The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-09-28
MAINE ELECTION.

The result of the Maine election is now def
nitelv known. In round numbers the vote for
governor was $4,000 republican, 10000 demo.
cratic, and $1,000 greenback. The House Of
Representatives will consist of 90 republicans,
% democrats, and 81 grccnbackcrs. --hdnkd6ee
,iazettc.
There Is mistake of ten or eleven thousand
in these figures While the republican vote
was $4,000, the democratic vote was within II
trihc of 10000 and the greenbacker vote 81
600 mot $4,000, leaving the republicans about
5000 in the minority on he whole vote, IN
stead of 1000 in the majority, MS the Gazette
has it. The highest democratic vote hereto
fore polled in Maine was about 1900, and OF
the greenbackers about 5000; so that OF
this greenback vote Of $1,000 but 10000
were taken from the democrats adding to
which last years grecnback vote Of 5000,
makes 1900, leaving some 10000 to be taken
from the republicans to make up the $4,000,
Some other facts in regard to this Maine
election are worthy of notice. The democratic
vote shows Il falling off and going over to the
grecnbackers only in the republican strong
holds. In Portland the democratic vote was
larger than ever, while the grcenbackers polled
but 400 So in the democratic stronghold OF
Kennebec the democrats more than held
their own, while the greenback movement
scarcely made rifle
The legitimate inference is, that in such re
publican strongholds as Hac's and Powcrss
districts, where the democrats almost to man
voted with the greenbackcrs, they acted on the
principle, as one of the leading democrats who
voted for Ladd the greenbacker, against Pow
ers, the republican, expresses 1t in letter to
the World, "Whcn | am down and feeling
round for Il club to help myself with, | take
the first thing in my reach There was
possibility of beating Powers and Hale by the
democrats dropping their own candidates and
voting for the grccnbackcrs, and they did it.
This fully accounts for the 10000 votes drawn
by the grccnbackers from the democrats.
But how are the 10000 votes drawn by the
greenbackcrs from the republicans to be ac-
counted for? The democrats evidently did not
desert their own party from discomfort with its
leaders or principles; but solely because they
saw chance to use the greenbackcrs as Il
CLUB" against the republicans. But did the
! 20, 600 republicans desert the republican party
from like temporary motives? The democrats
used the "cub against their old enemy, tht
republican party. Did the 10000 republican,
use the same club against their old enemy, the
democratic partyg That would have been {
very absurd proceeding indeed, seeing twoulc
only be furnishing themselves. The truth is
these 10000 republicans have left the party tt
stay, but maintaining their Unborn prejudice
against the old democratic party, they EN-
brace grecnbackism. They were tired of thei
old party and struck hands with the green
hackers as the less violent change as thu
Wings in 1856 went over to the treesolers ant
knownothngs
The Maine election thus bodies no evil to thu
democratic party, but it is "A terrible proof tina
the dry rot has seized the republican ship IL
all its vital timbers, and that the old thing il
on the eve Of going to everlasting smash.