The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-08
THE STATE ELECTION.

! Our late election Is beginning to clear up
to make itself fully understood. There was
| something confusing at first in the figures
| that rolled in on election night. The immense
| majorities, the unanimous Democratic vote
given by the parishes of North Louisiana,
were confusing almost ncomprehensible; it
was scarcely possible to fully understand the
| greatness Of our triumph But now enough
| returns arc at hand to enable us to compre
hend our victory. to count just what We have
! gained.
Louisiana was represented In the last Con
gress by five Democrats and one Republican.
| Two at least Of the Democratic districts, the
| Third and Fourth, were close. This year,
our entire delegation will be Democratic,
with oil Of these Congressman elected by in
| creased majorities. Both of our city repre-
sentatives have, at least 5000 ma aiority, the
| Third District shows an absolute Democratic
| majority of 1000 and q plurality OF 5000. But
| the Fou1th and Fifth Districts are those of
which Louisiana can indeed be proud. Never
has such a political revolution been known
The Red River country is nearly unanimously
Democratic, while the Fifth District lately
Republican, will show q Democratic majority
Of at least 1000, q gain Of nearly 5000.
The most important point, however, in the
fight Is the Legislature. How has the de-
mand for q reform and honest Legislature
been answered? Seventeen Senators hold
over. Ten Of these are Democrats and seven
Republicans. There are only four districts In
which tho Republicans have any possibility
of success. and In two of these, the Ninth and
Tenth, 1t will be the fault Of the Democrats
il Republican Is elected. The Republicans
cannot under any circumstances have more
than eleven, and may have only nine Senators
in the next State Senate. A twO-thirfls Dom
ocratic majority In the Senate is therefore
assured. In the House this two thirds majority
is even more certain OF sixty four Repre-
sentatives whose election is known, fifty-five
are Democrats and only nine Republicans
The combined Republican, Natonal strength
In the House can, under no circumstances.
amount to over twenty, leaving the Demo
Gratis majority of tifty-three. or over three
fourths of the whole House.
The vote on the amendments will undoubt~
edly be found confusing. Whole parishes
have declined to vote Oh them at oil, and at
least half the voters Of the State havo failed
to express their views on these amendments
inteIlgently.
When the late Returning Board attempted
! to canvass tho vote on the amendments sub
mitted to the people in 1876, they were utterly
Confounded; it was impossible to SEQ what the
people meant. or how they intended to vote
The board finally declared that it was impos-
siblo to count the vote on the amendments
| and tho vote was never counted Or promul-
gated. While there is no reason to doubt
that the amendments are defeated this year
by large ma jority, the vote thereon will
clearly show the absurdity Of submitting q
score Of constitutional amendments to the
people in the midst of an exciting election
There seems to be no reason to doubt that
New Orleans Is selected for State capital
Tho country parishes have cast light and
| very divided vote on this question. East
FeliCiana and MOrehouse are for Baton
Rouge, West Feliciana for New Orleans, Web
eter divided. 1t is quite probable that the
country vote on the capital question will be
about even, perhaps, slightly in favor Of
Baton Rouge. New Orleans thirty thousand
votes will far moro than offset this
The substantial results of this victory are
moro than satisfactory. Tho Republican
party has been formally disorganlzed and dis
banded. North of Red river it cannot poll q
thousand votes, and it exists to-day only in q
few parishes Of Southern Louisiana, and there
generally under q disguised name There is
no possibility of any reorganization of this
party of plumber in this State; it is gone and
gone forover-bulied under q Democratic ma
iority Of at least GO 900.