Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-04-27
THE oHI0 FIELD.

FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL..N. 1888
THE ONO FIELD.
This political hive which Of late years
has become the house Of the Republican
q ueen-bee is now thespot on which the
telescopes of American politicians are be-
ing adjusted for minute observation. 1t
is one Of the four States Illinois. New
York and Pennsylvania being the other
three, from which, the far seeing mana
gers of both great political parties think
their candidate for 1884 ought to come.
Up to the Spring Of last year there was no
serious discussion about the question OF
Ohio being Republican State on nation
al questions. At that time the first local
elections, since the assassination of Presi-
dent Garfield had intensified the breach
between the two factions of the Republic
can party, took place. Some OF the re-
suits of those elections were surprising.
One was the election of Democratic
Mayor for Cincinnati, and another, even
still more unlocked for, was Democrat
ic majority in Cleveland OF 2,2O0. Much
of this was attributed at the time to the
unpopularity of the Pond law, q new liquor
law which 1t was claimed had alienated
much OF the German vote from the Re-
publican party, and it was confidently pre-
dicted that this detection was but tempo
rary and confined to local questions. But
when the congressional election came
along last fall, and district after district
fell before the Democracy, revolutionizing
the complexion of the Ohio delegation.
the drift of the public mind became hard
or still for the Republican philosophers to
solve though the most popular party So
luton, at the time was that there was
"tidal wave" q political phenomena-a
name which the defeated often apply to
their reverses. Again this Spring. sur
prising Democratic successes came once
more for Enthusiastically in the two
cases before instanced, Cincinnati and
Cleveland. In the former city, whereas
the former Democratic Mayor had been
put in on q reform ticket, his Democratic
successor ran and was elected as "moss-
back Democrat of the purest ray. and
Cleveland which from 1900 in the Spring
had leaped to 1, 900 Democratic majority in
the fall, kept her majority up to the last
named figure.
It would appear probable from these
three consecutive elections that the Ohio
Democracy had ''eome to stay" but We
must not lay too much stress upon this.
Ohio in Presidential election has been
Republican State by from seven to twenty
Thousand votes, and if the split in the Re
publican party could be healed would very
likely be SO again. The assassination of
q favorite Ohio man was naturally felt
more deeply in his own State than any
where else in the country, and those who
heard the speeches of Hon. VIM. D. Hill,
Of Ohio, in the Virginia campaign, which
evidently had been delivered before in his
own State, can well understand what
deep and lasting effect such presentations
Of the event must have made in that State.
Doubtless they were made by every Dem
ocratic candidate in Ohio and, if as effec-
lively as Mr.. Hill, made marked and
possibly permanent change in the public
feeling. How reversal of this feeling
may be accomplished and union of the
two factions effected is now the upper
most question with the Ohio Republi-
cans. They hope that the fusion may be
made at the election of Governor and leg
islature this year. Had Ex-senator Thur
man run and been elected Governor of
Ohio in 1879 he would have been the Dem
ocratic nominee for President in 1880. If
Ex-Secretary Sherman runs for Governor
of Ohio and is elected this year he will be
very far on his way to the Republican
candidacy for President next year. But
the Ex-Secretary does not seem to highly
appreciate the opportunity offered him.
The three elections that have fallen Oh
the Ohio Republicans with trip-hammer
blows seem to have made him chary about
mounting the anvil. He evidently sees,
or thinks he sees. how deep the chasm be-
tween the Half-breeds and Stalwarts is in
his own State, and while he knows that
through no other door can he enter the
National Convention of his party with
any show of success, he hesitates to try
the knob of this enc. Perhaps he knows
more about the situation in the Buckeye
State than those outside. The contest
which be declines to enter is an important
one for not only would the election of
Democrat this year be a weakening blow
to the Republican canvass of 1884, but it
might also determine anew the place of that
State in National politics. On the other
hand the election of Repu blican Cover
nor will show progress in the healing of
the wound the State received in the
death of Garfield and furnish new can
didate for the Republican National Con-
vsntion.
No local contest in Virginia will attract
more attention on May oath, than that in
Norfolk county. Sheriff Lesner who has