The Portland daily press., 1877-11-09
The Elections,

The moral of the November elections is
not obvious. Indeed the story fully meets
the requirements of large class of critics,
for it is conspicuously without moral. 1t
has another element which will commend it
to the class mentioned, the element of sur
prise. There was general opinion that the
Democracy would win great successes, that
the Republicans were so seriously divided
they could not hope to hold even their own
many went so far as to say that the organiza-
tion was on the point of dissolution, and
that the elections would surely destroy it.
How false these guesses were the figures of
Tuesday show. There was if anything less
than the usual apathy of an of-year. The
party showed great vitality, and, considering
the divisions In Its ranks, made good fight.
1t would seem that the differences Of opin-
ion from the effect of which 50 much evil
was feared, are fading away, and the pros
pect is that ere long the party will find itself
reunited and pursuing an active and aggress-
i've policy. That there is need for that pol
Icy the Southern elections show. There the
negro vote has entirely vanished. Hereafter
it may be dismissed from political calcula-
tions. The white man, the ex-rebel, is in
reality the only man who has the right of
suffrage in the reconstructed" states. The
South is solid beyond the shadow of a doubt.
10 meet and oppose it in its struggle for su-
premacy there must be solid North.
The elections of Tuesday give evidence
that the Republicans at last see the great and
impending danger, and that our only hope
is in solid North. ALI differences of opinion
were for the time dropped. and administra-
tion and anti-administration men Joined to
fight the common enemy. The endorsements
or the condemnations of the ''policy" did not
affect the result as noticeably as was expected.
The minority seem to have heartily acquesced
in the decision of the majority and to have
gone to work with as good will as though
their views had prevailed. The wisdom of
this course is apparent. No loyal Republican
should permit his dislike of measures and ten
dencies within the party to lead him to sulk
in his tent on the day of battle.
Though the Democrats have gained Penn
sylvania and hold by diminished majorities
the states they carried last Fall, they have
won no substantial advantages. Massachu-
sets, upon which they reckoned SO conf
IDENTIFY, has refused to have anything to do
with them. The majority in that state is,
under the circumstances, unexpectedly large.
From the moment Attorney General Devens
wrote his letter explaining away the Presi-
dents order to the office-holders a new ener-
gy was infused into the campaign, and the
result was no longer doubtful. The loss of
Pennsylvania has been foreseen by every one
since the time of the labor troubles. The
party in power put down the riots and the
rioters have now taken their revenge. The
about the English mission
was another element of discord. In New
Jersey and Minnesota the Republicans have
held their own. In New York, Wisconsin
and Connecticut they have made great gains.
The result in Connecticut is gratifying be-
cause it gives assurance that that state will
choose Republican in 1878 to succeed in the
Senate the Democratic mule-trader, Barnum.
The outcome in New York is triumph. In
a state which was overwhelmingly Democrat
ic last Fall, the Republicans have secured
both branches of the Legislature. This
means Republican Senator in 1879, for the
Senate now elected holds over to that year,
and the Legislature has charge of next years
appointment of members of the Assembly. So
the net results of the November elections
may be set down as the gain of one United
States Senator. This is not wonderful
victory though in consideration of the close
division of the Senate it is important--but it
is better than defeat.