The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-21
vERMONT'S CHANGE OF POLITICAL SEN
TIMENT

We gave some figures, a few days ago,
tending to show that the increase of the
democratic vote in Vermont from 1862 to
1876, did not indicate so much an increase
of democratic strength as that that strength
was again showing itself at the polls, and
we propose, this morning, TO pursue the
subject little further. We may premise,
that we do not suppose it is of much con-
sequence, whether it is an increase Of
strength, or simply bringing of it to the
front again-in either event, it will not
have much to do with deciding who is to
be the next president, and the same rate of
increase, if increase il is, would still leave
Vermont republican state during the life
of most living voter5-but it may be of in
terest to see how little Of actual change of
sentiment there has been during the past
quarter of a century.
In 1858, the last election plior to the forma-
tion of the republican party, the actual
voting population of the state was sixty
eight thousand five hundred and Of these.
only 47,4l5 voted, 20.SS9 for the wing
candidate ior governor, IS, 142 for the dem
ocratic candidate, 1921 for the free soil
candidate, the remainder lcng scattering
The democrat, it will be secn, had about
lhree-eigh;hs of the vote pollcd giving them
if the proportion held good, some Owe
twenty five thousand five hundred voter
in the safe.
The next year, 1854, was the year Ct
the formation Of the republican party.
The Missouri compromise hal been repeal
Cd, the Kansas Nebraska act had beer
passed, and Vermont was in fcrment or
the question Of the extension OF slavery
Everything cin'pired to bring out the
anti-democratic vote, more especially a.
Vermont had elected, the year before, fol
the first time in her history, democratic
governor. The total vote of the state
was A GA, of which Stephen Royce, the
candidate of the wings and free sellers
received 1896, and the democratic can
didaic 10, 0i9, "a falling Off from both candi
dates, the republicans not quite combining
the wing and tree soil strength of the year
before, and the democrat, losing some three
thousand votes. There were some sixteel
hundred scattering" votes which, tht
the most of them probably, finally drife
to the democratic party, so that the pro
portion held about the same as in 1858,
We find then in 1865 and 1856, the dem
ocratc vote decreasing, the republican vol'
decreasing in 1866, but increasing in 1886
but with nothing from which we can de
iermine whether the decrease OF the dem
ocratic vote in 1856 is owing 10 the fac
that the democrats ttaid at home or to
chan of opinion, any further than VI
may infer from the fact, that more THAI
twenly-three thousand voters did not g
near the polls.
We get some light, however, on THU
question, when we come to the election Of
1853, for then we find the democrats poll
ing 13,3SS votes out Of a poll of 43, 1870
while the republican vote was only 20, CO.
the democrats polling nearly two thou
sand votes more than in 1856, and the re-
publicans some folty-iye hundred less, ant
there being over twenty-six thousand stay
away voters, and some twonty-scven hun
bred less votes polled than IN 1856
In 1850, the entire vote was increased
some two thousand over 1853, aud tn,
democrats increased theirs nearly a thou
sand, polling IA 1923 votes out Of an ertir
poll of 1890. In 1860, too, the democrat
Increased their vote, polling 1870, the en-
tire vote being only seven hundred NOR