The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-12
The Election.

Later returns of the election of Monday
only confirm and emphasize the first news of
Republican triumph. With inefficient Or
ganization and no effort deserving the name
the Republican party has won the day over
an enemy alert, well.organized, and inspired
by the hope of great victory. That the
Democrats had large hopes of carrying the
state, that they felt sure of their ability,
through the agency of the Greenback move
ment, to defeat choice of governor by the
people, could not be doubted by any man
who witnessed the elation and confidence
with which they awaited the returns Monday
night. The result of the election gives the
strongest evidence that Maine is at heart
thoroughly Republican, for had she not been
welded to the fortunes Of the great party
whose history is the glorious history of the
naticn for twenty years, her public trusts
would have fallen into the hands of the men
who have so long and increasingly Iabored for
their possession, instead of remaining in the
hands of those who have administered them
so well, but who made scarcely an effort to
retain them. The great and spontaneous up
rising of Republican voters-exceeding in
numbers the votes of 1873 or 1874 and ex-
ceeded only in years of spirited contests
an ample vindication of the wisdom of the
State Convention in the matter of resolu-
tions.
The only genuine surprise Of the election
is the large number of votes polled by the
Greenbackers-cr as they delight to call
themselves, the currency reformers. If there
be works of supererogation for evil as accord
ing to. the theology of the old church there
are for good, the Greenback men "can point
with pride" to the novel record they have
made in this respect. Just as the Green
hackers elsewhere are beginning to feel that
their cause Is lost cause, just as their
sophisms have been overthrown by the logic OF
events. just as the country is within. grasp oil
specie payments, the Greenbackers of Maine
who could scarcely muster handful of votes
during the stress of hard times when their ar
guments had an adventitious plausibilty
which has wholly disappeared, cast three OF
four thousand votes for their gubernatorial
candidate. Really they make possible of be.
lief the old story of the Pennsylvania
Democrat who is voting for Jack
son to-day, for their platform is in
essentials the Greenback-P Pendleton plat
form of 1868, put away in the lumber
room of the past and pulled by them from
out the decaying political rubbish of decade
ago. Their action is both melancholy and
ridiculous. 1t is melancholy to think that
honest men whose endeavor is to do right
should lend themselves to a movement
which is essentially dishonest, which has
for its object the swindling of all
men who have trustingly taken govern
ment notes, interest bearing and non-interest-
bearing, on the pledge of the nation that
these notes should be paid in the precious
metals, the money of the world. 1t is anus.
ing to think that these Currency reformers''
are seriously advocating project which has
been laughed down all over the country, and
are sounding war cry as devoid of any
living interest as the "fty-four forty or fight''
of our fathers. 1t is very fortunate that they
have gone to work at a time when they can
do no harm to the business interests and the
credit of the country. The action they have
taken will be remembered as the only curious
episode of dull campaign.
Yet another result of the election is to
show the Democratic folly of nominating
disaffected Republicans to Office. This fea-
ture of the campaign will however be so
fully discussed in the Democratic jour-
mails, where its discussion properly belongs,
that we pass it by with brief mention, con-
fident that it will receive exhaustive and en-
Pertaining consideration bY them.