The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-27
Warren, o., Tribune.]

The New York Sun and the journals which
follow its evil example grossly misrepresent
the facts in regard to the vote for General Gar
field at different elections IN the nineteenth
district. In 1874 there was great falling-off
in the Republican vote of Ohio, which was
largely the result of gross neglect of duty by
the Republicans of the Yves tern Reserve
General Garfield suffered with other candi-
dates on the Republican ticket, but the reduc-
tion of his majority was far from being wholly
caused by personal ill-will towards him. It
was the result of the general apathy and dis
satisfaction which prevailed that year in the
Republican party.
In 1872 General Garfield's majority was 10,
$685. General Wikoff was at the head of the
State ticket as candidate for secretary of State.
BIS majority was 1889 in the counties COM
posing the ninteenth distinct, and was fifty
four greater than Garfeld's. But of the total
number of Republican votes cast in the dis
trict Garfield received only thirteen less than
were cast for Wikoff Garfeld's vote was 49, 1879;
Wikoff's 19.202
In 1874 General Wikoff's vote in this district
was Ii, 4s3, falling off of nearly four thous-
and votes from 1872. General Garfeld's vote
was 1851, a decrease of 658S from 1872. He
ran behind General Wikoff less than 5000 votes
In other words, he lost about $500 votes as the
result of the bitter and unprecedented war
which was waged against him by both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans. The hasty and ill-ad-
vised action of the Republicans was the princi-
pie cause of his loss of votes. The Trumbull
county convention, without waiting to hear
the satisfactory explanation which General
Garfield could make of his vote on the salary
. bill, passed resolutions condemning him; the
Warren Chronicle, the only Republican paper
in Trumbull county at the time, teemed with
articles against him in both prose and poetry,
and some Of the latter is now going the rounds
OF the Democratic newspapers as campaign
document. Many Republicans in the other
counties of the district, misled by the clamor,
joined in the attack, and of course the Demo-
Gratis made the most of the capital thus fur
nisked Thousands upon thousands of copies
of the New York Sun, and another prominent
newspaper, containing the most elaborate and
violent attacks on General Garfield, were free
ly circulated, and no means were neglected to
reduce his vote. The best and most popular
Democrat in the district, DR.. d. B. Woods of
Warren, was his competitor. Yet with such
opposition, and such candidate pitted against
him, only $500 votes were turned away from
him, and his majority was 101 votes greater
than the whole number which were cast for
Dr. Woods!
In 1876 General J. S. Easement of Paines-
vile, brave Union soldier and popular Re-
publican, was nominated as General Garfeld's
competitor, and was supported by the anti
Garfield Republicans and the Democrats and
Greenbackers. Easements total vote in the
district was II ,349, nearly twice as large as
that of Dr. Woods in 1874, on account Of the
union OF all the opposition parties in his sup
port Garfeld's vote was 20,012, gain of 1921
over his vote in 1874, and 1923 more than he re-
ceived in 1872 His majority in 1876 was $3.50,
gain of 2314 over his majority in 1874.
In 1878 the Democratic legislature of Ohio
had gerrymandered Garfeld's district by
throwing out the Republican county of Por-
tage, and adding the then Democratic county
of Mahoning. In that year General Garfield
received II jog votes He had three competi-
tors, supported respectively by the Democratic,
Greenback and Prohlbitionist parties. The
total votes cast for these three candidates was
1879. Garfelds majority over his leading
competitor was 96l3, and his majority over all
was 6o61. Milton Barnes was in that year at
the head OF the Republican State ticket, as
candidate for secretary OF State. His vote in
Garfield district was 17246, only Sc votes
more than were cat for General Garfield,
These figures taken from the official returns,
show that when q sufficient time had ELAPSED
for passions to cool, and for the truth to be-
come known, only eighty-six Republicans in the
nineteenth district continued to oppose Gener-