New-York tribune., 1876-09-30
THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
ou1o REPUBLICANS AROUSED,

POINTS IN THE CANVASS THAT MAKE THE
vvop,yM DIFFICULT TO CONGRATULATIONS
CONFIDENT.
,vnou STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF rHn fRIBUHEl
cn1NNArI Ohio, Sept. 27.-The Republicans
b.ye had big scare in this State but they have got
over II now and feel pretty confident OF elecung
tbsir whole state ticket by fair majority fort
.;gbt AGO when was In Columbus the canvass APP
.aorad 70 be moving satisfactorily, although
xerv onietly. The Central Committee was dong
aasl Of roBtine work In the way OF cores
ondence and the distribution of documents, and had
sr.,,0al for rather more than the usual number OF
,.ast;ncs. There was more lethargy among the Re
ruhlean masses than usual In Presid entail year,
IN. the party leaders believed that the Democrats
were lust as much affected, and thought that In
week or two things would warm up. few days
laterso they tell me here, for have since been In
Indaua-a panic seized the Republicans at
The capital and throughout the State. III
was discovered that the Democratic Com
,nittae were working like beavers on the "still-
huuts game and concentrating all effort to beat the
head of the ticket Col Milton Barnes, the nominee
for Secretary of State. IL came out toe, that Col
Thomuson. the Democratic Chairman, was very
confident that no had him beaten already by the
inAnences he had set at work among the
Germans to draw of the lager-beer vote
ON account of Barnes's former prohibition
sentiments. The news of the coming Democratic
victory in Hayes's own State had gone abroad
to leading Democrats throughout the country,
and as it was too good to keep secret they could
not helm chuekling over it rather publicly. About
the time the Republicans here woke up to the dan
ger they began 10 get dispatches from the East ask
ing what the new confidence Of the Democrats
meant "What is the matter in OhiOP "Are you
IN danger Of losing the StateF "What is this we
hear of a probable Democratic victory 2" were the
sort of questions that came in by telegraph from
Republican leaders in other States wh0 Maine
and Vermont showed Che drift of the campaign, had
looked upon Ohio as just as certain as sunrise
election day.
Fortunately the game of the Democrats was dis
covered in time 1t was an exceedingly shrewd one,
and worthy Of the genius of the able tactcian who
runs their party machine. If they could succeed in
defeating COL Barnes they would gain all the moral
effect of victory, no matter by Whist majOrites the
kwo other candidates on the Republican ticket
might be elected, and no matter how many Con-
sressmen tho Republicans might gain, and a victory
IN October in Hayes's State would give such boost
10 Tldens canvass in New-York to make his cleo
ton possible. What was to be done to recover the
ground already lost and counteract the further effects
Of this piece of strategy, question that answered
itself as soon as asked The answer was, Put on
more steamD Nobody believed that defeat was pos
Gble if the Republican masses were thoroughly
aroused II was excess of confidence that had done
she mischief. While the Republicans of Indiana
were making the Iiveliest fight witnessed in this
generation, our friends here had been depending
Gov. Hayes's popularity and ON the heavy maiori-
ties Of former Presidential years to carry them
through without much effort. "Put on more steam,'
then was the advice that came to the Central Com
mittee from all quarters. Well, the thrvttle-valye
was opened as wide possible. Blaine, Inger-
soil Schurz and a sS-e of other hrst-rate speakers
came into the State. The efforts of local committee
men and working pO itieians were quckened and re-
doubled. A prompt response came from the people.
The meetings, which had been small affairs, held In
halls, for the most part, suddenly became immense
outdoor gatherings rivaling the grand demonstra-
lions taking place every day all oyer Indiana. And
now. with their blood up and their old fighting
spirit aroused the Republicans would seem to be
out Of the woods. They think they are, and feel
sangulne Of success. Their weeks scare has done
them deal Of good 1t has taught them that bat
ties like the one they are row engaged in are not TO
bO won by the prestige of ormervictores alone nor
by the home popularity of Presidential candidate
There are uncertain elements in the contest here
which should spur the Republicans to as great
espture stronghold of the enemy, instead Of only
holding ground that belongs to them by the title of
many victories The result2Of last years election
furnishes no Trustworthy data upon which to base
calculations No one can tell how many hard. money
Democrats then voted fer Hayes who are now for
niden, OF how many s0ft-money Republicans sup
ported Allen and have since returned to their
eld allegiance Nor is it possible TO as
certain what the effect Of the school question
Il certainly gained the Republicans some votes that
they cannot control this year, but how many can
not even be guessed Then there was the Geghan
BILL which unquestionably drove some Protestant
Germans away from the DemOcrats-men who read
only the papers In their own language, and imag-
he'd that the contest at home between Bismarck
and the UltramOntanes was IN danger OF ex-
tending to this country. There is another
and a greater question. What is the effect
spon The public mind of the menacing
lttitude Of the solid Southf Are tho people awake
70 the threat to the perpetuty Of the results of the
war involved in the political confederacy of all
tbe old slave Statesf Win the result be to rehabili
tals the Republican party, to bring back the
ihOughtful and independent men who went off to
Liberalism and antl-Grantism, and also the fantas-
de theorists the broken-down spectators, and the
embarrassed business men, who were seized with
the soft-money lunacy last yearf These are quess
tons which only the count Of ballots week from
1Hesday viii answer. Meanwhile it behooyes the
Republicans to take nothing for granted, to run no
hsks ana to strain every nerve, as if they believed
hat victory were only to be gained by prodigious
sxertiOns.
There are different opinions among Republican
party leaders here as to the effect on the German
vote of the attacks on Col. Barnes. good many
Germans in Cleveland went OF for "Tilden and Re
iormD under the lead Of Der HGokter an Erie news
psper and az Jacob Mueller former Republican