Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-01-18
The Popular Vote For President.

and in 1883 it was 11,37O,862.
This is an increase of about IL per
cent. in the four years. In 1892
the total vote was 12,06S,505, an in
crease of trihe over 6 per cent,
although in the meantime six new
States had been admitted into the
Union, with an aggregate of GA
354 votes. The table shows that
this loss on the total vote must have
fallen chiefly upon the Republican
party, though the increase of the
Democratic vote was less than
would have been expected in or
binary circumstances. The vote of
the Peoples party explains in part
the relative falling off in both the
regular parties, but it is evident
that it has drawn much more large
ly from the Republicans than from
the Democrats. The total vote of
the prohibitionists and the Labor
party in 1884 was 325, 1888, and in
1883 it was 393,712. But in 1892
the Prohibition and the Peoples
party vote reached an aggregate of
1,313,914, of which 100000 was
cast for the Weaver ticket. In the
States where there was fusion be-
tween the Democrats and Populists,
and where the Democrats withdrew
their Electoral tickets, the votes are
all credited to Weaver, which in
wolves a deduction of Democratic
votes from the Cleveland column,
the number of which cannot be
estimated. There was a combina-
ton between the Republicans and
Peoples party in Louisiana which
may affect the Republican vote
there, though it is probable that the
division made in the table repre-
sents substantially the actual
strength of the two parties in the
State.
The vote for Cleveland when he
was elected in 1884 was 4,S74,9S6,
and his plurality over Blaine was
23,005 in the whole country. In
1883 his total vote was 5,536,242,
which was an increase of fully 1871
per cent. over that of the preceding
election, and, although defeated, he
had plurality of 95,534 over Har-
rison on the popular vote of the
country. The latter obtained his
majority of the Electoral votes by
carrying certain close States by a
narrow margin. Cleveland's total
vote at the last election was 5,554,-
8S5, which was an increase of only
about 8 per cent. over that of 1884,
but his plurality over Harrison was
increased to 382,342. The vote
for Blaine in 1884 was 4,S51, 0S1,
and that for Harrison in 1883 was
5,44O,7OS. This was an increase in
the Republican vote Of a little over
IL per cent. that in the Democratic
vote having been 13t per cent.
These figures point significantly to
the means by which the Republic
can victory Of four years ago was
gained by concentratin 6 the powers
of corruption upon New York and
Indiana. Harrison's total vote at
the last election was 5,172,343, a
falling off Of more than 5 per cent.
from that of 1888.
These figures indicate a steady
growth in the strength of the DEM
ocratic party in the last eight years,
but they show that the increase was
relatively greater during Cleveland's
administration than during the
subsequent four years, and the
launching of his tariff policy in the
message of 1883 did not weaken the
party in the country at large. But
their greatest significance is in the
evidence of loss of strength by
the Republican party during the
administration of Harrison and
while the agitation of the question
of tariff reform was most active.
There is 10 doubt that this is large
ly accounted for by the passage of
the Mckinley law and the extrava-
gance of the Fifty-frst Congress.
The dissatisfaction with the course
of the Republican party was indi-
Gated by the failure of the total
vote of the country to show it's nor
NAL increase, by the reduction of
the Republican vote not only re-
latively but absolutely, and by the
development of such unusual
strength by the third party in states
that were previously Republican.
This record shows how the vote
of the country isliable to shiftin con-
sequence Of popular dissatisfaction
with the course ofpromises by which
it has the confidence and support of
the people. Under our Electoral
system the result is made much
more stricking i'm the Electoral vote