Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-11-13

THE LESS N OF THE ELECTION "A ma
iority for the democ ATTIC Candidate IN VIr
eipia apurn. ching 40 600, with the Legsia
ture democratic in both branches; Mary
land and ito metropolis democratic, despite
strong effort made 80 part it from the sol
id South; New Jersey democratic in the ex-
ecutive and legislative branches of its gov
ernmeut: tho democratic candidates for
State offices IN New York successful, and
the republican majority in the Legislature
materially reduced; Ohio democratic, as
respects both the governorship and the Leg
islature, and even Iowa, fortress of repub
licanism, capsnred by the democratic can
d,date for G.. vernor-such is the catalogue
of Democratic success Tuesday for which
the supporters of the tariff and pension
policy of the present administration have
to explain. The explanation, to be satls-
factory, mus5 be as general as the facts
1t has been said that the result is due in
zach case to local causes. The President
himself attributes the detection of Iowa to
the growing nnpopularity of prohibition in
that State, AID the loss of Ohio to the oppo-
sitIon of the voters to the principle of a
third term. As for Malone, he denies
that he was his candidate. Upon the whole
he sees no re4 son to believe that the defeats
Of his party Tuesday constitute verdict
upon his administration. The President
may possibly be right. 1t is matter about
which opinio s will differ. But it hardly
admits of doaht that, If the defeats of Nov.
5 had been lictories, the administration
would have hAen quick to extract from
them moral of approval and commenda-
ton. The H. cory of local causes will not,
however, Fl al the facts. It might account
| for the result 10 one or two States, but it is
ABSURD 20 ct5r;end that local causes, differ
ING in natr;t and force with the circum-
stances of each State. could all at once con-
| spire TO prod &c an identical result in a
| great many 53.ates in widely separated sec
| ito e OF the country. Not only did the
democrats xa:a votes in democratic States,
but they eajn.d also largely in republican
States. Il is obviously impossible on any
such partisl aeory to explain why Massa-
| chusetts should this year send largely in
creased democratic representation TO its
Legislature SD almost elect @ democratic
Governor. The wiser vie " for the admin
istratiou TO tslys is to accept the result of
Tuesdays election as rebuke. The coun
| try is not, t. is clear, content With the CON
duct of sffAirs at Washington and the tend
ences exhihiteA by the party in power
The raising ~ she tariff by executive rul-
| ings, the seaa'ialous extravaganza of the
pension bursaa, the disregard of the civil
seryics pledges of the Chicago platform,
the Southern policy of the President the
sectional legislation proposed by the major
ity Of the House, the increased waste of
the public douain-these are considerations
that have doubtless weighed heavily with
the voters. Z here is, besides, a general
and growing feeling that the existing tariff
| is burden ~ longer to be borne. A dis
position to punish the benefciares of the
frauds by which the elections of 1888 we're
carried in Ger, ain States may also have had
its effect. Add to thus that it was imprac-
ticabe for Mr. Quay to apply this year in
many States the cash system by which last
year he carried the two SAFES recognized
as pivotal" The cash was not in his
chest, and # no had had it he could not have
scattered it Ei5h any profit over ten States.
Ball. Sun.
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