Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-08-05
A Look Ahead.

grip of the Solid South. Albania holds
an election on August 2, and if every
one of her citizens could cast free bal
lot and have it fairly counted would be
a Republican State. But with all the
machinery of elections and returns in
the hands of the Democrats, there will
be no contest to speak of. The expert
ence at the last State election of the Re
publicans in the counties of the BLACK
Belt" where they outnumber their op-
ponents nearly two to one, showed them
that it made no difference what ballots
went into the boXes,-a Democratic ma
jority was always produced at the count.
Arkansas votes on the 9th of September.
The old white Unior element in the
western part of that State Joined to the
blacks of the Mississippi and Arkansas
River bottoms constitute a Republican
majority, but the former rebels have full
control of affairs, and will hold on to
their power at any cost of fraud. Next
comes Vermont, which has State cleo
tion on the 9th of September. Vermont
is "the star that never SETS" A Repub-
lican victory there is as sure as sunrise
on election day. 1t has never once fail
ed since the Republican party was organ
lied. The proportions of the victory
this year will bea matter of Importance,
however, and will be closely scanned by
both parties throughout the country for
evidences of the drift of public opinion.
The Green Mountain Republicans must
not think that because their triumph is
so sure it is out of their power to aid
their party in the National contest. The
greater their majority the better will be
the chances for success in the close
States.
The Maine canvass, which begins in
August and ends Oil the 18th of Septem-
Der, promises to be briskly fought, and
the result will have good deal of intiu-
ence on the outcome of the great No
vember battle. A fusion between the
Democrats and Greenbackers unites the
forces opposed to the Republicans, which
ran separate State tickets year ago,
and only Joined in certain localities to
support candidates for the Legislature.
1t is not probable, however, that the en-
tire Greenback strength Of 1879 can be
controlled for the coalition ticket. The
hard money declaration in the Cincin-
natl platform will repel many honest
Greenbackers from a combination that
is plainly devoid of principle, and others
will have too much sense of decency and
honor to indorse the shameless tricks
and frauds perpetrated by Garcelon and
Pillsbury last Fall. Meanwhile the Re
publicans are united and earnest in their
determination to rebuke the outrage on
the suffrage attempted by the Fusion
managers, and to give the National
ticket the help of a good round majority.
Under the leadership of Mr.. Blaine,
whose defeat at Chicago will not cause
him to relax in the least the efforts to
which the Maine Republicans are So
much indebted for their triumphs in the
past, they will, we are confident. win
one of their old-time victories.
Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia vote
on the 18th of October. Whatever the
Democratic newspapers may say, saga
| tnia y1nlitioI1nc to;,
no hope of carrying Ohio, and will lay
out no more effort or money in that
State than may be necessary to make a
surface show of an active canvass, and
to take advantage of whatever chances
NAV exist for securing the close Con-
gressional Districts. General Garfield's
personal strength and popularity in his
own State will give the Republicans an
easy and decisive victory. Indiana ap-
upon the list of effects of the Democrat
ic party which can be relied upon. The
Republicans do not concede the State to
their opponents, however. They will
make great effort to put it back in the
line where it used to stand in the days
of Oliver p. Morton's. brilliant leader
ship. They are undoubtedly stronger
chan they were in 1876, when the Dem
ocratic majority at the October election
was only 5,Os4. The decline of Green
backism has brought back to their ranks
some thousands of voters who strayed off
four or five years ago; the negro immi-
grafton of the past two years has given
them two or three thousand new re-
cruits, and the nomination by the Dem
ocrats for Governor of Franklin W.
Landers, one of the worst soft-money
demagogues in the West, will cause
large numbers of hard-money Germans
to vote the Republican ticket who have
never voted it before. There is at last
an even chance for Republican victory
in Indiana, without taking into account
the Importance of General Gargeld's per-
sonal following in the State, or the ex-
cellent qualities of the Republican NOM
inee for Governor. If We carry Indiana
in October, the Presidential battle will
be more than half won.
West Virginia has been hopelessly
Democratic State almost ever since the
rebel soldiers stopped fighting and re-
sumed voting the Democratic ticket;
but this year there are such contentious
in the dominant party that the Republi-
cans think they have fair chance to
win. Besides the aid they get from the
quarrels of their opponents, they are
helped by the popularity of General Gar
field, who is especially liked by one of
the most numerous religious sects, the
Disciples, by reason of his successful
defence in the Courts of the will of
Alexander Campbell, the founder Of the