Year: 1878

III seems 0ult tNlutui bht NAbNhD"''N
tide has passed its flood, and from this time
forward will be at its ebb, until it disappears
from among the vital forces OF our politics.
The unexpected result in Maine, where the
new organization by a sudden stride took the
second place among parties, and achieved It's
first substantial success in New-England was
calculated to make it an object OF unusual
public attention and interest, and to awaken
in some quarters the expectation OF something
in the nature of n political revolution, like
the Know Nothing uprising of 1S54-'55 The
GreeLbackers or Nationals, as they call them
selves, seemed to have fairly lost their heads in
the confidence which such sudden and unex-
pected success engendered. They began lmme-
diately to talk of repeating the Maine result in
all the States: of stepping to the front of the
Democracy in the Congressional elections; /;
holding at least the balance of power in the
next Congress, and-wildest dream of all-car-
rying the Presidential election in 1880. This
boastful talk made more impression here in
the East, where the bewildering effect of
the Maine election was most percepti-
BILE, than in the West, where the
movement was older had TpoDed more
and become more familiar as a working
force in politics. Where it had reached a
fuller development and had had time to ex-
hibit itself through its leaders, it was more
fully understood and more accurately dis
counted. Still there was enough in the sud
den growth Of the new movement in Maine
to awaken anxiety among the politicians OF
the old parties in the October States and in-
vest the canvass with an element of unusual
doubt and uncertainty. So all parties waited
curiously the turning of the boxes and count
ing of the votes on Tuesday.


The conditions could hardly have been more
favorable to the success of the new party.
For many months the leaders in it have shown
much more activity than either of the old
parties and their persistence and confidence
have been rewarded by what seemed to be
constant growth. The Democratic party was
the chef sufferer from their inroads; an oc-
casional recreant was picked up from the
Republicans, but the results show what
they did not anticipate, that the Repub-
lcan losses in this direction were more
than made up, partly by accessions from
the hard-money men OF the Democracy.
but principally by the return to the party of
dissatisfied and apathetic Republicans who had
all their old enthusiasm revived by the COM
ing up of an issue upon which, as in the early
days of the party, conscience and honor and
patriotism were appealed TO and all their ear
nestness aroused. This fact did not clearly
appear on the surface, however, and the Ma
tionals had only to consider the encOurag-
ing features of the situation; their
recent successes and the enormous pres
tige Of themj the decentralization they
had caused in the Democratic ranks the
rapid progress they seemed TO be making, and
the apparent anxiety and disgust they were
giving the Republicans. With all these en-
cOuraging conditions, and the unwearIed ex-
ertions which confidence breeds in men san
gulne of success, they have made their great
demonstration in the October States, and the
results are before the country. To have full
filed the expectations based upon the Maine
election, they should have carried everything
before them showing large gains everywhere
on the popular vote, and some substan-
tial fruits of victory in the election
of Congressman. The organization was
older and stronger in the Western States than
i'll Maine; it was profting, or was claimed to
be, by the process of natural growth and
constant accretions from the dissatisfied of the



the tremendous impulse of their success in
Maine, which should have pushed it far for
ward to at least the second place among
parties. Instead of this, they have made
nowhere any startling gains but in many
places. notably those where they have been
longest organized and have heretofore shown
their greatest strength, they have fallen off in
the vote


The inference is plain. The Maine wave did
not raise the tide at the West There it had
already touched its highest notch, aud the ebb
may fairly be considered to have begun. As
a sensational political movement it has accom-
plshed little more than the Granger move
mcnt of few years ago, which had
so short run, but not so much
as the Know -NothIngs did twenty -four
years ago. 1t is safe to say that
no political revolution will come out of IT.
Its greatest, perhaps only, result will be to
divide and possibly disintegrate the Democ-
racy. The wave has almost spent its force.
In saying that it is at its ebb we do not
mean that 1t will not continue for n short
time to show considerable strength and doubt
less very large increase in its vote in the New
England and Eastern States, where, not hav-
ing got fairly under way hitherto, 1t has
ga good vote to gain on" In Massachusetts
there will be great show of gains in Buffers
vote. In Connecticut, as was pointed out in
yesterdays TRIBUNE, they will poll q vote
probably twice as large as last year, perhaps
more-their strength is purely cOnjectural. In
New-Hampshire they will undoubtedly show
an increase. But we greatly mistake if with
this years demonstration the new movement