Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-10
THE MAINE RESULT.

However the returns from the Maine
election may be modified by the later ad-
vices, it is beyond doubt that so far as the
bearing on national politics is concerned
the full vote in Maine is a fair offset to the
falling off of the Republican vote in Yer
mont. Mondays election leaves no ques-
ton that the people of the Pine Tree State
stand with the full strength OF the Repub-
lican party in support of the Republican
policy. 1t is also fair inference that the
voters of the Portland district are prepared
to indorse that extreme and aggressive stripe
of Republicanism of which Mr.. Reed is the
| champion and leader.
The feeling of uncertainty which pre-
vailed concerning the vote was shown in
the preliminary dispatches of Sunday
night. Democratic guessers, in the hope of
getting something to crow over, predicted
Reeds majority at 2.400; Republican
sources, evidently to discount the effect of
loss, predicted it at 1000 Both were
uneasy enough to hedge; and both are
shown to have been far out of the proximity
of accuracy by the majority which Mr..
Reed actually secured. Democratic chan
nels are now running over with reports of
Reeds votes; but his majority is of such
size that lllegitimate methods could not
have affected the result.
The fact is that while the Maine result is
the subject of jubilation to Republicans and
the opposite sentiment on the part of the
Democrats, the joy of the Republicans is
that OF escape from a reverse, and the disap-
pointment of the Democrats was at the
failure to realize an expected triumph.
Maine is, next to Pennsylvania, perhaps
the strongest protectionist State in the
Uuion. If on an election in which only
national issues were raised, Maine had not
gone Republican by her average majority
and given the leader of the Republican
fighters an especial Endorsement it would
have augured i'll for the permanence of the
protective policy. The majority of $1,000
claimed by the Republicans on the State
ticket can hardly be taken as indicating
more than that the Republican party is
holding its own, and that the protective
policy, where its support is the main issue,
can command its old strength.
The Endorsement of Reed, however, has q
peculiar personal relation to the respective
standing of the two Maine men. For the
past month or more Secretary Blaine has
been the rising star in national politics, and
has bid fair to eclipse the brightness of the
junior Maine man. This, as THE DISPATCH
has said, is due to the ability and far-sight- |
edness of his reciprocity policy. But the fact
that he made but one speech in Maine, and |
that not at all in accordance with the |
Speakers policy or personal interests, puts |
the two men in an attitude of antagonism |
The Endorsement of Reed by his constituents |
will be susceptible of the construction by the |
Republicans of the House that Maine in |
dorses Reed rather than Blaine. Possibly |
the Speaker may display belief in his in
creased strength when the tariff bill with the |
amendment gets back to the
House. 1t would not be strange if Reeds !
victory permitted us to hear more of the
Federal elections measure before the session
is over.