Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-26
STRAIT DOOMED.
Facts and Figures Showing His Defeat
Certain.

Facts and Figures Showing His Defeat
Certain.
To the Editor of the Globe.
FARIBAULT, Oct. 23, 1S80.-In his electioneer-
ing efforts Major Strait finds it difficult to ex-
plain away the depressing effectof his having
been defeated. two years ago. by his present
representation. Henry Poehler. To overcome
this dead weight he land his friends) argues
iris way: 1T is true was defeated two years
ago by Mr.. Poehler, but that vas an off year,
and the voters did not come out; but two
years before that Tin 1876 carried the district
by over 1000 majority, and this being Presi-
DENTAL year, the full Republican vote will be
out and will be elected" Now, it is difficult
| to understand why all these Republicans who
did not think enough of him to come out and
vote for him two years ago, will do SO this
year, except UPON the theory that
they are SO ignorant they will
vote for Garfield and Arthur, and the balance
of the ticket (including congressman without
caring who these ''small fry are. This is
certainly not very complimentary to the intel
igence of these Republicans. But he knows
he was not the choice of large majority of the
Republicans of the district, and secured his
nomination and the defeat of Hon. Gordon E.
Cole, by the Vaccination of the oficeholders,
and he must say something.
propose, however, to show that there is
| no foundation for any such explanation for
his defeat, as he gives. The fact is he was
beaten two years ago because he was not the
choice of majority of the voters of this dis
| trict and Hon. Henry Poehler was. Now for
| the facts and figures to sustain this state
ment.
| In the first place let it be borne in mind that
| in 1876 the Democrats, knowing the State to
be hopelessly Republican, made no effort to
carry it for Tilden, and let that part of the
contest go by default, while the Republicans
made every effort to maintain their majority.
With this advantage, and as the tail to the
Presidential kite, Maj. Strait was
mot majority of over 1000. In that
campaign Hon. /. Donnelly was the candidate
of the Nationals for Congress, and received
about 1910 votes, and as it is impos-
sible to tell how the men who voted for Dom
nelly would have voted, if only Strait and
Wilder had been the candidates, the vote of
| Strait and Wilder for Congress in 1876 cannot
be regarded as any indication favorable to Mr..
| Strait in the present contest. On the con-
trary all reliable data goes to show that he is
not only weak candidate, but that he is not
the choice of the people of this district. Go.
| ing back to 1874 we find that after receiving
| over 1000 Democratic votes in Scott, Carver
and McLeod, his majority over Hon. E. St..
Julian Cox was only 22l. Had Judge Cox
polled the Democratic vote of these counties,
| as Wilder and Poehler did since, Mr.. Strait
would then Tin 1879 have been beaten by ], 800
majority.
Coming down to the vote of two years ago, 1
find that MIR. POehler received ID, 467, and that
Mr., Strait received Is, 743. making Mr.. Poeh-
ler'a majority (not plurality over Mr.. Strait,
724. assert that this majority of Mr.. Poehler
| ia not to be attributed to Republicans
staying at home. Honesty will
compel any fair reminded person to admit that
the same proportion of Democrats stayed at
| home. No one ever worked harder to get out
the full vote of his party, than did Mr.. Strait
two years ago; and it is childish and silly for
| him to say now that he was defeated because
Republicans stayed at home. He will have to
admit that any one who desired him to repre-
present him in Congress would have come out
and voted for him. The conclusion is irresist-
able that majority of the voters did not want
| MIR. Strait to represent them in Congress.
But we have further and later evidence that
this district is not a Republican district; and
that by immigration, and changes of political
opinions, it has become Democratic district
The vote for governor in this district last fall
should be fair test. Certainly, Mr.. Strait
| cannot say it is not. Neither candidate for
governor resided in this district, and the Demo-
| Gratis did not expect to elect Hon. Edmund
Rice-their candidate. The vote for governor
in this district last year was as follows: Hon.
Edmund Rice, 1886; Hon. J. 8. Pillsbury,
| IT, 16S; Democratic majority, 70S. This shows
conclusively that there is no foundation for
MIR. Straits claim that he is sure of an election
because this is q Presidential election. He
will hardly claim it to be mere accident, or
coincidence, that Mr.. Poehler's majority two
years ago was 724, and that of the Democratic
candidate for governor was 7O8. That won't do,
major. The explanation lie ''too thin
Mr.. Strait knows this and is doing all in his
power to steal Democratic votes. I use the
word 'steal" advisedly, for when a man Sc
cures votes that belong to the opposite party,
by the disreputable means that he is known to
resort to. it is nothing but stealing. And the
man claiming to be Democrat
| who would vote for Mr.. Strait, when he
is thus shown to be certain of defeat, and
| would oppose Gen. Hancock our next Presi-
dent, if he (strait? was elected, is without
character or principle, and unfit to exercise
the freeman's right of voting for those who
are to make his countrys laws and administer
the govern ment. CITIZEN.