The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-12-30
WELLINGTON O., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 80 $780,
The Democratic Drought.

The Democratic Drought.
There seems to be great scarcity of
Democrats this year. Immediately aft
er the Indiana election, the Times called
attention to this fact. While MIR. John
Kelly was vainlv seeking for the expla-
nation of that memorable defeat, and
gs;f arirg = soft place on which to fall
in November, he was reminded in these
columns that his party needed votes
more than anything else. 1t is true that
some OF the more intimate political
friends of Mr.. Kelly and Mr.. w. H.
Barnum unkindly suggested that the
management of the party needed brains.
But the impartial judgment of mankind
Will be that the party, as whole, needs
votes. Far be it from us to intimate
that more brains in the leadership of
the Democracy would induce an acces-
sion of votes. But as the dazed leaders
contemplate the beggarly account which
the election returns show to their cred
it, they may well ask where all their
votes have gone. Of course, the ready
rejoinder of Kelly and his obsequious
chorus is that the wicked Republicans
have resorted to a general system of
colonization, and that the. Democrats
have been swamped by illegal importa-
tions from other States. This is what Mr..
Kelly said was the matter with Indiana
in the October election. "We shall
hear different story in November" he
said, "when we meet the enemy single
handed" The October and November
majorities of the Republicans, as it
turned out, were almost identical.
The much-bothered Democrats, while
they vainly seek for a solution of the
a, H., L
their party is mere empty shell. They
are like a ruined spendthrift who lives
extravagantly on credit long after his
cash has been exhausted. The day of
reckoning, the rude awakening, may
be put off, but it must come ut last. In
this case, it really appears as if the
wicked Republicans had colonized
nearly every State in the Union. For
example, Alabama, which, under its
present very able political management,
is sound Democratic State, gave
Tilden majority of 33, 722 in 1876, and
Hancock a majority of 25, 900 in 1880, and
this, too, in face of the frequently stated
fact that the negroes have gladly joined
the Democratic party. Delaware, which
is also an assuredly Democratic State,
presents another lamentable picture of
colonization, the Democratic majority
this year being only 1,033, against 2,629
in 1876. Even Georgia, 'the glorious
banner State" as the Democratic bill
boards had it on election night, gives q
pitiful majority of $4,000 for Hancock
in 1880. whereas she gave Tilden
the handsome majority of 1862.
Kentucky, which might have spared
handful of Democratic voters
for RepublicaniZed Indiana, shows
falling off, this year. Tilden
had 59,772 majority; Hancock has 53,-
600 majority. Maryland shows a de-
crease of about 5000 in this year 8
Democratic majority, and Mississippi,
in which was invented the celebrated
plan for suppressing Republican votes,
gave Tilden popular majority of 59,-
sos, while Hancock gets only $4,000.
What falling Off is there, our country
men! What an immense flood of Repub-
lican colonization must have poured
into North Carolina that it should give
Hancock the contemplate majority of
1000, whereas it gave Tilden 1900,
four years ago. South Carolina, the
home of the rifle club and the tissue
ballot, stands nobly by its past history,
it is true, and rolls up a Democratic
majority of $4,000. and would have
made it 100000 if necessary. Then
Texas has added 10000 to its regular
Democratic majority. But Old Virginia,
the home of jefferson. and the mother
of the Democracy, creeps along with a
majority of 10000 for Hancock, against
Tilden majority of A, 112 in 1876; and
West Virginia gives Democratic ma
jority now of IL 900, against one of 12,-
SS4 in 1876.
When we consider the so-called
doubtful States, the case of the Demo-
Gratis is even more deplorable. For ex-
ample, Tilden carried New Jersey by
1000. Here is a dead loss of nearly
10000 votes. Where have they gone?
New York, which showed Democratic
majority of 26, sos in 1876, has Repub-
lican majority of more than %, 600 this
year. Connecticut and Vermont, from
which the astute Mr.. John Kelly de-
ciared that the wicked Republicans
would draw their "colonists," on cleo
ton day seem to have had Republican
votes to spare. This year, Connecticut
gave Garfield majority of 2,57O; in
1876 she gave Tilden LIP majority. 1t
looks as if the voters who were osent
on election day, this year, were all
Democrats. As we have seen. Vermont
held her own, for, in spite of the Depart
ure of "hordes" from the slums OF the
Green Mountains to vote in New York
and Indiana, there were enough left at
home to increase the Republican major
ity from 3d. (Which it was in 1870
to %, 900 this year. And the same is
true of Pennsylvania, whence. we are
told. came other Republican "repeat-
ers" in hordes. Against a majority of
9.375 for Hayes in 1876. we find one of
81, ,341 for Garfield this year. And Mas
sachusetts, another of the States sup
posed to be able and willing to furnish
Republican colonists to all applicants,
gave Garfield a majority which is 1000
votes greater than that secured by Hayes
in 1876.
And in the face of figures like these
the Democrats, dazed with astonishment,
wonder where the New York Republi-
cans got all their votes from. A care
full survey of the field. comparing this
years returns with those of 1876, show
conclusively what the trouble is with
the Democratic Party. 1t is going to
pieces. and the Republican party is
being reinforced by accessions from the
rapidly dissolving organization. The
natural increase in the population of the
country brings little or nothing 10 the
reinforcement of the Democratic party.
In nearly every Democratic State, the
majority is smaller than ever and in
nearly every Republican State the ma
jority is increased; while nearly every
so-called doubtful State has gone Re-
publican. This is the whole case. lf
the Democrats cannot hold their own in
States which are conceded to them, and
cannot carry those in which there is a
contest, how can they expect to reduce
the maiorities in Republican States? If
Republicans were to attempt colonial
ton for voting purposes, they must
invade every State in the Union, from
Vermont to Mississippi. They have
more than held their own in Massa-