Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-12-30
The Democratic Drought.

attention to this fact. While Mr.. Johr
Kelly was vainly seeking for the expla.
nation of that memorable defeat, and
preparing a 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 Access
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
reioinder 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
difficulty, do not seem to consider that
their party is a 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 of, but it must come at 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 it's
present very able political management,
is sound Democratic State, gave
Tilden majority of 49, in 1876, and
Hancock a majority of %, ,000in 1880, and
this, too, in face ofthe 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
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 of, this year. Tilden
had SO, 772 majority; Hancock has 53,-
900 majority. Maryland shows de-
crease of about 5000 in this year s
Democratic majority, and Mississippi,
in which was invented the celebrated
plan for suppressing Republican votes,
gave Tilden a popular majority of 59,-
568, while Hancock gets only $4,000.
What falling off is there, our country
men! What an immense food of Repub-
lican colonization must have poured
into North Carolina that it should give
Hancock the contemplate majority of
7,000 whereas it gave Tilden $4,000,
four years ago. South Carolina, the
home of the rife club and the tissue
ballot, stands nobly by it's past history,
it is true, and rolls up q 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
q Tilden majority of A, 112 in 1876; and
West Virginia gives a Democratic ma
jority now of 1000, against one of 49,
384 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
ii, 800 majority; Hancock has only
/ 300. Here is q dead loss of nearly |
10000 votes. Where have they gomez
New York, which showed q Democratic
majority of &c. ,568 in 1876, has Repub-
lican majority of more than $4,000 this
year. Connecticut and Vermont, from
which the astute Mr. John Kelly de-
clared that the wicked Republicans
would draw their "colonists,H on cleo
tion day seem to have had Republican
votes to spare, This year, Connecticut
gave Garfield u majority of 2,570; in
1876 she gave Tilden l.712 majority. 1t
looks as ii the voters who were absent
on election day, this year, were all
Democrats, As we have seen, Vermont
leld her own, for, in spite of the depart
ire of "hOrdes' from the slums of the
Green Mountains to vote in New York
Ind Indiana, there were enough left at
lome to increase the Republican major
ty from 1888 (Which It was in 1870
o $4,000 this year And the same is
rue of Pennsylvania, whence, we are
old, came other Republican "repeat-
,rs' in hordes. Against a majority of
!, ,375 for Hayes in 1876, we find one of
2, 341 for Garfield this year. And Mas
achusetts, another of the States sup
,osed to be able and willing to furnish
Republican colonists to all applicants,
rave Garfield amajoritY which is 10000
,otes greater than that secured by Hayes
Il 1876.
And in the face of figures like these
he Democrats, dazed with astonishment,
gonder where the New York Republi-
ans got all their votes from. A care
al survey of the field, comparing this
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