The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-17
The Importance Of v

&ne importance OF voting Straight.
No friend Of the democratic party should
be wheedled or lured into supporting ary
other than the straight democratic ticket
under the impression that this is an off
year, and therefore of less consequence
than at other times. The House of Rep
resentatives which will be elected this fall,
insthe event Of there being no election of
President in 1880 by the electoral colleges,
will be, by the provisions Of the constitu-
ton, required TO elect, The Importance of
securing every democratic congressman
possible will at once be apparent to every
democrat. The importance however will
be still more apparent when it is recol
lected that it is not a mere majority oil
members which elects, but it requires a
majority OF states, There might, for in.
stance, be a democratic majority of the
popular vote in the state of Illinois at the
presidential election, and yet in case the
election went to the House if there was
not democratic majority in the congress
sional delegation of Illinois the vote of the
state in the House would be cast against
the democratic candidate 1t becomes all
important therefore to secure every posi-
BILE democratic vote and elect every demo-
cratic congressman that may be possible,
The off year so frequently alluded to as
being Of no special consequence is in real
ity Of extraordinary importance in view Of
the possible contingencies which may arise
None know this TACT better than those
who hold out the specious lure, and who
hope to profit by the negligence or iudif-
ference of democrats, The only hope of
the republicans now is that they may. by
some freak of fortune or chance hit, have a
majority of the representatives in the larg-
est number of states. This might result,
for example, from the democrats having
large majority in few states which with
those from the other states would make
the House democratic on a vote by mem
bers, while being in small minority
in the greater number OF states would
lose them the election when it came
to vote by state delegations.
The Nationals" have no expectation Of
securing a majority either of the whole
house or of vote by states, but the cleo
ton OF a few members, 10 states where the
delegations were nearly equally divided
between democrats and republicans, would
give them the balance Of vote in the
delegations from such states aud give them
an opportunity to exercise the mercantile
functions in which so lar, they have ex-
hibited no wean capacity. From the
present outlook there is every prospect
that the democrats will have msjority OF
all the members Of the house in the next
congress, as also in the senate, still to en-
sure full success no precautions should be
omitted, and no votes should be lost to the
democratic party through any feelings of
either two much confidence or too great
Indifference. Every opportunity should
be made the most Of. and even in districts
which may apparently be against the tick
ct no labor or pains should be spared, for
peradventure success may be achieved
even when not expected. The republican
party labors in this contest under all the
disadvantages ofdiyided councils in its own
ranks, It's leaders distract and at variance
with the executive branch Of government,
and positive majority of members in the
House to overcome. The recent election
in Vermont and still later election in
Maine has already been q loss to that
party instead of even keeping their num-
Der gOOd--muCh less adding any to the