New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-05
THE LESSON OF OHIO.

The one State in which the Republicans made
great gains this year, electing Governor in
place of Democrat, was Ohio. and that was the
one State in which the Republicans fought the
campaign on National issues. They nominated
Major Mckinley for Governor, who is held re-
sponsibe more than anybody else for the new
tariff, and they elected him by handsGme ma
jority 49,.
The man who protests against existing Gus
toms is always in the minority. But it is the
genius of the Republican party to seek better
and ever better government in every State and
therefore to protest against all sorts of abuses
and evils, wherever they appear. Its members
ale not always wise, as the world goes, and do
not always confne their demands to those which
the people in the different States are ready to
support. Indeed, it is the nature Of reformers
to be ahead of the majority. SO it comes to
rass that on local issues the Republicans are
apt to be defeated, because they almost always
expect from the people more intelligence and
more ardent desire for the public welfare than
the voters are at the tim. ready to show. On
National issues the party runs the same lsk, but
has the restraint of differing opinions in tho
different States. Its demands for a better and
more fully Protective Tariff. were met by the
Re rubiicanS in Congress, under the leadership
Of Major Mckinley, with the bravest and best
Tariff bill ever framed. TIE same State which
hal elected Governor Campbell by large plu-
rality now elects over him Major Mckinley by
a plurality quite unusual in year when no
President is e.e, ted.
These facts ought to sink deep into the
derst .ndng of Republicans everywhere. They
show that it is not wis1 to ignore National
issues on which the patty wins most of its VIC
tories. They make it clear that no evasion or
lodging Of those issues is ever expcdient la
New-York it Sc ,med that the peop.e would not
hesitate to condemn !Tammany Hall and its COR
rupt methods. Yet the result has proved that
the people OF this State were not as anxious to
secure good State government as many Repub-
Leans suppose. Thousands Of Republican voters
tailed to cast their ballots, and many thousand
more failed to register, 50 that In the country
districts the Republican vo.e fell short by many
thousand of fair vote even for State cleo
ton. The contest between Tammany Hall,
with all its corruption and it's debasing methods,
did not move the voters Of this State as power
fully as the plain issue between Republican and
Democratic National politics influenced the peo-
pie of Ohio.
The leaders of the Republican party have
occasion to consider this state of iacts somewhat
more seriously than they have done hitherto.
Their strength lies in the National policy OF
their PARTY. They cannot AFFORD t. dodge or
ignore it on any pretext whatever. Whenever
and wherever they do SO, they are likely to be
defeated, ard their divergence to local iss,e; on
any -pretext whatever is likely to lead them into
disaster. On the other hand, the strength of
the party On National issues has never been
more fully illustrated than in the recent cleo
ton, and there is every reason to believe, judg-
ing from results OF these elections, that in the
National contest which is coming next year the
Republican party will be found stronger in New
York, as in many other States, than it has been
found this year.