The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-10-08
TOTAL VOTE OF UNITED STATES,

TOTAL VOTE OF UNITED STATES.
lSof. a, O24, 702
iooo' '''''''''.''........ ..........b ID, va, 6ol
49, '''''''''''''''''..... 4N6, I6o
1870. $500: '..''........ 6.4l2. 733
Reasoning upon the theory of Judging
the unknown by the known, we may rea-
sonably expect that the number of votes
to be cast at the November election will
not fall short of 100000 in round
numbers; or an increase of about !, $780,
600. That is to say, there are one mil
lion five hundred thousand voters who
have never as yet voted for president. 1t
is IN army OF voters in itself. It is an
army Of new vOters-frcsh, yOung-and it
becomes important and interesting to
consider with which of the old parties
they will cast their votes and take up
their political lot.
OF these new presidential voters the
foreign immigrants compose consid-
cradle portion. Twenty years ago seven
eighths Of the foreign vote, and particu-
larly OF the new foreign vote, went to the
Democratic party. But the degeneracy
of that party--its unpatriotic record in
the rebellion and its disgraceflil course
on financial questions has turned the
foreign-born voters out of that party.
1t is very noticeable that this element Of
fovign-born citizens is almost unani-
mOusly in favor of the sound financial
policy of the Republican administration.
This il accounted for from the fact that
our immigrants largely came from coln-
tries where these same principles upon
finance prevail. The foreign-born citi-
Zcns are generally our most thrifty
and saving people. Nearly all acquire
property and pay taxes and they
are interested in sound finance
and good money. Hence they side
very naturally with the conservative
party ny against tho greenback- tainted
Democracy. This is natural. The place
for the thrifty German, the industrious
Norwegian, the driving Scotchman, the
warm-hearted Irishman, is with the
great Republican party-the party of
freedom, of equal laws, of national faith.
They are largely with that party now,
and the inference Is that the new voters
of this class will also take up their lot
with that party. 1t is an additional
cause for expecting this that they have
no traditions to keep them from free
choice. The Bourbon Democrat often
continues to vote the Democratic ticket
from tradition and habit, after all convic.
ton on the subject has ceased to affect
him. This will be the first national
vote of the class of which we are speak
ing, and they have, as we said, no tradi-
tons to control or influence them. So
that we can assert with reason and logic
that the great majority of the new foreign
l,np tor Will h.
party.
But the great bulk OF this grand army
of new voters is made up Of young men
who have become of age since 1876. In
fact it il young America in every sense.
Young, fresh, vigorous, its eyes open,
and its receptive faculties sensitive and
alert. So far as we are enabled to Judge
by observation and personal knowledge,
We know scarcely young man who in
the past four years has taken up his po-
htical lot with the Democrats. But we
do not rely upon observation to prove
our problem as to where the young men
are likely to cast their lot. We depend
upon the immutable laws of cause and
effect to assist us in its solution. We
have here in this army of young voters
ut least one million young men of the
flower OF the land. Educated in our
free schools, our shops and colleges. 1t
is not an exaggeration to say that this
million OF young men from II to 5is not
eXcelled i'll any nation on the face of the
earth in education. skill aud enterprise.
Now comes before them the two polit-
ical parties with their principles and
record to decide between. First, the
Democratic party with its dead and re-
pudiated principles Of the past, and its
equivocal purposes of the future. This
army of men can read and think; and
they read i'll the history of the past thirty
years of the country the record of the
Democratic party. Its attempt to open
the free territories to the curse of slavery,
and, as consequence, the exclusion of
free labor. Its passage of the Fugitive
Slave bill, and enforcement of it. It's
defense of the bred Scott decision which
promulgated the planters dogma that
negroes had no rights which the white
man was bound to respect. After its
failure to legislate slavery into the
territories their attempt to carry
it in with the aid of shot guns and
bowie knives. Next, aid and comfort to
the rebellion; their declaration that the
war for the Union was n failure; oppo-
sition to the financial measures which
have brought the credit and money of
the nation to par with the richest
nations of the earth. After stultifying
its record by its nominations, the Demo
cratic party has no reason to present for
elevation to the management of the af-
fairs of the Republic except desire for
the Offices and public emoluments.
With such bad and tmpatriotic record
in the past, and such equivocal princi-
pies mt least for the future, is it safe, is it
indeed likely that this army of intelli-
gent new voters are going to elevate such
a party to power? We think not; we
are sure not.
They will not fall into the ranks with
Wade Hampton and the rebel brigadiers,
and cast their political fortunes with the
party, and march with the men, upon
whose hands is the blood of 100000
union soldiers called ut by the martyred
Lincoln to save the nation from the same
party and same men. They read III the
directory Of the present Democratic con-
gress-the congress which will control
the action of Gen. Hancock, if he should
be ected,-that of the delegations from
the eleven rebel states numbering SO,
not less than " are ex-Confederates.
Here is O record as it stands:
Congressional Ex-Con-
Delegation. federates.
hlaDailu. ..................l ~