The New York herald., 1876-10-11
The Elections Yesterday Ina Ohio and
Indisna-A Drawn Battle.

democratic by a majority somewhat less than
that of 1874. the date of the last election.
There has been no very marked political
change in either State, the republicans having
gained no more in Ohio than might have
been expected from the fact that one of its
citizens is the republican candidate for the
Presidency, and the dem ocrats have lost no
more in Indiana than can be accounted for
by the fact that its last election, with which
the present vote is compared, was held In
the year of the famous 'tidal wave" and
that in all elections held since 1874 the
democratic majorities have fallen of except
in the Southern States. There is nothing in
the returns to encourage either party to
hope that it will walk over the course in the
direct contest for the Presidency.
1t seems clear enough that the Presidential
election was not decided yesterday and that
there lies before Us during the ensuing
month strenuous and impassioned contest
Mere hair-breadth majorities in close States
like Ohio and Indiana decide nothing as to
the drift Of public sentiment Both parties
have substantially held their own, and there
is nothing in the returns which should
very much elate or discourage either
In estimating the results we must
consider the expectations Of both parties
when they put their respective tickets in
the field. The republicans expected to
carry Ohio, and supposed that the nomina-
tion of Hayes would insure them large ma
jority. They have done no better than they
expected at the outset of their canvass, nor
quite as well, although they have carried the
State, which was already theirs by last
years election, and has been, for the
most part, q strong republican State for
the last twenty-one years Within that
long period the democrats have succeeded in
Ohio but three times. Allen was elected in
1878 by slender plurality Of only 817, with
temperance ticket in the field which polled
1927 votes, drawn almost entirely from the
republican ranks. In 1874 which was On
exceptional year-the year Of the so-called
tidal wave-the democrats had plurality of
17,202 on very light vote, and aided
by temperance ticket, which polled
nearly 5000 votes. Considering that
Ohio has been, in the main, steadily
repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the
fact that the republicans have carried it
by moderate majority now gives them no
great reason for exultation. 1t was repub-
lican State last year; it is the home of their
Presidential candidate; it has been saved
only by gigantic efforts during the last two
or three weeks Of the canvass. Such vic
tory does not show powerful drift Of public
sentiment in favor of the republican party.
On the other hand, the loss of Ohio
by the democrats does not disappoint
any calculations made by them in the
beginning of the campaign. The nomination
of Tilden was deliberate surrender of
ocratic candidate was SO unpopular in that
State. The greenback supporters of Gov
ernor Allen, forming large majority Of the
democratic party in Ohio, detested the very
name of Tilden. The unanimity with which
they have come into line, and the vig-
orous campaign they have made in be-
half Of an unpopular candidate, is a
marvellous demonstration Of the power Of
party pride and discipline. The most
sanguine democrat would not have pre-
dicted that his party would make SO good
fight in Ohio with such a Presidential candi-
date as Tilden.
AS to Indiana, the democrats organized
their canvass with an expectation that they
could carry it, but the nomination Of
Hendricks proved that they were not
very sAnguine. The only excuse for
this hybrid ticket was a belief that
Tilden could not carry Indiana with
out soft money man of great local popu-'
larity in that State to balance the ticket.
Mr.. Tilden's nomination was almost as
repulsive to the greenback democrats of
Indiana rs to their brethren in Ohio, and so
the st. Louis Convention, fearing the effect
of the October elections, tried to save Indi-
ana by nominating Hendricks. This was
confession that consistent Tilden ticket
would lose the State.
Yesterdays elections will have no effect
one way or the other on the vote of the
Southern States, which will be solid or
nearly solid for the democratic ticket, as it
would have been in any event. There is
nothing in the results yesterday to reduce
the Southern democracy to despair, and
even if Ohio and Indiana had both gone
republican by large majorties it would
have made but little difference in the
South. The republican organs and orators
have had great deal to Say about
..solid South" which is An implied
concession that they expect nothing from
that part of the country. Assuming,
then, ''solid" support of Mr.. Tilden in the
South, his prospects are by no means rem
dered desperate by the returns of the Octo-
Der elections. In addition to the "solid
South" he needs only the three States of
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to