Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-16
The Real Cause of the Ohio Victory.

The Real Cause of the Ohio Victory.
The Radical press is frantically en-
deavoring to find some plausible excuse
for the recent defeat of their party in
Ohio, and it seems that by common con-
sent they have agreed to fasten it upon
the temperance issue. The Republicans,
they say, advocated temperance aud the
observance of Sunday, while the Demo
Gratis were in favor of no Sunday and
unrestrained freedom for whisky
drinking. This, they assert, arraYed
the liquor men in mass against the Re
publicans and IN favor Of the Democra-
cy, and hence the defeat of the former
and victory of the latter.
This, if true, would naturally be a
good reason why the highly moral in
New York, Pennsylvania and other
States, where there are so many signs of
wholesale defections from the ranks of
Radicalism. should stick to their colors,
but, unfortunately, it is far fetched, and
cannot be maintained 1t is certainly a.
very dubious compliment which the Re
publican press pay to Ohio when
they say that the whisky drink
ing element so far Outnumbers
the temperance element in that common
wealth as to overcome a Radical major
ity of over 10000. and carry the State
for the Democrats by over 10000, be-
sides giving them a gain of nine mem
bers of Congress. Still. if the Demo
cratic successes had been confined to the
cities there might be some plausibility in
the statement. They were not, however.
The country showed as large, and, rela-
lively, even larger, Democratic gains
than did the cities, and even the old
Western Reserve-that heretofore
well nigh impregnable stronghold
of Radicalism-felt the effect of the
popular revolution in sentiment, and
polled more votes for the Democracy
than ever before known in its history
Strong temperance localities all over the
State, too, showed increased Democratic
strength, and it is a significant fact that
the prohibitiOnists, who ran ticket of
their own, showed greater gains, in pro-
portion, than did the Democratic.
1t is very clear, then, that the brilliant
success of the Democracy of the Buck
eye State on Tuesday was by no means
due to the anti-temperance element 1t
was owing to something far more impOr-
tant and substantial than that Let
the Republicans shut their eyes to
the truth as much as they
may, and let them endeavor to
explain away the real cause of their dis
comfture as ingeniOusly as they can, the
fact still remains patent to any rejecting
mind that the Radicals were defeated
because of a general disgust with, and
fear of the encroachments OF, Radicalism.
The reckless disregard of the public vel
fare displayed by the 47th Congress at its
recent session; the greed which the lead
ers in that body displayed to rake the
Treasury; the failure of Congress to do
ANYTHING whatever to relieve the
over burdened tax-paying masses,
Notwithstanding that the revenues col
lected from the people last year amount
ed to a surplus of $3.50. 1000, 900, and
last, but by no means least, the danger
GUS spirit of interference by the Federal
administration in State affairs, all these
combined justly excited alarm and awoke
the Ohio people to the dangers of con-
tinuing the Radical party longer in
power.
These are the true reasons why the
Democrats carried Ohio by such decis-
i've majority, and it is due to such sub
stantial reasons as these that New York
and Pennsylvania are also becoming rest
i've. and will, ON the seventh of next month
likewise cast their lots with the DemOc-
racy. The Republican party has been in
power so long that it has become arrogant
and bold, defying the public, and relying
only upon money to purchase success.
But it has gone too far. The people
are still sovereign, and are aroused to the
determination to assert their sovereignty.
1t seems that there is virtue enough still
left in the land to induce the people to
rise supreme to corruption funds, and
maintain their rights and dignity when
assa;led either by Congress or the ad-
ministration.