The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-21
Panic Among OiHcehoidcrs.

hmOuS
Since the tidal wave of 1874 no event has
occurred in politics which 80 startled the
ioynl Republicans rs the recent election in
Maine. They were not only unprrparcd fur
It, but regarded such a contingency IA al
most impossible. any State IN the | 'niun
was considered firmly anchored in the faith
and less liable than all others to hc shaken
% by an angry blast Of detection, Maine NAV
I've said 10 have enjoyed that distinction. 1t
was run like close cOrpOlution. the scrip
of which was carried in the packet Of MIR.
BLAINE, and was hypothecated. traded. ar
loaned as the necessities u the party re-
quired.
In fact. the Senator supposed he had fee
simple In the soil Of the state, ami rather
treated it as a personal pO,scs sion, the title
towhch no man would dare dispute. He had
the utmost confidence in the usual ma ority
and like some of the chief victims Of the
French revolution, who were gay and festive
and unconscious uf danger long after the
rlnmbings Of the volcano had spread alarm.
Mr.. BLAINE went To the far West TO stump
whore his aid was not ncedlcd, and then has
tened home, upon sudden summons. to find
his sceptrc departed. So Mr. HALE. Chair
man OF the Congressional Committee would
not admit the possibility of defeat until II"
found himself hoistrd ont vi II seat in Con-
grcss by an ignorant mechanic" whom he
secuted NJ competitor for that honor.
All the excuses made for this result are
mere after-thoughts. and device cOnjurcd
up to deceive the unwary. Instead Of the
vote being light NJ Is pretended in some
quarters. II exceeded the aggregate If last
NJ -nt ~
total cast for TILDEN and HAYES. The dis
tributiOn of the vote shows that the Dem
ocrats took the Grcenback club to crack the
Republican skull rs they are likely to do in
Massachusetts and other States, where they
have been In u hopeless minority heretofore
Tho chronic oillcehulder IL. perhaps. OF all
others the man with the sharpcst scent n
Ia coming political changes. He watches
Conventions primaries. new departures. and
elections, AS the weather bureau does the
rise and fail Of the barometer. They all
have a Significance for him. To which the out
side world generally may Ice indifferent For
sixteen years he and his friends have been
living generously at the public crib feasiing
and fnttening all the year round. hardly
ever doing an honest days work. and their
chief business. OF late, has been 10 glorify
the grandeur Of Gran'isu. L. uphold the
carpet -boggcrs, and Ia distribute documents
for the campaign committees.
These patriots had kept n keen lookout on
the new movement, but they never dreamed
that II could have the audacity 10 assail
their Gibraltar in Maine. They had been
assured by BLAINE, HALE, and the other
members Of that corporation, that all was
we'll aud when BLAINE started of on
his star tour their faith was strong
enough 10 move a mountain. lmagin" the
feelings Of these ardent supporters Of the
Constitution and all the amendments, at bg
salaries when the news was flashed over the
wires that Maine was lost The next day
when assurance was made doubly sure, the
gloom in the departments al Washington
was rs il some terrible Scourg' had dcsOlat-
81 tho households Of their occupants.
Six or seven Thousand props nf the Gov
eminent and pillars " the Republican
church who had come to consider that the
Treasury was created for their special use,
and that the country could not prosper
without their official cOuntcnancr, suddenly
discovered that the world moved. Since this
light dawncd upon them happiness has
gone out OF their official lives They look
and forbdding, since they may not be per
mttcd TO sustain them Mt two or three ol
four thousand a year.
Many have already given up ana are
striving IL prepare for what they believe e
be an inevitable change. Others have he
come remarkably conservative inside Il
week. They are far more tolerant Of Op
ponents than formerly, and are great al
mirers of the era Of good feeling, when tn
lamb and the lion may lie down together
aud there will he no prescription fol
opinions sake. Upon reflection they ar
disposed to condemn the harsh measures o
their old friends as being the excess VI o.,
much power, ana they think now II woulC
have been better, perhaps II the Democrat
had occasionally been allowed a lnajorit!
il one branch Of Congress.
JoHN SHERMAS'S change Of front in face
n the enemy, right Oh the eve ol the ial
elections has intensified the panic amonl
the ofiiceholdcrs. They know that DIES
perate step like that would never have beer
taken unless the case was almost hopeless
As consequence large numbers are de
serting the sinking ship. They have foun'
a strong sympathy with the demand fO
change, and discovered ties with the DE
mocracy which bind them closely to som
of the leaders, and many are free 10 sa.
HAYES was never elected and TILDEN ough
10 be seated. Converts multiply daily, AM
the Maine election has worked wonders be-
sides giving JANIS q. BLAINE an indciinit
leave OF absence. lie can now repeat tn
curt saying Of Monsieur LIZ SAGE, after til
death Of CHARLES MI. at the battle ,
Frcdcrickshal, "Gentlemen, the game
up, let Us be- going"
The Fifth District of New jersey.
Tho Republicans Of the Fifth District ,