The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-02
The Fall Elections and the Presi-
dency.

The Fall Elections and the Presi-
dency.
In one respect the elections this fall may
have, in the end, uncommon Importance.
The House of Representatives to be chosen
next November may have to elect Presi-
dent in $780, If there should be three or
more Presidential candidates, and If neither
OF them should receive majority of all the
votes cast, the House, voting by States,
would have to select from the three highest
the person to become President OF the
United States. It will be observed that the
candidate who should have in that case the
majority of members in the majority OF
States would be chosen.
1t is sometimes said that such an event as
the election devolving on the House is ex-
tremely improbable, because while there Is
q good deal of dissatisfaction with both
parties, in the public mind, the grumblers
are scattered over all the States and will
not be anywhere powerful enough to carry
q State for their candidate If they
should nominate one. The greenback
movement, it is said, like the granger
movement in previous years, seems to be
very strong; doubtless it has many adher-
ents; yet the greenback-labor party is not
likely to elect more than one or two Con-
gressmen in any State this fall, and not
more than dozen in all the States, and it
is doubtful if the organization will hold
together after the fall elections, because
one or the other of the old parties will
absorb its fragments. The next session OF
Congress will not repeal the Resumption
act the Treasury will resume specie
payments on the LIST of next January; and
it is absurd to suppose that the country
will tolerate any further meddling with the
currency by the Congress which, though 1T
is to be chosen this fall, will not assemble
until December, 1879, by which time re-
sumption will have been an accomplished
fact for nearly year and the country will
be far more prosperous than now.
There arc skilful politicians, on the
other hand, who believe that the national
banks will be the centre of attack in the
next Congress ; that while greenbacks re-
main in circulation the dispute as to the
amount to be circulated and as to their
character of legal tender and the necessity
of redeeming them will continue, and
will remain the distracting and en-
crossing question in our politics; that
the present Congress is not disposed
to cancel the greenbacks and put
them out of circulation, but will
leave the whole question open for the next,
in which the greenback clement will be
stronger than in this one; that, no matter
what may be the condition Of the currency,
therefore, in December, 1879, Congress will
then reopen the whole question and plunge
the country into new and fiercer agitation;
and that out Of this will come such encour-
agement to the infationists and repudiators
as will lead them to nominate q Presiden-
tial candidate, with fair prospect of carry
ing enough States to cause the election to
fall to the House.
Those prophets who only prophesy
after the event are most sure to be right;
it is too early just yet to forecast 1880. But
we believe it to be true that the mischiev-
Gus currency agitation will never cease un-
til the greenbacks are redeemed and can
celled. There are several strong arguments
in favor of government notes in prefer
ence to bank circulation, but they are all
overcome by the one consideration that
the amount of legal tender notes and their
character would be the constant and favor
lite questions for political quacks and dema-
gogues to drag into every canvass. AS
the next session of Congress is not likely to
permit the greenbacks to be cancelled
it is very possible that, in spite of re-
sumption, 1880 will see this question
of the character and amount Of our
paper currency once more brought forward
to the exclusion of other and pressing is
sues. 1t is one Of those spurious questions
which the opponents of needed reforms will
always be eager to help to press forward, in
order to push aside other questions. 1t is,
therefore. interesting to consider the prob
able strength of parties in the Congress to
be chosen this fall.
In the present House eighteen States have
a majority of republican Representatives /;
in eighteen others the majority of the
delegation is democratic. and in two-Cali-
tornia and Florida-the delegations are
equally balanced. The numerical majority
of the democrats will probably be increased,
for while they may lose member in New
England, two in New York, one perhaps
in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania
five in all-they are pretty certain to gain
three in Ohio, one in Indiana, one in Mis-
souri,, one or two in Illinois, one in Oregon,
one in California, and seven in the South,
making fifteen or sixteen in all, and in
creasing their present majority by ten
or eleven. We are leaving out of view
in this estimate the greenback access
sions from both sides; and it must
be remembered that aside from the
greenbackers elected as such there will be
a large number of members, republicans