St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-06
THE FIRST CAMPAIGN GUN

If little Rhode Island has any Of the
dlffidence of the ancient Puritan
maiden, modest bushes will suffuse
her countenance at the concentration
and intensity of the popular gaze in
that direction just now. Its annual
election for state officers and the
legislature takes place today. Ordi-
narily this event requires but a
few lines in the dispatches giving the
result, with hardly more than local in
terest in it. Just now it comes up as
the first and only distinct gun to be
heard in the national contest before the
November event. Louisiana votes soon.
but its action has no general Sgnifi-
canoe. Oregon has It's election i'll June,
butts hopelessly Republican. Alabama
and the two or three other states that
vote in the summer OF early fall are not
important politically in the present as
pect of affairs.
Rhode Island has but four presidential
electors, and does not fill much space
in an election table, but either party
could afford to barter dozen electoral
NOlGS III q uCClolfC lOoog.
In fact, the Republicans cannot
afford to lose it. Should the Democrats
succeed there, Mr.. BLAINE would
promptly revise his opinion, if he has
really concluded that his health is good
enough for the Minneapolis nomination.
1t is just forty years since Rhode Island
has voted for Democrat for president.
1t was carried by the Democrats in
April, 1852. and in November its electo-
raj vote went for PIERCE. Should the
Democrats have a decided plurality
today, even if they failed to elect
their state ticket, it may be put down
as reliable in November, as plurality
carries for electors, though not for any
local purposes.
The little state has not had such a
stirring up since the DOrr rebellion
a half-century ago. Both parties have
flooded it with deluge of political ora
tors, and the men of national reputation
have been numerous. MCKINLEY and
CLEVELAND have talked tariff to the
excited populace. The personality of
the ex-president is an important factor
in the issue. The party has Endorsed
him for president, and is making the
fight Squarely OH his premises. 1t is a
tariff fight from the ground up. His
boom will be filled with its fruits if the
Democrats wln. 1t is possible that this
fact may have something to do with the
factionaI spirit an element of the party
there is displaying, aud which may pre-
vent a Democratic victory. There are
some thousands of new voters by nat =
uralIzation and the removal of reStric-
lions on the suffrage. How they will be
divided is uncertain. The Republican
manufacturers have open large barrels,
and in spite of the Australian ballot ex
pect to make their Doodle effective.
Their method Is to hire Democrats to go
fishing or stay away from the polls.
in the old form. Still, there is a far
prospect that the Democrats will poll
more votes than the Republicans for
state officers, with much smaller chances
for the legislature and gaining the SEN
ator, owing to the absurd town system of
representation. The Democrats can
elect president without Rhode Island.
as they did eight years ago, but 1t
would lubricate their machinery nicely
to have it do the rational thing now.
Both REED and MCKINLEY have been
stumping the state during the past
week. On Monday this force was sup
plemented by the appearance of Blocks
of-Fiye DUDLEY. His presence is ON
inous. Whether he can succeed in
buying the state or not, the votes of to-
day will reveal.