The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-09-23

The Fusion Complete,

AUGUSTA. Me-. Sept. 22.-The agony in
Maine appears to be over at last. The
last OK carts have arrived from Aroostock,
and the Republican Associated Press
agency at Portland admits this morhine
the election OF Plaisted by a plurality OF
i74. Unless a few more spurious votes
are injected into the count. the day appears
TO be lost to the Republicans But yes
terday an event happened which will
lniuse new hope into the breast Of Blaine
and his fellow workers. The Greenback
state convention met at Augusta, aud
adopted resolution favorIng fusion with
the Democrats on the electoral ticket, en-
the plan agreed some time since. but this
action. which BODIED evil to the admins.
tration party, not cnly in Maine, but all
over the country. had scarcely been taken,
when Solon Chase. the patriarch of the
Maine Greenbackers. arose and left the
hall. accompanied by seventy"two other
Greenbackers. These bolters then pro
ceed TO another hall. and nominated a
straightout Greenback electoral ticket.
This split In the Greenback rahks. unless
it can be closed By some means, does
away with all uncertainty as to the vote Of
Maine in November, and brings that state
squareiy into the Garfield column 1t is
PVcctolC tAdS UT0aCu p6LWGC0
the two Greenbaok factions can be
closed. The agreement between the
Democrats and Greenbackers, in
pursuance of which the former
supported Plaisted, required division of
IL g electoral ticket. To violate the agree
ment would be most fragrant act of bad
faith The democrats have performed
their part of the contract, and it remained
for the greenbackers to perform theirs.
That the mass of the party were disposed
to do SO is shown 10 the complexion of the
convention yesterday. which was over
whelmingly in favor of fusion, Out of 465
mem bers, only 72 could be found to fol-
low Solon Chase and the advice of General
Weaver. But these 72 can make as much
mischief as il they were half of the conven-
ton. for a very few votes for their straight
out ticket will spoil the small maiority
which the combined opposition appears to
have. Solon Chase is the most influential
man IN the greenback party In Maine.
He is also pig headed old soft-money
fanatic. and If his seventy two followers
should desert him he would organize HIM
self into q convention and nominate
straieht-out electoral ticket. Aud it
would get good many votes, too. Chase
was sustained by General Weaver and
the unanimous voice of all the greenback'
ers in the country in demanding the nom
ination of a full electoral ticket. Just
what the sentiment oJ the greenbackers
in general will be IS to the split.
now il has taken place, can not now
be stated. of course, but it will proba-
bly, favor Chase. The sudden rising of
their star in Maine bad filled the party
with new hope, and they had resolved to
stand hercaforsh sIopa fraa from, all on
alliances, especially On national
issues The Greenback spectre suddenly
rose anew, terror to both the old parties,
The split in Maine will probable calm the
fears of both parties, but IL will not dis
hearten the Greenbackers. Hope springs
eternal in the Greenback breast. The sue
cess of Plaisted had already begun to have
D marked effect on the canvass in Indiana,
for it was felt there that the Greeuback
party of 1880 was a new affair altogether,
aud not simply the diminishing remains
Of the Greenback party OF two and three |
years ago, Now that the chances that it |
will carry one state are destroyed, and the |
remote possibility of the election being |
thrown into the house is made still more |
remote. the old parties will settle down to |
lighting each other With good deal iess |
of the feeling that mutual enemy may |
be lurking in the bushes which will ambush |
them both. But the straight out bolt In |
Maine, while it will afford the Republicans |
10 that state some small compensation for |
their defeat in the gubernatorial election, |
will not conceal the fact that they haze
been defeated in that combat. nor neutra- |
ize the depressing effect of that defeat |
n the Garfield eaavsss throughout the
country, |