New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-05
STATE POLITICS.
THE CAMPAIGN REVIEWED.


coSGREsSMEN AMONG THE POSSIBILITIES
tvpoN . sraVP CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNEl
AIRANY Nov 4-There have been years when IL
has been easier TO forete the eve OF an import
ant election what it's result to be than II Is TO-
saw In fact. political victories or defeats are
GENERALLY anticipated by those who devote much
time and study to the drift of the campaign and
while they may be disappointed with some OF the
details OF the returus, they rarely make serious
mistakes as to the general outcome OF the Young.
This year an exceptional state of affairs exists ana
while most OF the experienced politicians whom L
have met in the interior Of the State have an opln-
ion az to how the State and the several DISTRICTS
Congressional and Assembly, are going, they ex-
press il with less than their customary confidence
and qualify il with many 'ifs (" and butts" Under
these circumstances the only safe thing Tor
political correspondent to do is to gather up some
of the most important facts that have bearing
upon the election, and to report what the party
leaders who manage the machinery Of politics e&-
pect TO accomplish. That is what l purpose doing
in this letter.
The canvass has not been exciting one In
most of the counties of Central and Western New
York this Fall. Political leaders always find 1t
more difficult to arouse the people and get them i'm
terested in contest the fruit of which IS to be So
cured in some indirect way, than when the direct
The two great prizes for which political parties
have been cOntendng in this State this year are the
United States Senatorshp and the control OF tho
State delegation in Congress-. If these were voted
for directly by the people and on general ticket
the whole State would be aroused and popular ex-
element would have been at fever heat during the
last week But when the vote that is east counts
only in the election of an Assembyman OF a single
Representative in Congress, the indirect and more
important result is in measure lost sight OF, and
local OF personal considerations come In and often
determine the votes of hundreds. The man who
takes no especial interest in the election of AS
semblyman would not hesitate to make cOnsideTa-
BILE sacrifices to cast direct vote for the candidate
of his choice for the United States Senatorship.
The absence this year. therefore, of a State ticket,
In the success of which the people feel strong in
terest explains / suspect, the absence of excite
ment, to which l have referred, over an election
which is Tea ly second in importance to none that
has occurred in recent years. The Republican
leaders in some parts of the State expect heavy
vote to be cast but the casual observer is unable to
discover any signs of it.
This has not, OH the whole, been a speaking cam
palgn. In some counties no meetings have been
held, in others only few, while i'll
not moro than half dozen counties in
Central and Western New-York has there been
what may be called q thorough canvass either by
the candidates themselves or by other speakers.
The Greenbackers have been the most industrious
I'm this respect and the Democrats the least so.
think the Republicans might proftably have held
many more public meetings than they have done,
for have never seen political campaign in this or
any other State in which thoughtful speeches upon
the living issues of the day have had such an
Immediate and marked effect upon the opinions OF
the people In former years the questions chiefly
e 20 linz
Voters have made up their minds before the cam
paign was opened and the principal object of stump
speaking has been to people by appealing to
their preudices their passions their sympathies,
and get them out to the polls Political conversions
have been rare, and elections have usually been
won by one party or the other as it has been the
more successful in getting its followers aroused.
This year campaign orators especially the Re-
publican side. have appealed more directly to the
reason of their audiences than to their passions or
prejudices and they never have found the people
Of this State anxious to listen and learn than
they have been this FAN. The questions discussed
have been comparatively new to most of the farm
ers and mechanics of the Central and Western
counties during the past year they have been fur
plshed with an abundance of reading matter on the
Creenbaek side, and there very few sections of
the State where the missionaries Of imitation have
not been. Their sOphistries, eunningly prepared
and attractVely presented, have convinced thous-
ands of honest people and puzzled many more;
Anxious to hear the other side, they have Hooked
10 meetings where the hard-mOney view of the ques
hon has been presented, and have read with an n-
kerest which campaign document rareIV inspires
the speeches and arguments that have been dis
tribufed.
The State Committee has been remarkably for
tunate in the selection of speakers this year. and it
II only 70 be wished that it might have had more Of
the Same kind IN the field. have been in several
places in which Senator COnkling had spoken few
days before. aud in every one of them he had not
only gained friends for himself, but he had given
the people something to think about and talk about
on tho financial questions OF the day, long after this
weeks election is over. It cannot be denied that
the Republicans Of this State were disappointed
that their representative in the United States Sen
ate did not put himself at the head of the honest
money men in that body in the last session Of Con-
Kress when the Silver Bill was under discussion.
but no has more than satisfied them with the
speeches ho has made during the past two or three
weeks. His reception everywhere has been most
Aatterng. In Corning he spoke to a larger assem-
blage of voters than before listened TO pOliti
pal speech in that place. In Utica, Auburn and in
Ghs city his audiences were unusually large and at
sentve and men were convinced Of the error of in
fation and won to the support of the Republican
ticket. Ge1eral GarfePs two three speeches
were the greet events of tho campaign In the sec
lions OF the State which he visited, and AIR. Bout
we'll Governor WoOdfOrd and others also performed
SaIuabIe services Greenbackism has not been able
10 stand in the face Of intelligent Republican dis
CUSTOM and IL there could have been more of il the
vote of the Nationals and soft;money Democrats
would have been much smaller than it will be now.
The lack of speakers has been partially made mp
for by the iudcious distribution of documents the
most effective Of which have been those published
by THIS TRIBUNB.
/ shall DO disappointed If the Republicans do not
elect as many members OF Congress in the interior