Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-15
Her Decline as IN Important Factor In
National Politics.

Her Decline as IN Important Factor In
National Politics.
New York State looks into the face Of the
certainty of her waning political power
with fear and trembling. She does not like
to hear the prophecies Of Republican friends
that come out Of the jocund and exuberant
West These prophets have been figuring
upon the electoral vote of 1892, and especial
ly the part which New York will play in
the next Presidential election. Calculating
the changes which will be produced by the
admission of new States, and the new ap-
portionment based on the census Of 1880,
the prophets with considerable complacency
are RELOCATING the Empire State to back
seat. The New York Tribune in behalf OF
the State of New York resents this fippant
reasoning, and is Of the opinion that the
thirty six electoral votes Of New Y ork Will
loom up as large and as attractive as ever,
four years hence. The New York name
sake holds that the Republican majority In
both branches of the next Congress will not
be so large as to make domineering safe or
profitable and that it by no means follows
that an apportionment bill following the
census enumeration Of 1890 will be put
through in time to increase the electoral
vote Of 1892. The Tribune speaking for
New York clnches its argument as follows:
So far as we are able to see, our friends
who are figuring to leave US out in the
cold must, for the present. fall back on the
probabilities involved IN the admission OF
new States. From these a welcome in
crease of Republican strength may reason
ably be expected, but certainly not enough
to obliterate the l, 800, 900 voters Of New
York If four new States come in they
viii bring with them 10 electoral votes, and
possibly l3-wel worth winning, but hard
ly a balance of power. They can not in
crease the total vote to more than IA, OF
which 20S will be necessary to elect. We
hope that 1892 will see the solid South split
wide open, but people who choose to do their
reckoning SO long in advance must not in
sist that the rest Of US shall pin our faith
to such cleavage. The prophet would be
phenomenauy rash who at this day should
count NewJersey or Connecticut as surely in
the Repu blican column hereafter, and Indi-
ana may be debatab(e ground four years
hence, as she has habit Of beng until the
votes are counted. Democratic possibilities
for 1892, therefore, include the following ::
Solid South, 1853; New Jersey,o; Connecticut,
6; Indiana, Is; total, 1873. Under these con-
ditlons, it occurs to US, and may possibly oc-
cur to the cheerful oracles Of the West, that
the Sc votes of New York would be handy
thing for the Republican party and the Re-
publican candidates to have, inasmuch as
without them all the other States which
were ours last November, together with all
the new States, would leave US Ii short OF a
majority, while with them the Democrats
would have IL more than they needed.
If, says the Minneapolis Tribune, New
York can Brighten General Harrison into
certain Cabinet appointments or can get
any consolation out of line of reasoning
containing so many "ifs" and sands" she
is welcome to thus entertain herself.
Truth is, the political power of the coun-
try is moving with the center Of population
10 the North and West. This was recog-
nized in the National convention by consid-
ering Harrison, Gresham, Alger, Sherman
and Allison, all Northwestern men from
the New York standpoint, as among the
leading Presidential candidates. The North
west can get along just as well without the
Presidential vote OF New York, as New
York can get along without the Presidential
candidate from the Northwest.
OF course we can not afford to quarrel,
and it may be as well to con tinue in practice
the present arrangement of the West fur
nishing the candidate and Cabinet, and New
York the vote and the victory. II New
York is not satisfied with this, notice is
served right here that it is only question
of very few years when the West can
furnish not only the candidate and the
Cabinet, but the votes to nominate and
elect them.
Meanwhile New York has hearty and sin
cere thanks for past favors.
"DoS,r be alarmed, friends" said the