Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-11-08
laiIu ssrnntbet Journal
AU q u ~ IA,
Thursday Morning, November g, 1877.
The Elections.

The returns at hand, tnou2u hol GUN
plete, indicate that the republicans carried
the cleo ions in Massachusetts. Mime
sofa. Wisconsin, Kansas and Nebraska,
while the democrats carried Mary land,
Mississippi. New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Virginia. In Connecti-
cut where the election was only for State
senators. representatives and county sher-
ifs, the republicans nave apparently made
gains in the popular vote and increased
their strength in the legislature.
A general view of the field after the bat
tie reveals nothing at which democrats
can with reason rejoice or republicans be
respondent. Taking all things into ac-
count the republican party has come
through the contest remarkably well. One
State which it carried last year, Pennsyl-
vania, has been captured by the democrats
this year, but their success is only temper
ary and the State will return to the hands OF
the republicans at the first election in
which party lines are squarely drawn be-
tween republican and democratic princi-
pies. The result in Massachusetts is also
a republican setback, though Gov. Rice is
reelected by plurality. But the repub-
licans have made gains in New York on
the popular vote, and important gains in
the Assembly. The look in the Southern
States where elections were held, indicat-
ing a solid South for the democracy, is in
accordance with the anticipations of a
great majority of republicans since the
southern policy Of the administration was
announced. They are therefore not dis
appointed at the result in the South,
though the President and the supporters
of his policy may be.
The result in Massachusetts, where the
Presidents policy was endorsed in the
broadest terms by the Stale convention, and
upheld by nearly all the republican press
OF the State, is one in which the friends of
the policy will find nothing to boast
over, as a comparison of the returns this
year with those of the last year will show
The vote for Governor in 1876 was as fol-
lows:
Rice, (republcan) 1877 ,665
Adams (democraD, 106,S50
Baker, (prohibitionis) 12.274
Total vote 256,7S9
Rice's plurality over Adams, 3O,815
Rice's majority over all. 1891
Tho vofa of tho alaction Last Tuesday
was as appears by the returns received
as follows
Rice (republican) $500.
CASTOR DEMOCRACY 1850.
Pltman (prohibitionisD 1925.
Phillips Oabor reform) 1852.
Total vote l8O,O26.
Rice's plurality over Custom l6,949.
Majority against Rice 2,42o.
1t will be seen by the above figures
that the vote of the State is less than that
Of last year by 1868. Rice's vote fell
off from his vote last year 1896; CASTOR
fell below that of Adams $4,000. Rice
has plurality over the democratic candi-
date this year of but l6, $40 against plu-
rslity last year of 30,8l5; and Rice's ma
jority of 1854 10 1876 is entirely wiped
out, and he is in minority of 2,42S.
These are the simple unvarnished facts,
In regard to the Massachusetts election.
The democrats have nothing to crow over
In the result. Neither have those who
most unwisely precipitated the policy is
sue into the State campaign. More than
one-third of the republican voters refused
to 90 to the polls or voted the prohibition
or labor reform ticket, and this after the
civil service order had been let down by
Secretary Devens, and such an effort had
been made to bring out the republican
voters as never was before seen in Mas
sachusetts in an off-year. The unwis-
dom of Juggling the policy into the cam
pagn to distract the republicans is glar-
ingly apparent now that the election is
over.
We have not full returns from New
York, but such as we have indicate that
republican gains have followed the course
pursued by the republicans of that State
In thrusting the policy out Of their State
convention and platform. New York re-
publicans took stand exactly opposite
to the course of their brethren in Massa-
chusetts, and they gained while the latter
have lost.
When the Presidents policy towards the
South was initiated, the policy organs pre-
dicted as one of its results that it would
divide the democratic party in the southern
States and strengthen the republican par.
ty in the North In the light of the cleo
ton returns of last Tuesday we see that
it has entirely Frustrated the republican
party in the South and given the demo-
Gratis almost undisputed sway in that sec
ton, while in the North it has dis
tracted the republican party. In
Maryland, Virginia and Mississippi
there was no opposition to the democrat
ic ticket. while in Massachusetts the re-
publicans were contending among them
so1vae