St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-08-18
The Duty of Vermont Republicans.

In the State Of Vermont. which ha.
been Republican 10y Il decisive majority
ever since the organization of the Re
publican party. the principal danger in
the pending campai %n is that the voter,
will estimate their political duties toe
lightly. resting content in the assurance
that the State is SuIc ANY way. and il
can make little difference :iS to the size
of The vote. Not even the New York
World arithmetic man. We believe. has
amy hopes of Vermont. and no Demo
cratic politician is Sanguinc enough tu
suppose that the election can even he
made reasonably close With the re-
suit ot the election thus conceded he.
forchand. on all sides. the Vermont Re
puhllcan> may easily suffer themselves
/ Ia fall INTO an apathctic condition, and
to make the canvass dull and Spiritlcss.
80 f:ir from this. they ought To consider
that il is not enough To carry the state
hy the accustomed majority. to elect
their state ticket and to put the usual
large Republican majority into the
Legislature. The effect ot the election
Will he felt this year far beyond the
limits of the state. As the election oc-
ours on the first Tuesday in September
II will exert an influence on the elec-
tl"nS which follow in other states. and
great deal of significance will attach
to the size of the Republican majority
as Indicative either of apathy or enthu-
sla>m with regard to national ISSUES.
The Vermont Republicans. therefore.
should remember that they are not
lighting Il merely local contest. the re
suit of which is discounted in advance.
but that their votes will tell in a graver
cages the nation at large
The point which we have in view
may he easily illustrated bv comparing
Vermont with New l!ampshirr New
Hampshire is aS uncertain a state, r,politi-
callN. a. Vermont i> sure and cunSe-
qucntly both parties make IA strenuous
effort (" get out Il full vote. The pop-
ulati"n of Vermont according to the
census of 1870. is ;sW. .55l. that of New
Hampshire is Bis. 300: assuming that
the proportion of voters is the same in
each. the vote of Vermont. if il were
once fully got to I" the polls. should ht.
larger than that of New Hampshire.
But what do we find , At the last
guh"rEatorlal election in New IIamp-
shire. III $50. the aggregate vote was
9.lSI : while ut the last gulmrnatorial
election in Vermont in I-74. the agrre-
gate vote WAS only Ii. .S:sI. In other
words. New Hampshire. Il state of small
CT population than Vermont pullrd
twice aS many votes. Very nearly the
same proportion Is observable. in other
recent elections in the two states, thus
Vermont in lS12 cast ~. .5H votes, and
III 1870 l5.l2 while New HAMPSHIRE
III lS1l cast 7l.S!c5. in ls73 10 SIS. and
lS12 6S .5!G. These figures show that
at the last presidential election Yer
mont WAS 81 far aroused lis to poll from
l3.Wm To ll.Om more votes than at the
election before or after: but even then
her vote was ten thousand less than that
thrown hy her next neighhor. New
Hampshire.
These facts ought to engage the at
tenti"n of Vermont Republicans. The
canvass now in progress and which has
opened very tavorably. ought to be
prosecuted III an aggressive manner.
and the campaign should he sharp and
decisive. Regard should he had to ma
tional as well as state issues, and the
Vermont Republicans are fortunate in
having uneNceptional nominees on their
state ticket. and they are Thoroughly in
sympathy with the issues involved
in the election of Hayes and Wheeler.
We shall expect them therefore not
merely t" give their old fashioned ma
J"rlty for the Republican ticket. but to
take measures for bringing out every vote
possible. and So pile up an aggregate 81
large and so hearty as to rive STRENGTH
and encouragement to the Republicans
of other state who have more difficult
task betoret hem. BostOn Journal.