The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-12
THE ELECTION.

| The morning of election day is rather
late to give counsel and advice, even l.
they be needed. But in the case of tn,
pending election it has been assumed by
every body, excepting perhaps the Rev
Mr. Mckinney, that the voters knew per-
fectly we'll what questions were at issue
and were quite competent to pronounce
| their opinions upon them without adj
ditional instructions or advice. When
questions are presen ted for the first time,
especially if they are somewhat intricate
and obscure in their character, cam
paign of education is In order. But all
the questions involved In this election
are old and have been thoroughly dis
cussed before the voters. Nothing could be
added on the silver question to what
was said during the campaign of 1896,
! {and that is practically all the national
question involved,) for questions that
ruay and probably will grow out of the
war are yet in process of formation
and cannot be definitely stated
even at this time. AS for local
questions there was no more
need of instruction uponS them. Ger
tainly the voter knows all about pro-
aibition there is to be known, and could
not be better qualified to pronounce
judgment upon it If it's virtues and its
vices had been discussed in every school
school district in the state every day since
the party conventions were held, and the
only radical difference between the two
parties on local questions is in their
attitudes toward prohibition. 1t was
not due to accident or any unforeseen cir
cumstances that the campaign just closed
was not speaking one; it was the re-
suit OF deliberate and well considered
decision that discussion was not needed,
either to instruct the voter or to rouse him.
AS regards instruoting the voter the de-
cision was correct enough, but we are
likely to find when the vote is counted
that the quietness of the campaign has
not been conducive to large turn out
on election day, but quite the reverse
We look for a considerable falling off of
the Republican vote from 1895, and per-
haps from 1894 also. The former
was a Presidential year, and of
course the fnll Republican vote
was thrown. Furthermore it received
considerable accession from Democrats
who were opposed to the silver pro-
gramme of the Chicago convention. The
total Republican vote that year was Sa.-
500, which was 5000 larger than any pre-
vious Republican vote. OF course nobody
expects that this vote will be equalled
this year. In 1894 Gov. Cleaves received
almost 10000 votes, which was never ex-
ceeded nor equalled In an off year but
twice in the history Of the state. once dur
ing the war and once Immediately after
the collapse of the Greenbaok party.
The average Republican vote for the past
ten years in off years has been about
SO, 600. 1t is therefore doubtful If the
Republican vote will keep up to the
figures of 1894. As for the Democratic
vote the chances are that it will show
some increase over that Of 1894, and
very likely over that of 1896. In both of
those years the Democratic vote fell far
below its normal figures. in 1894 because
of disgust with the failure Of the Demo.
cratic Congress to fulfil its pledges Of tariff
reform, and in 1896 because of divisions
on the silver question. The Democratic
vote in 1894 showed the tremendous fall
ing off of $1,000 from the Democratic vote
of 1890, the next preceding off year, and
in 1886 only 1000 of this loss was recov-
cred. The causes that brought about this
great loss, though they may not have
entirely passed away, are much less
acute, and in all probability there
will be some recovery this year.
Beth 1894 and 1896 were years
in which the political conditions
were abnormal. Now the conditions have
become nearly normal and the results
will approach nearer to the normal The
Republicans will make practically a
clean sweep of the state, however, elect
| ing their governor by plurality consid-
erably above the average of of years, all
their congressman by more than average
majorities. nearly all the senators and
an overwhelming majority Of the repre-
sentatives. There will be some cutting
on county officers and here and there
the Democrats may elect one. They will
probably elect more representatives than
last year, when they only had six out of
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