Year: 1879




A HlRA1D correspondent who has spent
the summer in Maine watching the course
of the political canvass sends us in letter
from Augusta what appears to us an un-
commonly interesting and valuable account
of the manner in which the two or three
parties have conducted what is called the
campaign" He points out the causes
which led to the republican defeat last
year-causes which, as we have shown
in the HERALD before now, have been
ut work for number of years. Dissatis-
faction with the rigid party discipline
main ntained by Messrs. Blaine and Hamlin
combined, he writes, with dissatisfac-
ton among the farmers and others at the
pressure of hard times to draw mass OF
discontented voters from the republican
party-not into the democratic party, GU
riously enough, but into the greenback
movement. 1t does not seem to have struck
the democratic leaders in Maine or else
where as ominous to them that dissatisfied
republicans refuse to join them, but in
sist on separate organization, by the
help of which last year in Maine they made
their discomfort felt. But the shrewd re-
publican leaders no doubt found cause for
encouragement IN this aversion of the in
deper dent voters to the democrats.


As in New York Mr.. Conkling, SO in
Maine Mr.. Blaine. found it necessary for
his own future purposes to recover the State
this year; and it is concerning the means
used by Mr.. Blaine and his friends to carry
lt Al l. IL 4
Gratis and greenbackers to foil him, that
our correspondent gives a number of inter-
esting details. 1t will be observed that
the democrats, who played very in
conspicuous part in the struggle, are,
in his opinion, as good as ruined
by the result. They will not for some years
to come present any formidable front to
their opponents, and are not unlikely to be
swallowed up in the new party if that shall
continue to exist. In fact, the opposition
to the republicans is in a condition of
chaos and lasting decentralization in Maine.
AS in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and largely in
this State also, the opposition elements have
no settled policy, possess few OF no compe-
tent leaders and are torn by jealous rivalries.
Nevertheless, some of the greenback lead
ers appear to have made what one would
regard their face as very effective ap-
peals against the continuance of republican
rule in the State. They showed the people
that in their twenty two years of rule the
republicans had increased the State debt
from six hundred thousand dollars to
nearly five millions had run up the State
|


to eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand
dollars; had increased the ordinary ex-
penses of the State government from two
hundred and eishty-nine thousand dollars
to seven hundred and thirty-nine thousand
dollars per annum had given away
to railroad corporation two million
acres of wild lands, the whole landed pos
session of the State; had largely increased
the number Of State officers and their
salaries; had misappropriated the public
moneys in double mileage, printing and
other ways; and that as q result of the long
republican rule there was an increase OF in
temperance and crime, and large decrease
in the number OF schools and even of
| churches. This would seem to be very
T..
summarize it here because we wish to fix
attention on the republican tactics by
which they have carried the State in spite
of such grave charges.


They did not attempt to meet these ac-
cusations; they paid little attention to the
currency question; what they did, mainly,
was to hold the democratic party up by the
tail in ull view of the State; and when the
people got good look at it they went i'm
mediately and voted the republican ticket.
That is brief but correct description
of the republican canvass. From every
stump in the State they preached
the terrors of Southern and rebel
domination; talked of the rebel brigadiers
in Congress, OF the Southern predominance
in the democratic party, of the solid South,
of the Yazoo plan, the Chisholm murder,
the Dixon assassination, the negro exo-
dus; threatened the reputation OF the
debt and made much of the great fuss Of
the extra session; and by doing this and
doing it thoroughly, pertinaciously, with the
help OF great number of speakers, they
carried the State.


II the democrats of the country have
even little wisdom they will take notice
OF this fact. They may say that the repub-
lican arguments were fimsy, unpatriotic,
false in fact and weak in logic ; they may
urge that the rebel brigadiers. so called,
are the most sensible ana conservative
democrats in Congress that their APP
pearance there ought to be welcomed
and not grudged that tho talk about
reputation is shallow nonsense, aud
that the democratic party in Congress,
with a good deal of folly in speech, has
done a real and important service to the
country in abolishing jobs and economic
ing expenditures all makes no differ.