Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-16
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF REPUBLICAN,
SUCCESS IN OHIO.

When the Federal patronage passed into
the hands of the Democratic party there
were thousands to predict that in many
States where political parties were evenly
balanced the Democratic side would be
energized, and these doubtful States be-
come Democratic The State of Ohio can
cast at any election which calls forth the
full voting strength of that commonwealth
nearly eight hundred thousand votes. For
the most part Ohio has been carried by the
Republicans, but in latter times it is sell
dom the majority of that party has ex-
ceeded twenty thousand. This is but two
and a half per cent. of the voting strength
of the State. The State cannot be said to
be Republican or Democratic, where the
majority in a single election does not ex-
coed FIVE per cent. of its voting strength.
A very slight disafection toward the nom
inees of party may influence the action
of two voters in each hundred, aud two
votes taken from one party and given to the
other makes the difference equivalent to
four. Iowa may be said to be a Republi-
can State. There, in a vote of four or five
hundred thousand, the Republican major
ity has often reached G00O0 Likewise
Georgia may be said to be a Democratic
State, where in vote of 10000 the Dem
ocratic majority has reached the colossal
figure of 10000. But the majority of 15,-
600 to 10000 in 100000, as in the State of
Ohio, proclaims the doubtful character of
the result between the parties, and should
classify the State in the doubtful list. In
the election which has Just been held in
that State, the Federal patronage was on
the side of the Democrats, and notwith-
standing the large disafection from the
Republican ranks to those of the Prohibi-
tionists, the State has given the usual Re
publican majority. 1t is doubtful IN any
case whether the distribution of patronage
by party is a source of strength or
weakness. For every individual APP
pointed to Federal Office there
are ten disappointed; the selection
of one is the rejection of dozen. The
control of public patronage is usually a
prolific source of inharmony, and the re-
suit in Ohio may be accepted as a plain
indication that the relative strength of the
two great parties IN the United States has
not changed with she change of National
Administration. The Republican party
bad control of and distributed the Federal
patronage for a quarter of century.
Through discussions arising out of that
distribution, the party aas lost many State
elections. Ii is within tle recollection of
those familiar with the political history of
this State that the distribution of Federal
patronage in the interest of George C.
Gorham's candidacy for the United States
Senatorship created dissensione which re-
suited in an open rupture between the
warning factions of the Republican party,
and secured the election of William Ir-
win as Governor and the subsequent cleo
ton of James T. Farley to the United
States Senate. Instances, both in
this State and others, might be mul-
tiplied, all clearly illustrating the disad-
yantages inseparable from the sYonsibility
of distributing tie extensive patronage Of
the Government by party, and yet keep
peace and harmony within It's ranks Bul