Year: 1876

The October Elections.


The elections of Tuesday, which were
looked forward to with keen and anxious
interest, have decided nothing, or next to
nothing, outside Of the States in which they
were held. We do not regret this There
is no sense in letting one or two States,
which happen to hold local elections in ad-
vance, virtually determine the Presidential
election for the whole country. The result
in Ohio and Indiana will not have the weight
of a feather on the great November contest
in other States. The result in Ohio makes
it certain that Ohio will give its electoral
votes to Hayes but it will not strengthen
the republican party in any other State
where it was not already strong. 1t is not
so entirely certain that the result in Indiana
insures that State to the democrats in the
Presidential contest, but it will not do to
reason from Indiana in 1872 to Indiana in
1876. In 1872 Indiana elected Governor
Hendricks in October by the slight
majority of 1887, and the next month it
gave Grant its electoral votes by heavy
majority of q, 900. But this great change
y
did not result from anything done in the
State, but from the great tide of republican
mejorities in October in other States. There
is nothing this year bearing any resemblance
to the splendid republican majority of "a, 1868
in the Pennsylvania October election of 1872
and the large Ohio majority in the same
month. 1t was not the vote in Indiana but
the vote outside of Indiana in October, 1872,
that gave the State to the republicans in the
following month. In 1872 the Presidential
election was decided beyond doubt in Oc-
tober but in 1876 the October elections have
decided nothing and have removed no
doubts. There is no perceptible reason
vember as it did on Tuesday. Blue
Jeans Williams is political raga-
muffin, and he ran against q republican of
remarkable strength and popularity. But
Governor Hendricks is the most esteemed
democrat in Indiana, and, with no outside
current to influence the result his chances
Of carrying the State should be better than
those of Williams Yet the extreme close
ness Of the vote on Tuesday puts Indiana
in the list of doubtful States.


OF the three elections on Tuesday that in
West Virginia is the only one that throws
even faint light on the Presidential con-
test West Virginia is the one Southern
State whose white population might have
been expected to be in sympathy with the
republican party. 1t had but few slaves,
and was easily cleft asunder from the old
State of Virginia during the war. 1t was a
steady republican State for several years
toral votes to Grant both in 1868 and
1872. In 1874 it went over to the demo-
Gratis by q pretty strong majority, and
this election shows that like its sister
States of the South, it has gone into the
democratic party to stay. Its democratic
majority on Tuesday is pretty clear indi-
cation that Mr.. Tilden may rely, with reason
able confidence, on the support of the "solid
South" The Southern States have 1873
electoral votes, and the democratic party
needs only AZ more to give it a majority.
The Presidential contest is therefore mar
rowed down to the question whether Mr..
Tilden can get AZ electoral votes in the
twenty-three Northern States 1t is already
certain that he cannot unless he carries New
York, and even with New York his ability
to make up that number is doubtful The
States in the following list are quite reliable
for HoyeS.-