Year: 1876

Why tho Republtcoss Purity of Delaware


scas 90 Badly Defeated IN tho last Eaeo-


tton-A talk sUith some ftts keprsssn-


tattvs Asn-ksSt and SwsseD Traitors


to tho Party.


Political defeats, as well as defeats In
business, have their bright and dark sides.
1t Is we'll that they have, or the cup would
be one Of bitterness that few would be
willing to dare, and receive the unpleasant
taste of. A representative of TIE HERALD
was reminded Of these things yesterday,
when in conversation with several promi-
nent Republicans upon the result of the
but hope springs eternal from the human
breast, and they were % hopeful of success
in the next contest as they were before they
entered upon the last. It has often been
remarked that the word "if'' is one of the
greatest blunders of the English language,
without 1t politics would work more smooth
ly, and it must have been the cause of the
late Republican defeat In this State, a. 1t
enters more largely into the discussions Of
the members of that party of the contest
than any other.


"Ah," said one, ''If New Castle county
had done better by us, "and, J" said anoth-
er, If Sussex had come anywhere near what
we expected, there is not the least doubt
we would have secured the Congressman"
Thus it runs al the way through the con-
versation of Republican upon the recent
election.


"Mr. Bird is consoled In his defeat by the
fact that he ran ahead of the Legislative
ticket. Mr.. Jenkins finds balm in the
fact that he received larger vote than
Grant did in this county the last time he
ran, and all have some crumb of comfort in
the bitterness of defeat, to take off the
ragged edges and reduce the agonizing stabs
ofannihilation.


The representative men of the party sx-
press surprise at the result. Their success
at the last city election had given them
reason for encouragement. To taste the
bread and cheese of power again was almost
intoxicating in its exhilerating incentives to
new hopes. The tremendous majority of
that time had lead them to believe that they
would get majority in New Castle county
ofthirteen hundred for Mr.. Bird. In sddi-
tion to this, they were saDguine of carrying
Democratic Sussex for the same candidate.
Kent county they were willing to surrender
TO Democracy, but thought they would over
come that with the sweepiDg msjolities from
the other counties.


But these were forloIn hopes, as the cleo
tion showed. 1t was stated by one of the
parties discussing the matter that there
was no doubt 10 his mind that the presence
of United States Deputy Marshals at the
polls made the Democracy many votes that
would have otherwise besn grist for the
Republican mill, not only in New Castle,
but in all the other counties Of the State,
The news of Federal interference Travelled to
the extremes of the State, and was as much
denounced in Sussex as 1t was here. The
redoubts of the Republican forces were
broken everywhere, and said prominent
candidate for Office in that party to a
HERALD correspondent, "The Republicans
of Kent were traitors and deceived us
They promised to- reduce the Democratic
majority of that couRty five hundred, and
bow well they succeeded is know to US only
too well.


The temperance candidate although he
polled small vote, took away that much
patronage which would have been attracted
to Mr.. Bird. They all admit that the route
was complete, but are consoled by the large
number of "Its, interpolated in discussions
of the contest, and the strong hope tina,
they will be more successful the next time
and this hope they do not believe to be Of
che kind that Patrick Henry described as u
"delusive phantom"