitled to 0ne-baf Of that
increase or one-sixteenb Now the fact that the Re-
publican vote of 1874 is 362 less than that OF 1870 and
| that tho Democratic vote Of 1874 is only 1852
| greater. proves that the natural increase OF our
yoters-thc young and conscientous-bave refraned.
| and stand alOOf aud apart from tho two hackneyed
and efete parties of she day. The year 1870 Is se-
lected because it was gubernatoral year. and bears
the same relation TO tho Presidential election of 1871
that 1874 bears to the Presidential year Of 1919.
| The above is one of the evidences. and first IN
| order Of time. that the voting population OF tbs
State are and have boon turning their back on par
ties under tho agitation and efforts of the indooend-
emit press and Independent electors. and Liberal Re-
publicans No Just comparison of the State vote Of
1871 can be instituted with thatof any year subse-
| uucnt to 1s72-the Presidential year-because tho
vote of the year which alone in mis- Presidential
series will correspond with it, the vote of 1875 has
not yet been cast.
Tho Republican State vote Of 1872 was 1881; in
1874 366O74; or 79727 less in 1874 than in 1879 Tho
Democratic State vote of 1872 392350; In 1874.
46 39l or 24O41 more in 1874 than in 1917 The year
1872 was Presidential year. and the ordinary infu-
epces in politics carry this vote always far beyond
the votes of the off years. Accordingly tho RepuD
lican vote of 1874 shows falling oil OF 197Z7; or
about one-Gfth of its vote of 1872. Under ordi-
nary circumstances, the Democratic vote should In
dictate similar results. But, the contrary instead
of falling off from its vote Of 1872, its vote OF lS's
showed 2iOil gain. To have responded to the nat
ural laws which controlled the Republican vote, tho
Democratic vote of 1874 should have been about
one-ffth less than its vote OF 1872. or 3l3,SSo;
the one-ffth Of the vote of 1872 SsSS'O being
7s47O But instead of suffering such loss, it
not only overcame but surmOunted 1t Dy
AOH gain on the vote Of 1879; or in
other words, it surmounted what. under the equal
pressure of the causes which operated to diminish
the Republican vote, should have been loss OF
70 40 votes by gaining the loss and getting Aoil
votes more. Thus the Democratic party, instead OF
losing in 1874 in the same proportion with the Re-
publican party did better than its rival by l025l1
votes Now, it was not the Liberals who contributed
this gain, for they voted with the Democrats in
1872. 1t may be said, though. that certain inde-
pendent Republicans who voted with the RepuD-
lican party in 1872 assisted the Democrats to win
the batte and it Is doubtless true. But they by
no possible estimate could have exceeded $1,000 in
number, leaving 42,511 votes to be accounted for.
Neither Liberals DOR Independent Republicans eau
account for them but Bourbon Democrats can and
do This 42,51l is the fairly estimated number OF
those BourbOns who. refusing to vote for Horace
Greeley, emerged in 1874 to vote for Democratic
straight ticket. Waving tho question 50 often
raised by sanguine Democrats OF the precise debt
of gratitude owing by Liberals under these circum-
stances to the Democratic party. it doubtless may
yet be meditated with profit. that II over 4oooo
Democratic Bourbons could betray and destroy
Horace Greeley in 1872. whether there is any GOOD
reason to suppose that. now or at any h@e herea'T
any one or more of Mr.. Greeey's disciples should
reasonably hope to meet with better fate at their
hands.
The year 1873 witnessed the election Of the Elmlra
Liberal State ticket-and 1874 the election Of Dom
ocratic State ticket cOnessedy by the votes of tho
Liberal Independent Republicans. 1t is needless to
refer to the details of these elections. Their result
proves the power in both these years OF the inde-
pendent electors of the State both tho parties
Thus it appears by reference to tho State vote OF
1870 that neither of the parties has or can hope to
GAIN strength from the natural increase of the voters
of the State and by reference to those OF 1877 1875
and 1874 that the independent electors OF the State
have at last asserted triumphal predOminanco over
both the Democratic and Republican parties. and
are in truth at the present time not only the arbters
of the destiny of these parties but the only nucleus
of coming political organized power.
/. Parties have been broken up.
g. An intervening independent body Of electors
have brought about this revolution.
8. These men are the true body of the country
and upon them will soon devove the duty Of organ
izing successfully the next Presidential campaign.
4. The independent press must shape the way.
In the following Assembly Districts the Democratic
Members of Assembly elected by majority OF
$50 or less their majorities being in some instances
as low as 80 in others high l50 but the average
being about 80: Hid District of Cattaraugus lss
District of Cayuga; lid District of Madison;
Ist District of Monroe lid District of Monroe;
XIIIth District of New-York; XVlIlth District OF
Now-York Ist District of Oneida; lid District Of
Oneida lid District Of Otsego; and counties
of Seneca and Tompkins. In the following Assem-
bly Districts the Republican members were elected
by about the same majorites. in some instances
they being as low as TO- in others high as 49, but
averaging about Sc lst of Chautauqua; lAth OK
New York; LIST of Niagara; lid of Niagara;
lid of Ontario; LIST of Wayne. and the counties OF
Cortland and Yates.
In many of the above Assembly Districts tho
Liberal Republicans voted for the Democratic men,
Der Of Assembly; in Others for the Republican menu
ber and in most of them they determined the cleo
ton of the successful candidate Now 10 or II votes
will probably measure the difference between tho
parties in the next Legislature, and here are ~
Assembly Districts, the mombers from which either
have been elected by Independent Liberal votes or
in each of which the majority was so small that
change of 70 votes would reverse tine result. Now