Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-14
probable Importance Of California.

size tne necessity OF thorough WOrK IN ali
States that might be called doubtful
The great Electoral Commissions steal
was needful to the Republican party, be-
cause it was obligatory on Chandler and
his confederates to filch the nineteen
votes OF South Carolina, Louisiana and
Florida to give Hayes the one hundred
and eighty-fve votes of the Electoral
Colleges which just elected him. He
had one hundred and sixty-six which
belonged to him, and he needed to
purloin nearly a score more. On the
undisputed preference of States, Mr..
Tilden had one hundred and eighty-four
votes, needing only one to elect him. If
the Sage of Gramercy Park could have
carried Oregon or Nevada, or the
recently admitted Colorado, or if
Colorado had not been admitted he
would have been seated without contro-
versy. In 1880 the result hinged upon
New York. General Hancock would I'M
questionably have been elected President
if Tammany Hall, John Kelly and the
New York Sun had not been averse to
him. AS it was, he was defeated be-
tween Harlem River and the Battery.
The Hancock campaign recalls a Pc
culiar incident in the politics of Califor-
MIA. At the Same time that General
Garfield desired the electoral votes of
California, General Miller was setting up
the several legislative districts, with
a view of being elected to the
Senate of the United States. His
quite large ''bar'l," together with the
hogsheads of Captain Cole and his
other Alaska Fur Seal associates had
been "stove in" in good style, with the
result that Miller was successful in many
OF the Democratic counties of California,
while Hancock was successful in many
of the Republican counties. The hero
Of Gettysburg carried five OF the six elec-
toral votes of California, Judge Terry,
one of the Democratic candidates for
elector, having been defeated through a
detection of the Broderick Democrats.
In the Hancock campaign New York
determined the result.
In the current contest New York will
be a potent factor, but will not decide
the issue. Calculations can be made by
which the Republicans could win without
the Empire State, while any calculation
that omits New York from the Demo
cratic roster, and which elects Cleveland
and Thurman, is too fanciful for practi-
cal politics. But this is unimportant,
because New York is certain to be
Democratic. New Jersey also, is as
sured, and that absolutely.
Our opponents claim that General Har-
rison will carry his own State. The
HERALD does not believe that he will !;
but, for the sake of the argument, we
will accept the "favorite son" theory,
and give Indiana to Harrison. In this
calculation the Democrats will need
either California or Connecticut to sue
ceed. Either of these States, with the
solid South, New York and New Jersey,
will elect Cleveland and Thurman.
OF course, we by no means reject the
calculations which make Michigan, Hi
nois and Wisconsin debatable ground.
We should not be surprised if this were
to be year Of political new departures.
We have been told that the unexpected
is always sure to happen. But in max
ing political estimates it is always we'll to
stick pretty close to the experience of
the past. States that have always gone
Republican in Presidential years may
very prudently be left out of the esti-
mates of men who ought to look to every
joint and rivet of their armors.
California may determine who shall be
our next President. Let us see to it,
then, that the Democratic hosts are mar
shaled with skill and judgment, and
that Democratic principles shall receive
that clear exposition and forceful pre-
sentation which are all that are needed
to assure US the victory not only in the
Golden State but in the country at large.
With California Democratic the least
that Democrats should hope for
would be:
| SoHu Soutn 153
NNeW 1olk .'.'.'.....,.,.. ..,,..... .,.... SO
California Tor Connecticut's would do)..... s
2o6
Or five electoral votes more than are
needed to do the work.