Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1877-01-06
The Seven Controlling States.

The seven States that stand in an
unbroken line between Narragan-
set Bay on the east and the Missis-
sippi river on the west, have long
been the controlling power of the
country. We refer to Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylva-
mia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
These States contain nearly half the
population of the Union. In the
value of their real and personal
property; in their commerce, trade,
and manufactures; in their educa-
tional advantages by means of CON-
mon schools, seminaries of learning,
and newspapers; and in the applica-
ton of the arts and sciences to the
practical business of life, they rise
far superior to any other seven States
that lie in cluster or stretch along
in an unbroken line.
It is both interesting and instruc-
tive, therefore, to trace the recent
course of these seven States in re-
gard to political issues that have
agitated the country. During the
war for the suppression of the re-
bellion every one of then stood I'M
flinchingly by the Union cause from
the firing of the Sumeter gun till the
adoption of the Thirteenth Amend
ment. They poured their wealth
into the National Treasury in un-
stinted, and the blood of their sons
stained the soil of every battlefield
during the contest. With the sin
gle exception of New Jersey they
gave large majorities to Mr. Lincoln
in 1864; and that State cast small
majority for Gen. Mcclellan, a SOL
der of the Union army.
We now come to the verdicts rem
dered by those States in the three
latest Presidential contests. We
shall find that a comparison of the
two first with the last is full of sig
nifcance. We advise the Republi-
cans who are trying to count in a
President by fraud, and are threat
ening to inaugurate him by force, to
study the lesson taught by these
verdicts.
In the campaign of 1868 New York
and New Jersey gave Seymour ma
jorities that aggregated Il, $50, while
the other five States cast majorities
for Grant whose total was 134, O03,
thus giving Grant a clear majority
of 12l ,123 in the seven States.
The result in 1872, when the Dem
ocrats were placed in the awkward
position of supporting Horace Gree
ley was still more disasterous to that
party. Each of the seven States
went for Grant by heavy majority,
the aggregate whereof was 1927 ,124.
We are now prepared to contem-
plate, in the light of the past, the
campaign of the present year. Con-
necticut, New York, New Jersey,
and Indiana gave Tilden an aggre-
gate majority of So, 662, while Penn
sylvania, Ohio, and Illinois gave
Hayes a total majority OF 81 ,516,
leaving o balance to Tilden of 49,
LAG as his majority in the seven
States. Thus in these States the
loss to the Republicans from 1868
till now is 1877 ,269; and from 1872
till now it is 343, 27O.
We see the drift of the tide in
these seven powerful States. whose
nineteen millions of people hold in
their hands the destinies of the
Union. Does any Republican mag
inc that they are going to sit down
and see President iplaced in the
White House by stolen votes and
the bayonets Of the army, without
uttering a protest which, at the
very next election, will ripen into
q terrible retribution?