New-York tribune., 1879-11-08
~ 1LR1NY PROrHET.

There is one person In Albany who knew
great deal more about the election before It
came off than he does now Then he talked
hike an oracle. lie philosophical, moralized
aud prophccicd; and facts and figures
of the most astonishing character rat
lied ont of him ike peas ont of
"A pod. His remarks were deemed Of
such importance that they were taken down
in shorthand. fired over the wires and
printed here with two leads between the
lines, In manner calculated TO alarm
timid Republicans ard induce confdng
Democrats TO lay large wagers on Rob
inson's election. lie had been through the
State and talked with the voters. and he
knew all about it. Robnson's majority over
Cornell would exceed 25.0OO and nOhody
need be surprised if 1t should reach $4,000.
He had made a careful analysis OF the
vote. and could give the most con-
elusive reasons for his confidence. He
divided up last years Greenback vote
between Robinson and Kellyj told just
what Kelly'- vote would be-, aud how much
Robinson would gam, and where. and why
aud then, after he had ciphercd the Cornell
and Kelly vote down to about an even thing,
he marched off INTO the rural districts and
picked up enough Republican farmers who
would vote for Robinson because he had
kept taxes down, TO make, with the " Hen
Party" 10000 majority for Robinson. This
part of his conclusions he reached bv figuring
percentages. As. for instance, after having
addressed nineteen Republican farmers who
were going to vote for Cornell, he found one
who was going to scratch. That made
group, and gave basis for calculation.
Zone in twenty" he said, "wil scratch.
"In a million votes that makes $4,000 against
Cornell and for Robinson" Nothing could
be surer than that. So 1t was published con-
spicuously, and it seemed so plausible that
many Democrats put up their money on it.
They have since wished they hadn't
And this person not only knew all this for
certain himself. hut he averTed that the Re-
publican managers knew il; that they had
access TO the evidence upon which RObinsOn's
election was prcdicated, and could not help
knowing it. They were simply lying. he said,
to keep up the courage of their followers
And then reaching over into the future he
made ominOus predictions as to the effect of
such deception upon the Republican party. 1t
would demorallzc them, he SAID, to such an
extent that they could make no fight in next
years Presidential canvass. "I If you lul your
followers into sense of false security,3 he
continued, "and then are beaten. they will never
crust You ag in," remark which it is TO be
hoped those who lulled their followers with
double-leaded prophecies VIII seriously pom
der. Now 1t happens somehow that the ac-
tnal vote does not verify the predictions of this
Albany prophet. There was something the mat
ter with the percentages. Robinson did not get
ms 25,OOO sure, or 10000 possibly, over Cor
nell; didn't get any, IN short On the con-
trary. Cornell got nearly $1,000 majority over
Robinson III view OF which iact the prophecy
of the Albany seer can hardly he called close. A
great many people guessed nearer than that and
didn't think il worth while To PRINT II in
double leads, or even publish il at all. In
tins state of things the prophet has been
called on for an explanation. He makes it,
though he seems good deal bewlldered, and
il is printed with single leads only between
the lines. 1t lacks the strength OF the pro-
phecy, and has none of the astonishing quail
ties of the previous publications..
He says it was all right, only the Democrats
could not get out their vote, that certain
general causes contributed to the disastern,
that "this is the season of the Republican
BOOM, that "every two or three years
there Is "a reaction in politics which can be
traced to no particular cause, but which
"leads TO strange results F" that the cleo
" ton was at O wrong time, when the current
was running strongly In tho wrong direc-
tion," and that Cornell received tho whole
purchasable vots In q solid BODY" Robinson