The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-09-18
THE REPUBLICAN BREAKDOWN IN
MAINE!

National Com mittee three days before the cleo
ton: "If we carry Maine by less than 'OO
majority call 1t defeat" The day after tn
election he telegraphed to Gen, Garfield: 9Th
Probabilities are in favor of Plaisted coming
out few hundred ahead. The result is undc
nlably a surprise to us and centrally to thu
democrats We have been beaten by money
from outside the state"
The latest figures from Maine yesterday
showed the vote still so close that neither par
ty gave 1t up, and 1t would take the oilicia
figures to decide but as not all the returns
from the "Aroostook country" were in it was
conceded that the republicans could make VI
any needed little deficiency from that quarter
and the election of Davis by two or three hun
dred is therefore generally conceded outside OF
the state
But were Plastcd elected by fair majority
of 500 or 1000 votes, none but the unsophlsti
Gated would have any idea of his ever being
inauguratcd governor of Maine. The repub
lcans own the returning board and all the
state machinery and would surely count him
out They had even made provision before
hand for that in submitting a constitutional
amendment to be voted on at the same election
with governor to count in" whichever candi
date should get a plurality of the votes. II
the proposition should be voted up and Davis
get the plurality he was to be declared elected
but if PlaistGd got the plurality the constitu
| l., L. H., Ia
faclle supreme court a nullity and the legisla'
turc would elect the governor So rs to which
party should have the governor (thc legsla.
ture by The way In which the state is gerry
wandered being sure for the republicans III
any event. it was simply the old game OF
"heads win, tails you lose"
But aside from this, whether the republican
governor Is elected by bare 800 in Name or
not, the result IS "A crushing republican defeat
all the same. The state has never, in twenty
years, given a republican majority of less than
| $1,000 at the state election in presidential
year, and a loss of $1,000 now on that MAORI.
ty is signal and disastrous defeat. 1t is death
to the republicans to lose single vote on their
majority OF 1876 anywhere, for they were de
ieated by quarter Of million of votes and
10 clcctora! votes then, and to fail to hold their
own now is helpless and hopeless rum.
And tho victory in Maine, though won IN
one sense by the greenbackers, is none the less
a democratic victory. The democrats are
fighting against the republicans, not the green
hackers 1t IS the break down of the republi-
can party, not of the greenback party that
will help them. AS the Chicago Times very
truthfully states it, "rhe result in Maine, after
all, is greater victory to the democratic party
of the whole country than to the inflationist
fororn hope headed by Mr. Weaver 1t will
benefit the democratic campaign in Indiana
more than all the barrels that Nj English
could possibly roll into the state. 1t will
make Indiana certain for Landers in October,
and Hancock in November 1t will bring
Ohio fairly into the list of doubtful states, and
take Connecticut and New Jersey as fairly out
of the doubtful list"
As to the childish whimper of Mr. Blaine
about being defeated by democratic money,
even the republicans treat 1t with jeering con
tempt They even exulted before the election
IN the poverty ofthe democrats and greenback-
ers, and boosted that ut single haul Blaine
had been supplied with 100000 by the Repub-
can National Committee. Doubtless pigs and
and potatoes are no more purchasable com
modlties in Illinois than voters in Maine, but
whether the greenbackers and democrats or
the republicans had most money to buy votes
with in Maine is question only fool would
TASK