Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-06

earnestly warned the republicans has proved
the fatal one. The stay-at-home voters de-
cided the matfef: the vote was light, but the
republicans who did not take the trouble 70
vote outnumbered the democratic. The apathy
naturally following the extraordinary STRAIN
Of last year affected the party then defeated,
while the democrats we're flushed with their
first Presidential victory for quarter OF
century. A very much smaller vote than Was
cast for Mr. Blaine would have sufieed to
bury Mr.. Hill, but the republicans we're NOT
aroused 70 cast such . vote. Against them
were all the power and patronage OF new ad-
ministra.ion The democrats know thew can
afford to neglect everything else, If they can
hold New York and the Solid South They
have concentrated everything upon New OK.
Regardless of precedent, they have taken
from that State not only the President, out
the Secretary Of the Treasury and the sec
retary of the Navy. with their enormous pat
ronaee and power. The Civil Service Re-
form Administration fought nobly for MI.
Hill, missing no opportunity, from the pig
raf3es in the Custom House to the widely
advertised subscriptions of the President ana
members of his Cabinet Indeed. not SIN
gle republican subscription in this city, from
banker, merchant or so-called millionaire,
eoualled that of Mr.. Cleveland himself, or
that Of Mr. Manning or of Mr.. Whitney, and
hardly one equxlled that of Mr. Clevelands
private secretary. Thus fOrcibly were the
virtues of suppessing "odensive partisanshlp'
in Office illustrated.
But the republican phalanx is neither
routed nor broken As the significant gain
in Oneida shows, it is more heartily united
than /, has been at anv other time for many
wears, and though beaten on the State ticket,
it holds both branches of the State legislature
by strong msjorites. The severe storm in
the interior, which made the vote lighter, did
not cost the republicans any seats in the leg
stature. The plain truth seems to be that
many republican voters did not expect to
succeed this year. against the concentration
of power by the Administration to save itself,
and therefore did not make the efforts neces-
sary to success. Curiously enough many
other republicans, after Ohio, and after the
vociferous return of certain newspapers, be-
came over-confdent, and hence further
loss. Others thought an of year was good
time to indulge in prohibition vote.
1t is not to be forgotten that defeat of
the administration this year in New York
would have been wonderful and almost I'M
precedented phenomenon. Not once, since
present political divisions have existed or for
nearly half a century, has an administration
been beaten in the Presidents own State in
the first year after his election. A defeat SO
humiliatng, no President of either party
since Van Buren, has had to face. The re-
publican voters were not able to realize that
in few short months, the new administra-
ton had so weakened itself that full vote
would have insured such a phenomenal de-
feat. With no Congressman to be elected,
with no direct issue to force national ques-
tions upon their attention, they have suffered
the administration to retain the one Northern
State upon which it has concentrated its pow
er. And yet it is now plain that even the
Presidents own State might have been car
red BY the republicans this year, had they
realized their opportunity.