Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-10-16
POLITICAL COMMENTS.

The ONTO Contest.
DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATION AND THE
INDIAN TROUBLES.
A Washington dispatch contains the
following suggestive paragraph:
The instructions given to Maj. Thorn.
burgh not to fire until the Indians had
commenced hostilities, it seems, was
made necessary by the posse comitatus
clause attached to the army bill by the
Democratic congress. Under the con-
struction given to the law by the wa,
department the soldiers could not fire
unless they were first attacked, and it is
probably due to this democratic policy
that Maj. Thornburgh has lost his life.
The army officers say that if Thorn.
burgh could have attacked the Indians
first there is little doubt that he would
not have been surrounded. If the
Indians are advised of the posse comita-
tus clause, therefore, all that they will
have to do to surround any body of
United States troops will be not to fire
until they have completely corraled the
soldiers. This seems but another illus
tration of the crippling effect of Demo
cratic legislation, which is apparent in
nearly every department of the public
service.
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.
A Columbus letter gives the follow
ing estimate of the contes. liz Gnio;
other accounts are still more favorable
to the Republicans.
"The most vigorous contest is going
on in all the close counties, and in them
is the real battle being fought. On if
teen counties the Thurman and Thomp-
son force is working, and the money will
flow freely, as the Democrats are much
better supplied than the Republicans.
Voters are being colonized in the towns
and cities where the legislative ticket
stands in danger, and by the work of the
repeaters and colonized voters does Mr..
Thurman hope to be his own successor.
In Athens county two votes are offered
for Foster in exchange for one ballot for
the Democratic candidate for the legis-
lature. Senator Thurman is personally
at work in all the close counties with
surprising energy; but his meeting can
not be termed large when compared with
those of Haskell, Blaine, Foster, and
others on the Republican side.
Of the prospects little can be said,
except that the Republicans have an
advantage, and will hold it. The
Democrats are claiming Ewing's election
with confidence by 10000; but there is
no sincerity in the claim, as the man
cannot be found who will risk SIG hat
on Ewing's election by any majority.
While the Republicans are not disposed
to brag, they offer two to one on Foster,
or even on 10,000-some even 20 as
high as 10000"
THE RESULT IN MAINE.
Official returns of the recent Maine
election, compared with the official re-
turns of the election last year, exhibit
some instructive party changes. The
returns Of 1878 gave Conner, the admin
istration candidate for governor, S.
votes; Smith, the fiat -money candidate,
4l,5l1 votes, and Garcelon, the third
party candidate, 2S0oS votes. This year
Davis, the administration candidate, re-
ceived So, 10 votes, 3 gain of 1870 over
last year. Garcelon, the third-party
candidate, received 81, S41 votes, loss
OF 6,247 since last year. 1t seems fair
inference that the increase of votes for
the fat-party candidate this year came
from the third party, the gain of the
former and the loss of the latter being
nearly the same. The large increase of
the administration party vote was made
up, it is supposable, by electors who, last
year, abstained from voting, and whose
greater interest in the result this year
may be sscribed, like Mr.. Tilden's dis
gust, to the reactionary course of the
southern brigadiers in congress- Chicago
Times.
NATIONAL CURRENCY.
The New York Times presents the fol-
lowing brief but conclusive evidence of
the advantages of the national bank cur
rency:
AS bearing on the fitness of the
national bank currency 10 adapt itself
to the necessities of the business COM
munity, the report of the controller of
the currency as to the changes in the
circulating notes of the banks this
year up to October LIST is interesting.
The average increase in the amount of
notes for the past eleven months has
been rather more than $4,000 per
month, but the distribution of the in
crease is worthy of notice. For three
months previous to February, and for
four months previous to September l,
the amount issued was much below the
average. During the spring months it
rose to s4,74o, o6l and during last month
alone the increase WAS So, 480,973.
When we recall that to between January
Is, 1875, snd November l, 1877, the
circulation decreased s30,000,000, that
it then advanced within the next year