The Portland daily press., 1884-10-27
The Last Week.


This is the last week of the great contest
which is to determine whether the Nation
will have Republican or a Democratic ad-
ministration during the mex, four years.
Whatever is NOS done at the end of the week
to influence TIE public judgment can hardly
be accomplished at all. Sunday and Mon
day will be given up by the politicians to
perfecting the details of arrangements for
getting out the vote, but the appeals which
are apt to influence the judgment will all
have been made by Saturday night, and the
voters of this fifty-fve millions of people will
have made up their minds about what they
shall do, except perhaps that small venal
contingent whose votes are bartered for
cash at the polls, happily not enough we be-
lieye in any State to change the result from
what the earnest and uncorrupted citizens
would make it.
Probably there never was a campaign of
which the people were more weary. 1t will
be a satisfaction to have it ended whatever
the result may be. 1t has been peculiarly
offensive in the manner in which it was car
ried on, and more demoralizipg in every way
than any other with which men in middle
life have remembrance. If there were
meaner or more nasty campaigns before the
war it must nevertheless oe accounted mis-
fortune that this one has been such as it
has been. There is no need to discuss why
it has had such character; everybody
knows the reasons, and it is much to be
hoped that this years experience will lead
for its repetition. A great majority of all the
people, we are confident, will desire 10 avoid
another campaign which involves in SIM
liar way questions of the personal integrity
and personal purity of the candidates. If
aspiring politicians have learned lesson
concerning the desirabiity of avoiding
wrong doing and the appearance of evil that
perhaps will be something gained.
We have strong confidence that the
people will elect the Republican candidates
aud prevent the disturbances and mischiefs
that would result from placing Democratic
administration in control at the present
time. This convection does not rest upon the
claims OF party committees and candidates
who are bound to seem confident wheth-
er they are SO or not. 1t is their business
to keep up appearances and encourage their
followers with The promise of success. Both
sides do it with an equal show of profound
onviction. But from other sources we
have information that leads us to believe
tho Ranuhlioop nart1 mill alao, Sc on,,5i
dates. The conditions are such that it is
unusually difficult, and we believe practi-
cally impossible, for anybody to be certain
regarding the issue. For generation there
has been only one election, that of 1915, so
much in doubt at this Stage, and there are
this year more incalculable conditions by
which the most candid may be deluded than
there were then. The Democrats cannot
win without New York; the rest Of the
Northern States which anybody considers
doubtful will not suffice. The Republicans
of New York believe that they can carry
that State, but we can succeed without it If
we hold the other Northern States, and of
this there is now good ground for confident
expectation.
The indications are now strongly in our
favor. This weeks work is likely to better
the prospect. The enormous risk involved
in trusting the Democratic party as at pre-
sent constituted, with its inexperienced can
didate, its peIverse old leaders and sordid
new ones, its revolutionary traditions and
uncertain policy, grows more apparent and
more appalling as the day of decision draws
near. All the motives of conservative inter-
terest which desire safe continuance in The
paths of enlightened progress hitherto pur-
sued by the Republican party contend for us,
and will make it difficult for thinking men
to sanction such change as the Democratic
party offers.