San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-09-14
HOW MAINE STANDS.

ton held there will be scanned with
great interest, as it will be in great
measure accepted as determining the
effect that vigorously conducted
free silver campaign has upon the
Republican voting strength. Maine
is the home of the vice-president of
the Popocratic ticket. The best men
and the most money have gone into
that state of any that the free silver
ties have undertaken to carry. Not
that they expect to carry Maine, but
that it is necessary to influence the
vote of Republicans in other states
to show a great gain for the free sill
yer idea in that state. 1t is on ac-
count of this that the vote of Maine
is looked for with so much interest
by all parties. In this connection q
review of the vote of that state for
period of years is not uninteresting.
Never since the Greeley campaign in
1872 has the state gone other than
Republican, and that was in the cam
paign in 1880, when by afusion of the
Greenbackers, Prohibitionists and
Democrats, the fusionists carried the
state by a majority of 1S9 over the
Republicans. The returns since then
show an unbroken series of Republi-
can triumphs by pluralities ranging
from 5000 to $4,000. Maine never
has gone Democratic in a national
campaign. In the last presidential
election the Republican vote was a
fraction over 10000 more than the
combined opposition vote. Last state
election, in 1894, it was Republican
over all combined opposition by more
than 10000. Never before last cleo
ton, and that was when the whole
country went Republican, has the
state had more than 10000 majority
over the opposition, and that only in
one year, when Harrison was elected.
The Republican majority over all OPP
position, for the presidential years,
beginning with 1880, has been-1SSO,
4,0O0--1SS4, 15,000-1SSS, 19,0O0--1S92,
10000 Republican majority clear
over all opposition for the gubernato- |
rial years has been-1SS2, Z, 000-1SS4,
15,O0O-1SS6, 9,OO0-1S90, 14,0O0-1S94,
$1,000, Thus it will be seen that the
average Republican vote in presiden-
tan elections has been about $4,000
majority over the combined vote of
the opposition, for period of sixteen
years. The average majority of the
Republicans in the gubernatOrial
vote for the same term of years has
been about $1,000. This is the true
measure by which to mete the vote
of today. If that vote is in excess
of $1,000 over all combined it is fully
up to the average vote of the state
for many years, and it will show that i
the free silverites have made no head 4
way in Maine, even with vice-presi- /
" nlt Ilt DODuldE o.
heart. But it must not be forgotten
that this average includes the phe-
nomenal vote of 1894, when the Re- /
publican vote of the state surprised
itself the slump of the Democrats
being something unprecedented. Out
side of that year the average Repub- 4
lican majority has not quite equalled
that of the presidential years. Then
if he majority over all in Maine to-
day is 10000 the Republicans are
holding their own. Any increase over
that 10000 is so much clear gain over
the average Republican vote and af-
fords room to believe that the Repub-
lican party in November is going to
hold its usual majority.