The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-12-08
A BROAD VIEW.


A Statement of the Encouraging Result
o: tho November Election and the Good
Prospects of the Democracy for 1888.
Every one naturally looks at the No
vember elections with view to their
bearing upon the Presidency. There
are two ways of contemplating those
elections now in respect of the subjects
to be decided in 1885, One way is to
consider the comparative effect upon
the fortunes of candidates. Tho other
way is to consider the comparative eff
feet on the voting strength OF parties,
that is to say, the division which would
have taken place in the Electoral Col
lege if the Presidential election had
been determined on the basis of the
vote cast during the pres ent month.
There are 401 electoral votes in the
United States. Of the Electoral College
201 votes are a majority. In 1884 of
these 401 electoral votes PIG were cast
for Mr.. Cleveland and 1872 for Mr..
Blaine. At the elections lately held
States representing POI electoral votes
went unqualifiedly for the Democratic
ticket, and of the original Republican
States, Commonwealth aggregating
142 electoral votes went for the Repub-
lican ticket, without perceptible shrink
age The remaining 81 electoral votes
in the college were cast by States
which are legitimately to be character
lied as doubtful in the politics of the
future, and which the result this year
was very close-so close that in sew
elal of the States official returns will
be required to decide for which party
a majority of their people have cast
their ballots.
1t will thus be seen that if all the
surely Republican States and if all the
doubtful States were given to the Re-
publican party, that organization would
even then have but 1874 votes against
207 securely held by the Democratic
party. The opponents of the Demo-
cratic party will perceive that they
must devise or discover some method
of carrying the State of New York be-
fore they can hopefully expect to elect
the President of the United States.
New York seems to be permanent
stumbling block in the way of such
calculations. It has gone Democratic
over longer series of elections than
any which have passed consecutively
to the credit. of the Republican party
in this State in all the history of that
organization.
New York went Democratic in 1882,
in 1888, in 1884. in 1885 and again in
1886. The most elementary reasoning
leads to the conclusion that the State
should be expected to go Democratic
in 1887 and in 1883. because the pres
tige, the future and the inclination of
the party, victorious for four years in
succession, will be enlisted in produc-
ing such result, and because that
party is now and then will be in execu-
tive control of the Government of the
Commonwealth and of the United
States.
The House of Representatives of the
Fiftieth Congress will be securely
Democratic. We may be sure that the
next House Of Representatives will be
moderate, business-like and practical.
We may be sure that the present House
of Representatives in its final session
during the ensuing winter, will be
marked by Christening sense of re-
sponsibility, which will lead it to act
cautiously, prudently, slowly, doing
little more than passing the necessary
appropriation bills, and not trying to
revive or unsettle any of these large
questions which the people have pre-
ferred should not be brought to de-
cision at the present time.
| 1t will also he seen that-many of the
| losses in Congressman are due to local
and personal causes Districts West,
South and East have got tired of voting
for the same men. There was a dis.
| position in many quarters to have rev
blood brought to the front The result
is seen in a Congress which contains
| perhaps smaller proportion of re.
elected men and larger proportion Of
men new to public functions than any
which has assembled for twenty years
in the United States.
The Presidents friends very spirit.
eddy maintain that any attempt tc
hold the Administration responsible
| for these local losses and for these sci
backs is unfair. They declare that
Mr.. Cleveland has not concerned him
self with the petty details of politics,
but that he has been reasonably con.
siderate of the position, the power
and, relatively speaking, of the rights
of politicians of large degree, whose
primacy in the leadership of the party
is attested by the results in contests Of
large proportions, and by the consent
of large communities.
There is much to justify this con
clusion. He who talks with men or
the street, at their places of business
or on the avenues Of travel, finds thai
the President is highly respected, thai
his honesty is admitted, that his firm
ness is appreciated, and that his
homely, direct, personal way of doing
things contrary to precedent and ou
of routine, has commended him to the
people, as truly as it may have los
him the regard of that limited ant
superstitious class, the politicians BY
profession.
The President certainly has a coigr
of vantage in the Presidency Itself
which is not to be lost sight of. Hi
/ Administration can not be regarded a.
failure without confession of iudg
ment against the party itself. The in
clination of Democrats to succeed OF
their own behalf must be made
synonymous with the effort to repre-
sent that the administration of theil
own election has been successful also
This does not mean that the party is
bound to the denomination of Mr.
/ Cleveland. or that Mr.. Cleveland il