Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-07-02
Mistakes Of the Campaign.

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have been made by the Democrats, and
it is to be hoped the Republicans will
allow them monopoly in that busi-
ness. So eager were the Democrats to
niure the Republican candidate for
President that they unloaded upon him
at once all the accusations that had
ever been made against him. The
ammunition that should have lasted
through the campaign was all eXpend-
ed in what was believed to be a for
midable broadside. In the first week
of the campaign the Democrats have
said all they can say against Garfield,
and for lack of damaging material are
publishing stories rather to his credit
than otherwise. In other words, they
have burned all their powder before
the real battle has opened, and with no
other effect than to arouse the resent
ment of Republicans against their old
opponents of the Democratic party.
Another mistake has been made by
the attempted combination of the oppo-
sition in Maine, in one Democratic or
fusion ticket This plan was tried in
Iowa some years ago and failed. In
1877 the Republican candidate for
Governor in Iowa received l2l, ,5l6
votes; the Greenback candidates;
,347; the Democratic, 78,995,
the Prohibition, l0,545. Startled
by the fact that the combined
Democratic, Greenback and Prohibition
vote exceeded the Republican vote in
stalwart Iowa, the opposition leaders
conceived the idea of defeating the Re-
publicans by running one ticket against
them in 1878. The result was that the
Republican candidate for Secretary of
State had majority of 9,457 over the
fusion candidate. The experiment was
so unsatisfactory in holding Greenback-
ers aloof from the Republican party
, that, in 1879, the opposition managers
returned to the old plan of putting two
tickets in the field, only to be buried
under Republican majority over all
of 23,S28.
In 1873 and 1879 the opposition man.
ayers in Maine put two tickets in the
; field, with the idea of weakening the
/. Republican ticket so much as to throw
the election into the Legislature. The
!, attempt of 1873 having increased the
Republican vote in 1879 from 56,5l8 to
: 68, 766, while the fusion vote showed no
/: increase at all, the policy of keeping
two tickets in the field has been aban-
doned, and the fusionists will concen-
trate this year ON one State ticket.
+ The Greenbackers of Republican ante
cedents will now have no excuse for
not acting with their old party, and al
the election in September Maine will,
+ by giving a large Republican majority
over all opposition, increase the impe.
tus of the movement that is TO engull
, the Democracy in November.
While the Democrats of the East have
, been deluded by the promise that lies
] in combinations, the Democrats of 9TH
er States have, in their rover-coniidence,
gone to the other extreme in their con-
temptuous treatment of the floating
vote. Given choice between Repub-
licanism and undiluted Democracy
many of the experimental third party
men can only return to the Republican
party.
d A favorite saving among the dilet-
tanti of politics for several months has
been that there was now so little differ.
ence in the principles of the great
parties that the issue became largely q
? question of men or candidates. As il
to disturb the imbecile self-complacency
of such men, the Democrats in Con
! gress, by their acts in the closing hours
: of the session, called attention to thu
wide difference in the Fundamental
principles of the two parties, and CAV,
:, opportunity to the President to write
= veto message more effective in the pres
ent state of public feeling than care
: fully prepared campaign document. Or
! one side is the party that preserved tn
J Union battling for the integrity of tn
!, Nation and resisting encroachment
)! upon National authority; on the othe
side is the party that went to pieces Of
:, the State-rights or secession issue, boil
I enough to raise again the old flag ant
. to begin again the work agains
} National unity. Not even the listles
f, idlers of politics are so stupid as not t
,t see the difference on this point and t
:, comprehend its significance.
i Since the nomination of Presiden
- tial candidate the Republicans hay
- shown more than usual anxiety I
= avoid mistakes. The organizatio
- y schemes in the different States seem t
y contemplate the earnest union and han
9! monious action of the factions i
e the late contest, and all the indication
- point to an alert and aggressive can
% paign ON the part of the Republicans
~ with disposition to take advantage G
q every mistake made by the Democrats
II Chicago Inter Ocean.