Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-24
Additional Editorial.
Political Arithmetic.


In 1880 Gen. Garfield received in the
State of New York 555,544 votes and
Gen. Hancock 534, ,511 votes.
In 1882 Judge Folger, Republican can
didate for Governor, received 342.464
votes, and Mr.. Cleveland, Democratic
candidate. 535,31S. Mr. Folger had pre-
cisely 213,0SO votes fewer than Gen. Gar
field the year before, while Mr.. Cleveland
had only S07 votes more than had been
given to Hancock This shows that in
the election of 1882 more than $4,000
Republicans stayed away from the polls
and would not vote at all, while the body
uf Democratic voters was enlarged by
only S07, d smaller number than the ma
tural increase due to the growth of the
population. Thus Mr.. Cleveland's vast
majority came not from additions to the
Democratic party. but from the Austen
tion of dissatisfied Republicans unwilling
to give their suffrages to the Republican
candidate.
Who composed this mass of 213,000 ab-
staining Republican voters, and what
were their reasons for keeping away from
the polls? This is simple question, not
difficult to answer. They were the friends
and mourners of the murdered President
Garfield; and Judge FOlger, candidate for
Governor whom they dealt with thus
fatally, was the companion and represen-
tative of the Stalwart leader. Gen. Arr
thur, who had become President through
the death of Garfield. These $4,000 vo-
tiers kept away from the ballot boxes
through hostility to Folger and to Ar
thur. There was nothing in their act to
Indicate peculiar confidence in Mr.. Cleve-
land, or any desire for the success of the
Democratic party, 1t was simply an act
of revolt against the leader who had ac-
cidentally attained to the chief command
of the Republican army.
What light do these figures cast upon
the probabilities of 1884? In consider
ing this question the first fact to be OBJ
served is that the very sentiment and
the Identical men who thus executed
vengeance upon Folger and Arthur In
1882. have now brought about the nom
ination of Mr.. Blaine. 1t was the ghost
of Garfield and the candidacy of Arthur
that nominated Blaine, and this nomina-
tion merely continues the same policy
and illustrates the same passions which
led to the overthrow of Folger in 1882.
1t was the friends and mourners of Gar
field who beat Folger; and it is the
friends aud mourners of Garfield who
are endeavoriBg to elect Blaine now.
But there is a rebellion against Blaine;
and who are the rebels? Is their rebel
lion conducted by the Stalwarts, of whom
Arthur and Folger are the chiefs? Does
it spring from desire for vengeance for
the defeat of Folger2 No, it does not; it
is conducted by an altogether different
faction. Curiously enough, the present
Republican rebels who will not have
anything to do with Mr.. Blaine
would seem to be made up chiefly
from the Free Trade wing of the Re
publican party. The centers of their
movement are in Boston, New Haven,
and New York. They are political econ
Omists rather than politicians. and as to
their number, there is no present means
of telling how great it may be.
The figures of 1883 also have their
suggestions. and pregnant they are. In
that election the lowest Republican can
didate, Davenport, obtained $1,000 votes
more than Judge Folger the year before,
while the highest Democratic candidate,
Chaplin, ran nearly 10000 behind the
vote of Cleveland. This shows that
nearly one-half the Republicans who had
obstained the year before had come back,
and that one-siXth of the Democrats who
had voted the year before, bad now ao
stained.
The election of this fall will unques-
tionably bring out very large proper
ton of the whole number of the voters.
In the eight years between the election
of 1868, when Seymour and Grant OBJ
tanned together $4,000 votes, and that of
1876, when Hayes and Tilden aggregated
1,0l1, 900, there was an increase of 100000
in the voting force of the State. 1t is
not an extravagant estimate that in the
eight years that have since elapsed the
increase has been sufficient to make the
voting force at the polls in November
deliver the mighty number OF 100000
ballots.
Put how will these ballots be divided
That is a question which no intelligent
politician will attempt now to answer
with dogmatic poSitivenesS. Taking the
new 10000 voters who will now vote
for the first time, no one will say before
hand whether the majority of their votes
will be given to Cleveland or Blaine; anu
yet this majority may determine the re-
suit of The whole election. No doubt Mr..
Cleveland will get "a large array of suf-
frages from the boiling Republicans, but,
on the other hand, we fear he will lose
many votes among that most respectable
and enthusiastic portion of our citizens
who are represented by VIM. Purcell OF
Rochester. Then. again, there Is no
means of knowing how many working
men will go against him from distrust Of
his views as regards the question of free
trade and the protection of American in
dustry; and this is a loss not likely to be
overbalanced by accessions from Repub'
lican workingmen who are freetraders
Thus. it is most perplexed problem.
But at any rate the figures we have
given above are deeply interesting, and
the political arithmeticians will do well
to study them with careful thought
While they record the past acts of this
people. they ought also to indicate what
NAV be in the future. But it will take a
great deal of the power of seeing into a
rillstone to understand at present Just
what this, future is to ben. Y. sun,