The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-11-09
HOW 1T ALL GAME ABOUT.

Democratic Vic .ories.
WASHINGTON, Nov. Gan Associated
Press reporter this evening asked First
Assistant Postmaster General Clarkson
for an expression of his views concerning
the results of yesterdays election. Mr.
Clarkson said: The invariable results OF
the year following presidential elections
have repeated themselves this year. There
are many surprises in the Republican de
feats, but they come from local causes in
every state except Virginia, and there the
result was gained by the usual methods
of fraud, suppression and false counting.
A Democratic state election board, cleo
ted by Democratic legislature, appoints
all the judges of election, and the law
clothes these election judges with police
court powers, and they can order any vo
ter they please to Jail for the day, and
reign absolute in arbitrary power. The
Republicans of Virginia did not have the
selection of single judge of election in
the whole state. With such machinery
the Democratic majority might easily
have been one hundred thousand. The
negro is disfranchised. In Virginia the
black men give up their right to hold the
offices, and now the Democrats demand
that they shall not exercise any choice,
even as between the white men who are
to hold the offices.
General Malone and the Republicans
made a gallant and splendid fight. and
an honest majority of the voters of the
state with them on the tariff and state
debt questions: but nothing can WIN a.
gainst complete and skillful system of
fraud. The attempt to couple the ma
tional administration couspicuously with
this defeat is undeseryed, as the Presi-
dent simply showed the same friendly in
terest in Malone that he did in the Re-
publican candidates in other states.
''The causes operating in Ohio and
Iowa were largely the same-evidently
aud mainly reaction against radical
temperance and Sunday legislation. The
Sunday law, and the enforcement of it.
changed Hamilton county and its Ger,
mans against the Repu blican party, and
Governor Foraker, despite his splendid
record and his almost matchless popu-
larity in the party and the nation, went
down with it.
I'm Iowa the main cause of the change
is due to prohibition. The state has been
very close on state issues ever since pro-
hibition was made law. The Republi-
cans elected their governor four years
ago by only 1900 plurality, and two years
ago by 5000 plurality. The counties
bordering on the Mississippi river, having
large cities such as Dubuque, Davenport
and Burlington. all of them with a Eu.
ropean or toreign-born population hold,
ing majority of the votes, are intensely
prohibition, and they have voted
overwhelmingly against the Republican
party, because it stood in that state for
the law and its enforcement. There was
also some Republican dissatisfaction and
alienation on account of the present gov
ernor's extreme views on the railroad
question and his irritating enforcement
of the railroad laws. But Iowa has been
gradually losing it's Republican majority
for years. Over thirty thousand Repub
licans have left the state, going into the
Dakotas, Kansas and the Southwestern
country, while the later immigration to
the state has been largely Democratic
This years results are in the main simply
increased evidences of the indisposition
of majority of the American people to
accept prohibition and too radical legis-
lation on questions that are moral and
social, rather than political"
Private Secretary Halford does not
seem to have been at all disturbed by the
general Democratic success. Those who
exult over the results OF yesterdays cleo
lions" said he, ''have simply proven how
easily they forget the political history OF
the country. At least once in four years
the people must vent their feelings, and
they generally select an off year when
they will not injure their party, whether
Republican or Democratic. The cleo
tions are not evidences of additional
Democratic strength; on the contrary the
Democratic vote has been cut down con-
siderably in many important places-no
taDly in New York. Years ago when l
lived in Chicago, the saloon element 9
lected Democratic mayer in that city,
and did it with about IL, 900 votes to
spare. At the next municipal struggle
we elected Republican to the miyorali
ty and his majority was about II. 1000.
That did not prove that there had been
a great increase in the Republican RANKS;
it was simply change OF sentiment on "a
local question. The principles of the Re-
publican party were not at stake yester
day."
Private Secretary Halford said tonight
that the President had not made any
statement of his views with regard to
yesterdays election, and that any state
ments on the subject purporting to be an
expression of the Presidents opinions
were unauthorized and wholly without
foundation.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Clarkson received telegram this evening
from his home in Iowa stating that the
contest over the legislative ticket is very
close and the result in doubt.