New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-06
REPUBLICAN REVIVAL.

Victory in Rhode Island brings disgust TO
the hearts of Mugwumps. "The New-York
Tines with melancholy observes that 1.-THE
Prohibition vote was reduced sadly" which in
dicates that sincere Prohibitionists are tired
of being used as cheap tools by the saloon
keepers, and that the great and glorious =" Re
FORM" Of the Cleveland variety, no longer
promises free trade It will be found, when it
comes to the final reckoning, that many sin
cere supporters Of Civil Service Reform are
also tired Of being used as cheap tools by Free
Traders. A healthy decrease in the Prohibi-
ton and Mugwump vote is the natural result
Of enliehteninR experience. When men have
voted for "Reform," thereby turning the Civil
Service into q Cleveland machine, and for
Prohibition, thereby making the State Gov
ernmeut the property Of liquor-dealers, they
arc apt TO discover that they have not been
sensible.
Local causes might be assigned for this VIC
tory if it were without a parallel elsewhere
But q sweeping Republican victory in HARTFORD
and victories in other towns in Connecticut
have already sponged out the slender plurality
for Democratic "Reform" in Connecticut.
Similar victories in New-Jersey point in the
same direction. Heavy Democratic losses IN
Grand Rapids and other Michigan towns III
indianapolis and other places in Indiana and
in nearly all the cities of Ohio, darken Demo
cratic hopes of recovering those States. Look-
ing over the whole Northern field, the observer
secs no State in which the Republican party
does not seem to have better prospect OF suo-
cess than 1t had in 1884 or 1855. Brave and
honest action by the Republicans On the liquor
question is one cause. Democratic unreserved
commitment to the free-trade theories OF Pres
ident Cleveland's message and the Mills Dill
Is another.
1t is also an exceedingly significant fact that
Mr., Blsine's most bitter enemies are forced to
admit his personal popularity, especially with
the voters Of agricultural districts, where the
best and purest elements Of the Republican
party predominant Admitting that "no STATE
is calculated to furnish better illustration
of the general tendency of feeling In the
party'' than Vermont that Tits population is
largely agricultural, there are no large cities
| and few considerable ones in the State neither
Federal nor State patronage amounts to con-
trolling element in its politics; and the party
conventions are probably as free as they car
| be- anywhere to represent fairly and fully the
opinion of the party" the Mugwump Times
with disgust remarks "That this feeling
should be so clearly and cmphatically in favor
Of Mr.. Blaine is certainly strong proof thai
the theory is without foundation which repre-
sents the Blaine sentiment as limited artificial
and of no practical force. 1t is, on the con-
trary, obviously very general, for the most
part entirely sincere, and likely to endure sc
long as there Is any chance Of its finding e1,
| pression in action" This confession thai
1.-THE Tines has been for years repeating
falsehoods about Mr.. Blaine and his Repub-
lican support is the more interesting because
10 comes under the lash Of defeat.
This state Of things occurs with Mr.. Blaine
out of the field as far as he has power to take
himself out, and with his most active friends
| bestirdng themselves for othec candidates
They are not united on any one, and that ID
natural According to locality, personal rela-
tions, and their appreciation Of different polit-
ical needs or tendencies they naturally look
to different candidates as their second choice
But the plain voters who have the Republican
principles at heart, and are not yet convinced
that Mr.. Blaines wish should be law for @
great national party, show no little disposition
to insist that the issue raised by MIR. Clevc-
land calls for the nomination of the foremost
champion of Protection.