The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-10-04
THE OUTLOOK.

Three or four important fall elections ar
vet to be held Ohio and Iowa vote on tn
18th INST, and New York and Massachusett
in November At present the chances seem t.
be in favor of the Republicans in all thos
states, Ohio alone family promising to prov,
an exception.
What of 1t? 1t must be apparent to every
intelligent observer of current politics that tn
results this fall can have very little TO do il
foreshadowing the result next year.
Ohio may 90 Republican as Maine went Re
publican. For many years Maine had been Il,
confidently reckoned on by the Republicans rs
Kentucky by the Democrats. Last year, by
bad management it was alleged, the party
there unexpectedly met defeat, and it was de
cided that this year Maine must be redeemed
But after canvass of uneXamplcd activity
and the expenditure OF a very large sum OF
money and the open purchase Of votes by the
hundred in the cities, the Republicans are stIlI
several thousand in the minority.
So in California. The Republicans, it is
true, by the aid Of the Central Pacific Rail
road, to which "A majority Of the people arc
opposed, but which had the address to divide
its opponents carried the Governor and legs
laturo, are 10000 in the minority on the popu.
lar vote.
The result in OHIO and New York promises
to be the same way, the Republicans eectng
their tickets but with the popular majorities
against them; and even such result Is not
impossible IN Iowa and Massachusetts, Then
suppose the Republicans carry all the states
this fall: what of it? They are still vastly
in the minority on the popular vote, and are
they safe in calculating on success in the presi-
Dental fight while thus in the minority?
1t is evident these halfway republican sue
cesses this fall will settle nothing, except that
the Republicans are even weaker than they
were in 1876 on the popular vote, when it was
100000 against them, and that their only
chance of success lies IN the divisions of the
opposition. Can they rely on those divisions
not being harmonizcd? 1t is manifest that the
Democrats have the game" in their own
hands and can only lose it through ineXcusa.
bly, bad management.
The programme of the Republicans is TO run
Grant and force a sectional campaign. If the
Democrats are weak and foolish enough to
meet them on such an issue, they will deserve
to be beaten. They must force the Republi
cans out of the old ruts, as they must get out
of them themselves. The corruption of Grant
ism must be prominently kept in view; the
right OF the people to have free and honest
elections insisted on, and the currency, tariff
and revenue issues must not be ignored and,
above all else, the democratic candidate must,
IN his own person and by his antecedents and
recognized character, be such a man as will
give the country assurance that in the event of
his election there will be an end to sectional
agitation and pure administration of the gov
eminent. Happily the Democrats are well
supplied" with just such men. Thomas F.
Bayard, Gen. Hancock, Allen G. Thurman
DAVID Davis, Thomas A. Hendricks Lyman
Trumbull or John NJ. Pamer-any one of
them-will admirably fill the bill.