Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-11-12
THE ELECTION IN WISCONSIN.

it. tits possible that The Tribune may not
be able to throw a great deal of light up
on the subject, but it can state some of
the prominent facts in the case, from
which every intelligent reader will readily
draw reasonable inference
In 1877 Gov. Smith had majority of
5000 in round numbers over Judge NAL
Tory (democrat). In 1875 the democrats
eleted all the state officers except the
governor Oudington), who squeezed in
by about 900 majority over Taylor, his
democratic opponent. Two years before,
in 1878, Taylor and the whole democrat
tic ticket were elected majority of over
$4,000. That year the democrats also
elected a majority in both branches of the
legislature. This year the republican
majority will probably exceed 10000,
and may reach $4,000, and the Republi-
can majority in the legislature on joint
ballot cannot be less than thirty. One
fact is already settled without waiting for
the official returns, which is, that Gov.
Smiths majority now is the largest that
was ever cast for a republican governor
in Wisconsin, and will probably exceed
the majority given for either Lincoln or
Grant, when political excitement was
high enough to bring out much fuller
vote. From present indications the vote
was quite light, the result, in part, of a
change in the registry law, not well un-
derstood, whereby a man who did not
vote last year and had failed to register
this year could not vote, even upon an
affidavit, as formerly.
A IprnOpraIip inritxy 1879 &c
900, and republican majority in 1879
of 10000 or over, indicates a decided
change in public opinion on political
questions. Elections sometimes hinge
upon the personal popularity of the can
dldates; but in this respect the republi
cans had no advantage whatever over the
democrats, -Mr. Jenkins and his collea-
CUES upon the democratic ticket being the
peers in point of competency and charac-
ter OF their republican opponents. 1t is
true that the republican officers elect
have already served one term, and proved
themselves capable and efficient public
servants; but it is uncandid not to admit
that the democratic would have discharg-
ed their duties quite acceptably. Neither
can we look for the cause of this over
whelming and unprecedented democratic
defeat in the badness of the democratic
platform. Two years ago their platform
was Utterly vicious and illogical as far as
it related to the important questions
OF finance and resumption, but
this fall the party put itself right upon
both, and had the trankness to denounce
the payment of the rebel claims of every
nature and kind, and the bulldozing and
intimidation of voters by the democracy
of the south. 1t is therefore, not by rea-
son of the personal unpopularity or un-
fitness of their candidates or the inherent
cussedness of their platform that the de-
mocracy find themselves scooped higher
than Gilderoy's traditional kite on this
Ito them) melancholy occasion. Indeed,
after the conspicuous blunder which the
party made by adapting congressman
Bragg's Fond du Lac platform two years
ago, it was claimed that the only way
to save the party was to take the back
track, repudiate its newly adopted fnan-
cial heresies and return to the hard
money theories of the democratic fathers.
But we see Mr.. Jenkins beaten by the
same man by a majority nearly or quite
three times as large as Smith had over
Mallory in 1877.
The abandonment of the fiat-lunacy
doctrine in regard to currency by the de-
mocracy Of Wisconsin in 1879 did not
bring back to its ranks those whom it
had repealed two years before This is
especially true in reference to the Ger
mans, who formerly numbered at least
10000 voters among the democrats, who
are always in favor of honest money. 1t
looks as if they had gone away to stay;
for in Milwaukee, that contains very
large german element and which was
formerly democratic Gibraltar, the re-
publican majority is over 1000, and in
Brown County, that is almost exclusively
settled by germans, ex-Speaker Kelly
(republican) is elected to the state senate
by 1000 majority.
So we come back to the original conun-
drum that puzzles all the end men of the
bourbon party: "What is the matter
with the democatic party of Wisconsin,"
The ailment is chronic and general all
over the north, east, and west, and eff
fects everybody alike The people are
rising en- masse above local, and personal
and state issues, and are now intent upon
those only that are Of national impor-
lance. The menacing attitude of the
'solid south has alarmed the north,
and the sweeping majority of the Wis
consin republicans on Tuesday is their
emphatic Reputation Of the whole demo-
confederate policy of government. 1t
was their answer to the threat mode in
congress last winter to starve the govern
ment into submission to the demands of
a secret caucus controlled by those who
recently sought to destroy the govern
ment. It is, in short, solemn declara-
ton that every man in every state shall
have the right to cast one vote, and to
have that vote honestly counted. The
revolutionary conduct of the confederate
brigadiers at the extra session of Congress
startled the whole country like a fire-bell
ring in the night, and the people outside
of the old slave states are all awake to
the importance Of great national issues.
Chicago Tribune.
LEwEs, Del, November 8.-The steam
Steamship Champion, from New York