New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-20
MAINE POLITICS.

80 been an enigma TO people in other parts
IN country Why. they ask should peculiarly
,-,onqeut State in the far East be badly afflicted
9TH the soft-money folly, after the Western
s,otes have nearly Outgrown 10 Why should
- and dishonest notions of national finance crop
ant along the Kennebec and the Penobscot Rivers
sortbev have been argued out of existence on
a. Wsbssh and the Miami And why, above all
L.,ld this singular phenomenon occur in 1873 on
,L.ove Of specie payments and continue In 1879
-, ,,,a lopic Of successful resumption has demO-
ILd chat little remained of the Greenback mania
=. ber sections Of the country Everybody knows
tbst in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Michigan
o. - Dothiny left of the former Greenback or
,,ation but the disappointed leaders and
tar5fnl of fanatical dupes. All over the North,
vent in this extreme eastern corner of the
,onntry. the fight this year is square
ors between the Democrats and the Republicans
yer the issues raised in the late session OF Con-
- Vet here in Maine the Democratic party has
I,cst gone out Of existence, and the Greenbackers
o.. making a bold push for the GoveTnorship and
ibe control Of the Legislature Looking at this
.nrions state of affairs. and hearing the same un-
t,,bs ard half-truths repeated about the currency
nd the National debt which were exploded in Ohio
a. lonr ago as 1878 and 1876, one is almost ready
10 sympathize with respectable citizen living up
the Kennebec who says he shall vote to abolish the
,cboo-tax as soon as possible. Here we have been
evying higher taxes for public education" he says
than any other State, and it turns out that We
have more fools IN proportion to the population than
any section of the country"
4ttbe first DIP into the politics Of Maine a cor
respondent naturally seeks asoution to the pulling
circumstance of the existence of formidable Green
hack party, reiteratng all the stale softmoney and
,epudlaton talk current at the West from 1868 to
I at rbatf lar he Id
hear is broad enough fully TO the facts, bat
rive il for what 1t may be worth, hoping in time
10 discover other reasons. II any exist. Ii
Is said by Republicans that the hard
times d ID not begin 10 be much felt IN Maine until
1876, and that the real pinch did not come until
1877 As the State was the last TO suffer from the
general depression II is naturally the last TO re-
eoyer Il has no great agricultural crop 10 make
the farmers prosperous by succession of good har-
vests The hard-times croakers cannot he an
,vered as in the West by pointing to vast expenses
ofrinening corn and fields of golden wheat Norris
il distinctiyely manufacturing State Ike Penn
.ylvania where the clang at the forge and the roar
Of the furnace puts to shame the false logic of the
,beap-money orators. The wave Of returning pros
peritv is not wholly unfelt here but it has not yet
produced any conspicuous effects which the defend
srs of sound currency show 60 confute the soph
isries Of their antagonists, ana When they refer 10
what Is going on IN other States they are charged
with instrumentation. The Grecuback orators
brazenv affirm that the country Is worse or than
ever. and that d" Sherman'5 sham resumption Is
NE second cause ass, gned for the strength of the
Greeuback party, and one 20 which | think even
moro weight should be attached than to tnat inst
sized is the decentralization Of the Maine DemOc-
racv. The Democratic party IN this state has been
a. long ont of power that IL has come TO be without
leaders OF force and character TO hold 1t UP
10 principles or even 20 the pohcY lad
down hv the leaders of lts National organization.
Tie prospect of getting Office causes II 10 lose It's
head and eagerly 70 embrace the most degrading
coalition. Tie traditions OF half century are
thrown 20 the winds, and theories advocated which
are ahh0rrent 10 what USED 10 De looked upon as
cardinal Democratic principles and this for the
mere chance of few seats IN the Legislature and
a few County and state OthctS. The Maine DemOc-
racg has always been a bard-mOney party up 10
tins year. aud has had no sympathy with Pendle-
trisu ny RIM A1Ieuisu At EWingisrn or any of the
forms which the Reputation idea has assumed IN |
the West. Even last year II dld not openly aban-
don either It's principles or IT'S organlZation Tins
wear il has abandoned both. Its state ticket Is a
mere eaten 20 save the votes OF the Stubborn od-
fashioned Democrats who VIII not support the |
Greeuback candidates. There are Few thousand |
of these meu-perhaps twelve OF hteen thousand IN
all-but al the rest of the party Is shamelessly
uaradiDg in Greenback attire. suppose there may /
be twenty thousand simOu-puTe Greenbackers in |
the State but the remainder OF the organization |
which d. making so much noise Is composed OF /
Democratic HesAms detailed % swell the ranks or
the new party aud make demonstration OF |
strength 10 draw Oft Republican votes.
The Democratic papers are practically Greenback !
vpgriS.
lacking the financial pohcY OF the boVernment |
They have nothing 70 say AGAINST the Greenback |
nominees, and very little in favor ot their own can
didates All their effort IS % gam votes Tor the
Greenback ticket. The depth OF abasement into /
which these organs have fallen may be Judged from
the fact that they were all III times past as earnestly
IN favor of resumption and hard money as the Re- /
publican papers themselves, You have already |
heard the terms of the coalition between the Demo
Gratis and the Greenbackers. There Is no secret /
about IL here. Indeed there woud be no use trying
10 keep il secret Tor the actions OF the parties be-
trav the bargain. Fusion tickets are run torcounty
offices and members OF Tie LcElslat ufe, Whie the
State tickets are kept separate The scheme con
templates defeating a choice for Governor BY The
popular vote. the election OF smith, the Oreeuoack
candidate by the Legislature, the preservation Of
toe relations between the parties 10 the trade
through another year, the success OF a coalition
electoral ticket in 1850, and the return of Pills
bury, the old Bourbon Democrauc leader, 10 the
UnIied States Senate in place of Hamhn. The Dem
Oerats furnish the money 10 mn the Greenoack
campa IN. They hold no public meetings or
their own. They keep their State ticket IN the
BACKGROUND and make efforts TO gam votes tor II.
Its only use is TO enable faithful hard-m0ney Demo
Gratis to vote straight party ticket and keep them
from staying at home or gong oyer.to the Republic
cans la disgust. venture TO say there never was an
tTv where a great party so deliberately demOrazed
Its own organization and threw away It's principles
for chance of beating It's ANTAGONIST.
The money 10 run the GreanbacK canvass, nave
said comes from Democratic sources. There Is good
reason for believing that a large share OF 10 comes
directlv from Mr.. Tldeu's barrel Il IL possible,
You will ask, that Mr.. IilGen can be accessory
h the scheme for breaking up bis own
party in Maine aud absorbing 10 in the ranks
OF the Greenback organization, whose doc
trines ne abhOrsi Yes and he knows exactly
what he is about too. lie makes no mistakes
IN the game he Is PLAYING. II the Republicans can
Le be,ten IN Maine this year. the coalition operating
against them VIII be SOiidihed In 1880 into the
s1pDort OF a Tilden electoral ticket, and the result
pf a close Presidential election may be determined
bv detaching from the Republican column a New
England state which has led the way in the strug-
giles for freedom and nationality for twenty-three
Vears 1he scheme Is certainly not eXactlY the one