Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-10-14
FRIDAY MORNING. OCT. IA, 1892
THE PRELIMINARY CONTESTS.

FRIDAY MORNING. OCT. IA, 1892
THE PRELIMINARY CONTESTS.
The State election in Georgia, says the
New Y ork Evening Post, in an able resume
of the political situation, is the last OF the
preliminary contests which precede the
Presidential election. The result has been
awaited with much interest, as first the
Farmers Alliance, and later the Peoples
party, have been exceptionally strong IN
that State. Moreover, under the advice OF
the Republican National Committee, the
Republicans in Georgia were instructed to
cast their solid vote for the People party,
SO that all the conditions seemed favorable
for a good showing by the opposition to the
Democracy, But the result is an over
whelming Democratic majority on the
largest vote cast there in any election for a
score of years.
The Georgia election shows that there is
no longer the slightest question about the
South's being solid for Cleveland in No
yember. In Florida the Peoples party
has also met defeat, and the Arkansas cleo
ton in August was equally one-sided. AL
ALBANIA is the only Southern State, where
there has seemed the slightest chance OF an
opposition victory in November, and the
Georgia result cannot fail to help Demo
cratic chances in the neighboring State
greatly. What saved the Georgia Demo-
Gratis. and what will save the Democrats in
every other Southern State, is the record OF
the Republican President and the Republi-
can Fifty-frst Congress regarding the
Force Bill. If Harrison, Reed, Lodge,
and the rest could once get another chance
to do it, they would rush through Force
Bill, and the only way to avert it is to
elect Democratic President. This con-
yiction is making the Southern Democrats
solid, and undoubtedly will give Cleveland
every State in that part Of the country.
But while the preliminary contests show
that the Southern Democrats can thus be
held together on the old lines, they also
demonstrate that the Northern Republl-
cans cannot be rallied as of old. The great
est efforts were made to bring them all out
in both Vermont and Maine, but thousands
of them could not be lured to the polls
Curiosity might induce them to go and
hear Mckinley speak in Vermont, and 9TH
Ell Republican orators in Maine, but the
very towns and cities where these stump
speakers drew their largest crowds returned
smaller Republican votes than four years
ago.
These Northern elections show that the
.tfree-trade scare" does not any longer
work. The old sectional argument, which
used to be so powerful, has been deliberate
" abandoned, so far as the campaign is
concerned, and it is not now possible to in
terest Republicans in voting the straight
ticket as means Of passing Force Bill
and ''putting the screws" on the South.
This sectional argument used to have ire
mendous weight in such Eastern States as
Vermont and Maine, and such Western
States as Iowa and Illinois.
The Northern elections hayn also shown
that the Republicans everywhere this year
are going to suffer severely from the use OF
the Australian ballot system in most of the
Northern States, for the first time in a
Presidential election. Republican organs
agree that the great falling off of their par
TVS vote in Vermont and Maine is due to
the ''sensitiveness. ''difiidence," and
''timldity" which prevented many thous-
ands Of men from going to the polls under
the secret ballot system. The civil wal
showed that New i1nglanders are quite as
brave as the Western men, SO that this lack
of courage is certain to be as prevalent
among the Republicans Of Indiana, Illinois,
Iowa, and other Western States next month
as it was in Vermont and Maine last
month. Earnest efforts are ROW making
to infuSe spirit enough into the Western
Republicans so that they will dare to go to
the polls next month as of old, but it is a
hopeless task 'Dif1idence" is not to be
overcome in day or a month, and it will
take years to make constitutlonally 'sen-
sitive'' and ''timid" Republican as bold
as naturally courageous Democrat OF
Prohibitionist. Difficult us it is to treat
this matter seriously, the Republican edi-
tors are so solemn about it that it must he
taken for granted that they mean what
they say, and if their claims as to the cow
ardice of Republican voters are well found
ed, this cowardice of itself is likely to lose
them more than one close State like Iowa.
Although the situation month before
the Presidential election is most encourag-
to the friends of tariff reform. The well
grounded fear of Force Bill In case of q
Republican victory is making the South
solid. The ostensible abandonment of the
Force Bill in the n orth has lost the party
great many votes that the sectional issue
used to bring out, while the free trade
scare'' does not take its place. Finally.
all Of the Republican organs, from the
New Y DIRK Tribune down, agree that the
Australian ballot system always and every
where operates to the great disadvantage
of their party. There is every reason fol
hope that, il the Democratic campaign is
vigorously pursued during the next month.
Cleveland will be elected by large major
ity.
A very remarkable feature of the sweep
ing victory the Democrats achieved in the
recent Florida election, is shown in q dis
patch from Monticello, Jefferson county.
the home OF Senator Pasco. which says
'sThis county polled solid vote Yesterday
for the full ticket, State and county, of the
PemOcratic party. There was not sOlita.
ry vote thrown for the Peoples party can
didates nor for any other outside of the
Democratic nominees, This is unprece-
dented in Florida politics since the war;
Another Republican recruit, Hon. VIM