New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-06
MEANING OF THE CITY ELECTION

MEANING OF THE CITY ELbC1AVN'
A closer examination OF the election returns
for this city makes still more conspicuous sever
al features of the result to which we referred
Yesterday morning. In round numbers the
total registration was 245,0OO. This figure
was regarded before the election rs Significant
and satisfactory to the opponents OF Tammany.
The full registration is never poled for various
reasons. Experienced politicians generally
expect a falling OIL of 8 or per cent. Con-
sidering the strong interest which the canvass
was supposed to have aroused among the OPP
ponents of Tamuapy it was believed tnat inc
total vote would be somewhere between
s25. 600 and 5000. 1t proved to be not
much larger than 10000, falling on OF
$4,000 from the registration, or more than
IA per cent, instead of or per cent. In
other words. when reasonable allowance has
been made for Sickness accident, absence,
change of residence or OF plans, unforeseen
engagements, ETC., it appears tnat more 'i'ii'
Is. 900 individuals who had taken the trouble
TO register, and therefore made public 'heir IN
tention to vote, deliberately refrained from
going to the polls
The enormous vote given to Mayor Grant
forbds the suppOsition that any appreciate
number of the stay -at-homes commonly adhere
to Tammany Hall; and the smaliness OF tie
total vote as compared with the regis'fa'ioh
forbids the suppositiOn that the avowed ad-
yersaries of Tammany to any conslderaoIe eA-
tent swelIed the Mayors majority. 1hose
who played false did so, not by voting against
their natural propensities, but by refusing 10
vote at ALL Some Republicans could not pre-
vail upon themselves to support the Democrats
ON the union ticket, and some Democrats felt
an equal aversion to the Republican can
didates /: and to this cause many thousand alb
stentions are DUE More numerous than these
would be found, no doubt, if they could be
traced the citizens who could not be aroused
TO a sufficient degree of interest in the govern
ment of the city to register. That Is u.s.
agreeable and disturbing reflection. but just
at present we are considering the dolngs OF
qualified voters, and we acknowledge frankly
that there is not much in the situation to sug-
gest consolation or hope. If every registered
voter who, taking. the accidents OF sufr
into account, might reasonably have been ex-
pected to vote against Tammany had done so,
it nevertheless does not appear from the re-
turns that Grant would even then have been
defeated He poed almost exactly One-half
of the expected vote, and the ballots that went
to the minor candidates would have elected
him.
Ii there is any present encouragement in this
analysis we must say that we fail to discover 1T.
Undoubtedly Tammany is in minority OF
possible voters, but when can we reasonably
expect to see it in losing minority of actual
voters? From all present appearances the
Wigwam is here to stay indefinitely. Its ad-
ministration of the city may go from bad to
worse but it was bad enough already to invite
destruction at the hands of a community really
deserving of good local government. We see
no reason to expect even an unwilling reforma-
ton. 81 shall try to do as well during the
next two years as have in the past there IS
nothing more that can say" remarked Mayor
Grant on Tuesday evening. Manifestly that
is his conception of the part which the peopie
have called on him to play He sees no Occa-
sion for cleaner streets, or lighter burdens, or
fewer saloons, or frmer enforcement of the
laws, or less prOtigate and corrupt employ
| ment of the public funds. All that he can say
| is that he will try not to do worse than he has
done. If any good citizen finds comfort in that
| utterance he will do well to make the most of
| it, for there are no cheerful surprises in store
| for him