The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-23
The Next Presidential Contest.

The Next PRESIDENTIAL Contest.
The latest elections give the R&
pubIicans promise of majority af
the electoral votes. If three tickets
should be in the field. and the diyi-
sion of parties should be such as it
has been in the elections Of this year,
the Republicans would have d deci-
ded plurality and would choose elec-l
tors in twenty States, casting 2l3
electoral votes. 1t must be remeln.
bered that in Ohio, although tile
Democrats secured majority of the
Congressman by an infamous gerry
mander, the Republicans eleesed
their State ticket, and, hid President
tial electors been chosen, would haYe
secured all the electoral votes Of q 4
state. InIndiana- and Oregon oAs 81
the Democrats could have chosen Is
electors; in California, though a
Democratic robbery of the people
has made the delegation in Congress
equally divided, the Republicans had
6,793 majority for their Congression-
al candidates, and may confidently
expect in September next to elect
three members, with only Sj6 major
lty to overcome in the remaining
district. For twenty two years CAL
ilornia has never given Democratic
majority at a Presidential election,
and it is, moreover, a very radical
hard money State. With three par
ties in the field, then, the Republi-
cans may safely count upon Califor-
MIA and every other Western State
except Oregon and Indiana-in all,
100 electoral votes. On the basis of
the latest elections, they may count
upon every electoral vote from New
England, New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, 113 in all. There
remain for the Democrats the solid
South with I3S votes, and Indiana
and Oregon with Is votes, or 1856 in
all.
But let the currency question pass
out Of the way, and the Greenback
element return to the parties from
whence it came, and what would
happen ? The solid South would then
become the overshadowing issue of
the canYaSS. 1t would be answered
by a solid North, for even Oregon in
that phase of National politics, would
probably side with the Republicans,
as it has done in every Presidentie!
election save one, and Indiana did
not talter in its Republicanism for
twenty years, until the currency
question caused disaster. A solid
North, with 231 electoral votes, will
never be SO broken as to be beaten so
long as the South remains solid. AT.
ter 1880, that division of the parties
remaining, the Republicans will be
prepared to resume control of the
Senate by retiring MesSrs. Eaton, of
Connecticut, Mcdonald, of Indiana,
Randolph, of New Jersey, Herman,
of New York, Thurman, of Ohio,
and Wallace, cf Pennsylvania, whose
terms expire in 1881, and to enlarge
their electoral vote by new appor.
tiOnment to accord with the loss of
population at the South and the
enormous increase at the North and
West. Moreover, it will then be
considered whether States in which
free elections are not held, and the
Of the United States is
Systematically diSregarded and de-
fed, are entitled to cast electoral
votes or elect Congressman at all. If
we are to have forced upon us the
unWelcome issue which a solid South
inevitably raises, patient and en-
during North will not be found
wanting when it is settled.
Confronted with sure defeat if
they keep the currency question
alive, and three parties in the field,
and with no less sure defeat if they
drop it and fall back upon a solid
South for the controlling issue of the
next canvass, what will the Demo-
cratic party do? The Cincinnati En-
QUiJer says, in effect, that the Demo-
cratic party must virtually merge it.
self into the Greenback party in the
hope Of winning additional votes in
the West and South. This crawling
under matches to surprise foe is no
new device. But there will be a
great many politicians at the West
which will take this view, and nat
urally ; it is decidedly the easiest for
them. People who have grown to
be great statesmen by hOWling about
the currency and the banks are not
the men to abandon those issues if
they can help it. Another faction,
on the other hand, already welcome
the patriotic advice of THE London
Times, which kindly nominateS Mr..
Bayard for President of the United
StatpS Wa Gusnont that tba nn,no