New-York tribune., 1877-09-19
THE OHIO ELECTION.
APATHY OF THE VOTERS.

marty or the other. All is involved in fog IL Is
hard TO estimate the weight OF negative forces ana
here negative force is like to be the determining
;pauepce-I mean the force of general apathy. Inc
ole cannot be aroused 10 an active interest in the
contest. They are tired of party strife, and insist
on taking rest this year. and all the efforts OF pol
iticians fail TO convince them that there are any
great questions at issue. The pohticai committees
are at work in the old way, and meetings are being
held in every county, but the report from both sides
is that the attendance at these gatherings small
and the enthusiasm almost inapprecable. Rarely Is
an outdoor meeting attempted. Usually only the
large towns and cities chosen for the appo'u'
ments and the speeches are delivered at evening -
a hall If the speaker be well known tne nan 's
filled but the audience behaves much as IL wouiu a
a literary lecture The tone OF the ADDRESS Is
usually quiet and argumentatve. touching upon re-
srmpton the labor question: the silver question and
the State registry law. few OF the Democratlc
orators are bowling about the electoral count but
tbcv rarely succeed in getting much response. A
dissemination not to get mad about politics TINS
fall and not TO spend any money or waste any time
is the prevailing popular impulse, and 1t repuses all
appeals to the passions and all attempts 10 drag up
dead issues Thus the speeches best received are
those which discuss practical present questions in
calm and reasonable way. On the Republican sue'
Gen. Garfield draws the largest crowds and IS most
in demand-sO the Central Committee men say
Judge West is well-recelved and makes good
impression. Tie people of Ohio know hlm weil' Ior
he has been on the stump more or less Tor twenty
wears beginning with the first organization OF the
Rcpuhlican party Considering his blindness and
physical weakness he is making a remarkable
cenvass and if he holds out until election he Will
furnish new example of a strong mind compelling
weak body to exertions of which 1t seems
incapable In only one place has Judge west
failed to gam votes by his speeches-that was
in Toledo where, in his zeal to turn the current OF
the Labor party into a Republican element, he spoke
three hours and tired his audience out. His style Of
sDeakingis argumentatiye, but exceedingly vigorous
and although he is obliged to occupy char con-
santy. be makes free use of gestures and holds the
close attention of his hearers. Besides Garfield and
West the best-lnown names toe Republican list
of appo,ntments are Senator Matthews and Con-
gressmen Foster, Cox, Monroe, Lawrence and Dan
ford Ferdinand Voceer the nominee for Lieutcn-
ant-Guvcrnor, is active among the Germans, and u
said to be lrst-rate speaker. No names Of orators
from outside the State appear on the list except Gen
Geo. A. Sheridan and Col. Geo. ". Garter, of Louis
lana (rcturncd carpet-baggerS should guessl ana
W. : Vance. The Onmnc0Ps Washington cor
respondent The principal Democratic stumpers are
Gen. Tom Ewing, Gen. Geo. w Morgan, Mr.. PEN
dleton and Frank Hurd all candidates for the United
States Senate if that party gets a majority in the
Legislature; Gen. Durbn Ward, who Is making
Lapl-mOncy speeches with his accustomed dsdain
Of his party platform; and-vell the Others are
hardly worth mentioning
Hamilton County, which includes the city OF Gin
cinuat is the vital point in the contest. The party
that carries it VIII be to secure control of the
Legislature. and will, in all probability elect the
Governor But even here there no signs of an
active canvass Thus far the chances favor the Re
f,rt +ha luf has IL
ern policy and Civil Service promises, won back the
whole body of the Liberal Germans, who hold the
balance of power in the county between the two
parties. They like Hares and are gong to vote the
Republican ticket to show their liking in a public
way. In local nominations the Republicans have
the advantage over their opponents, who, as is their
stupid habit on critical oc asOns, have nominated a
number # Objectionable men. The Democrats feel
dshcartened about their prospects in Hamilton.
Mr. BishOp. instead of helping them along Ivy
the local popularity which II was supposed
he would develop, proves dead weight to carry
lie has been tardy and nlggardy about greaSlng the
wheels with contributions OF money; and has as
gust the party managers. For l0ig tlIne ne
would give nothing Now II IS sIepoTted that ne mas
has at last paid in $1,000 TO the state committee
and that PendletOn has given $1,000, Ewing
81 900, and Thurman 81 900. Last week, council
held of the local managers here, ana commit
tee of five headed by Gen. Banning and c. w.
Woollcy, was appointed to devise means TO save
Cincinnati for the Democrats Banning will not
have the valuable assistance, this year. of his friend,
Eph Holland and his gangs of repeaters, many OF
whom, with their chief, are serving the state behind
stone walls at Columbus, and his efforts do not
promise large results. | would not be understood as
saving that the Republicans are likely to carry the
city and county because they are more active than
their opponents but simply because the drift of pub
lie opinion is i'm their favor, and the intelligent Ger
mans have returned to their old party associations.
In the State at large, the bad spots for the Repub
lcans are in Lucas County, where the National
Workingmen's movement and the Post Office quarrel
may wipe out the usual majority of 1000, and in
Mahoning County, in whose iron and coal districts
the Greenback heresy seems TO have taken deeper
root than anywhere else All over the Western Re
serve the apathy among Republicans seems to be
denser than elsewhere in the State, but that is com
mon in off years. The Republican prospects IN Ohio
il should be remembered are usually at their lowest
ebb three or four weeks before election. In 1875
the State seemed iTrecOveraby lost until about
fortnight before electiOn-day. And the same state
Of affairs existed prior to the October elections OF
1876. II must be accepted hopeful sign, this
year, that the Democrats, when only three weeks
intervene before the time for voting, are fully as
much deranged as the Republicans at the want OF
interest shown III the canvass.
With two exceptions have seen less of
every political campaign in Ohio for eighteen years,
and 1 never saw one as dull as the present. The
election is likely go by default both sides, and
how it will 20 will depend upon which side defaults
the more. The reasons for this condition of things,
although not like Falstaf7s, " as plenty black
berries" are still sufficient account for it. lheY
are first, reaction from the prolonged excitement
of the Presidential canvass and the Electoral Count;
and second want Of well-defned Issues upon which
the two parties differ. 1t is the second cause that
has given importance 10 the Labor movement-a
fungus growth which could not live between the
two weTful regular parties in the clashing OF an
earnest controversy. The Eastern press chldes the