Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-23
Il FUSION ELEcroHAL TICKET.

A Greenback correspondent of the New
York World suggests plan by which tn.
opposition to the Republican party may b
made effective in 1880. That plan is, III eff
feet, the one adopted in New York Sta..
during the Presidential campaign OF 1860
He states the proposition thus:
It will be remembered that in 1860 there wa
a very great divergence of opinion in the Dem
ocratic party, not only as between the mer
themselves, but upon the doctrines which wer
severally enunciated and espOused by their ad
herents iii the Presidential campaign of Brock
| lnridge and Douglas, because of the dissension
through which Mr.. Lincoln elected Presi
dent by the minority of the votes. In one o.
two States, however, the opposition to the Re
publican party concentrated their strength as
against that party by the following plan: They
| nominated joint electoral tickets in such States
| Tor which both factions voted, with the dis
tinct understanding that the votes thrown fo1
each candidate should express themselves in
the following manner: Such proportion of the
electoral vote should be thrown by the electors
IN each State for Mr.. Douglas as his vote
called for, as against Mr. Breckenridge, and
such proportion thrown for Mr.. Breckenridge
| as his vote called for as against Mr.. Douglas
OF course the whole electoral vote TO be thrown
against the common enemy, which was the Re
publican party. To illustrate: If in the State
of New Jersey 600 votes were thrown by the
united DEMOCRACY. 100000 of which were fol-
Douglas and $4,000 for Breckenridge, then
two-tnirds of the electoral vote of that State
was to be given to Douglas and one third tc
Breckenridge.
10 our mind The suggestion is wholly i'm
practicable, for instead of uniting the oppo-
sltion it would only tend to disorganize it.
aud result inevitably in throwing the choice
of President into the House of Representa-
tives. While it is fact that the Southern
States are unit in opposition to the Repub.
llcan party, and that in majority of the
Northern States there is an anti-Republican
majority, the plan suggested would, without
question, divide the electoral vote of the
South, and render it impossible for TIE
Democratic party to control an entire cleo
toral vote in any single State of the North
We will suppose, for instance, that, without
the vote of Minnesota, the Republican party
had i84 votes in the electoral college-one
less than enough to elect. Minnesota may
cast $4,000 Democratic votes, 100000 Repub-
lican, and 10000 Greenback votes. The
Democrats, under such an arrangement,
would be compelled to surrender one eector
to the Greenbackers, thou gh they may have
carried the State by large majority, and
thus throw the election into the House, even
though not another Greenback vote may be
cast in the entire country. This would be a
manifest in justice, and might lead to serious
complications. It would certainly be no i'm
provement upon the eight to seven commits
sion.
This we regard as an insuperable objec-
ton to the plan. There is now no sufficient
difference of opinion among the opponents
of the Republican party to warrant the main
tenance of two party organizations. The
principles of the Democratic party are
broad and fair enough to suit every man
seriously DESTROYS of reform in the govern
ment. On its platform all persons dissatis-
hsd with the long period of misrule inaueu-
rated and upheld by the Republican party
can unite IN behalf of one Presidential can
didate and one electoral ticket If they shall
refuse to SO unite, the danger is great that
we shall have to endure another four years
of misrule. But to run an electoral ticket
ION shares would be little better than no.
litical suicide. 1t would divide the electoral
vote of every State in the onion having an
anti Republican majority, and result in votes
in the electoral college for three or more
neither If whom could BY any
possibility have majority. AS conse-
quence the House of Representatives would
be called upon to decide between the several
aspirants. That body is almost evenly di-
7ided between the parties, the Democrats
having nineteen States and the Republicans
eighteen, with California yet to be heard
rom. There is therefore a prospect of q
deadlock in that event, which may last till
President is chosen in 1884. Such posi-
'ility is to be guarded against. It is con-
urgency that will inevitably result in strife
t not in civil war. No good citizen can
contemplate it without the gravest appre-
ensions for the psrpetuity of the union.
In the event of failure to unite all the
lements of opposition to the Republican
arty, the next Presidential campaign will
Q one OF extraordinary excitement. In adj
ition to the States that are certain for the
Democracy, they must carry New York or
no smaller debatable States. To do that in
1e face of the immense patronage Of the |