The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-14
THE GREAT OyERTURNING.

1t is quite a reasonable proposition that
none of US yet fully comprehend the meas
ure of Importance connected with the great
political tidal wave which swept over the
country a week from last Tuesday. The
| fact is, that nobody, not even the most
! knowing and enthusiastic, ever thought of
such an outcome and never dared hope for
anything even approximatiug such thing.
Yet so adaptable is the genus Americans
that after the first sensation of surprise he
settled down to it as matter of course and
it is already but little thought Of, notwith-
standing the elections of that date were
among the most remarkable political occur
rences of the past or present generation.
The most that the sanguine looked for
and counted on was 4 dead beat in New
York and Ohio, a small Democratic major
ity in Virginia and Republican victory in
Iowa but so well trimmed down that there
would be little or no Boosting over it by
the party of spoils and corruption. How
could they suppose that MALONE would not
only be defeated in Virginia but be buried
under the greatest avalanche of votes ever
recorded in the history OF the state-more
particularly when they would have been
entirely satisfied to be assured that the
little pestiferous cockroach would be
defeated at all3 And what right
did they have to suppose that there
would be gain of score of
members of the legislature in New York
and that the majority for the state ticket
would be increased fifty per cent over the
last general election! But tits Ohio where
tbev had no reasonable ground for figuring
ont more than gain in their vote, with
perchance a stand-o off in the legislature, so
perfect was the Republican machine and SO
expert and well drilled those in charge of
il: for anyone to have predicted even the
dav before what actually took place, or
anywhere near it, would have caused
him 10 be branded as luuatic or at least
q fool. Of course the state has now and then
gone Democratic in the off-years, but
whenever it did it was previously counted
on and looked for, and nothing but re-
duced majority for FORAKER was expected
this last time New Jersey is always solid
for the right side, but we question if there
were any so enthusiastic or hopeful as to
look for an increase in the Democratic
majority of 5000 votes-a gain of more
than 80 per cent. over last year.
All this, however, we can more readily
comprehend than we can the great popular
revolution in Iowa. Let it be attributed
to whatever cause it may, the wonder
still remains. There were no is
sues presented this year that have
net figured there every year since
the war, and the effort of few to at
tribute the result to the unpopularity of
the candidate for governor on one side and
the popularity on the other will hardly
answer in view of the fact that the whole
ticket went with him and even the legisla-
ture is vet in doubt even with as big fish
as Senator ALLISON depending upon it for a
re election. The fact is, it was a regular
oyerturning, and there is no use attempt |
ing to add to or take from this important !
fact.
The Democratic success in Iowa being so
unusual an event iustifies the publication |
OF some few statistics regarding past polit-
ical contests in the state. 1t first voted for
President in 1S4S, giving CAss a majority
of l. OO9 in total vote of 24.303. In 1852 it |
gave PIERCE majority of 303 in total of
81. 223. In 1856 it gave FREMONT a majority
of 7, 1874 in a vote of 1904. It's Republican
maiorities in national elections thereafter
were: LINCOLN, 12,4S7 in 1860 and
39.479 in 1864; GRANT, 46,359 in |
1868 and 5S,149 in 1872; HAYES,
SC, 19l; GARFIELD, 5000; BLAINE, IS, 131,
and HARRISON, Bill. 1t should be
remembered, however, that the figures for
GARFIELD and BLAINE mean maiorities over
all, not pluralities, or the excess of votes
over the next highest candidates, as such
statements customarily do. There was
vote for the Greenback party in every cleo |
ton since 1876 up to the present time which |
fiuctuated from 10000 to 1900, and this |
should be added to the Republican column |
to give better idea of the phenomenal |
sway of that party in Iowa; for instance,
the majority of GARFIELD over HANCOCK
was TS,O59, and BLAINE over CLEVELAND |
g., 529. The last Democratic governor was |
STEPHEN HEMPsTEAD, of Dubuque, who left |
the position in the latter part of 1874, having |
served four years, and he was succeeded by |
JAMES w. GRIMES, who after wards became |
a United States Senator and as such voted |
against the impeachment of President AN |
DREW JOHNSON, being one of the seven Re |
publicans who did so and thus saved the |
executive from conviction and removal |
from Office. For this act he was threatened |
with assassination and several times burned |
Il, hat oil thnr.