The Result

The re8ult of Tuesday's oloction, not ouly in Michigan but elsewhere, roinforces very strikingly tho main leBson of the Ohio election in üotober in showing the folly of an atteinpt on the part of the Democratie party to secure votes by a sacrifico of principie. Iu overy State and in alinost every Congressional District where the Democracy lowered their standard for tho purposo either of preventiug dofection to the National party or of winning back desertors, the party has suffered loss by the operation. This is lesa conspicuously shown, perhaps, in Michigan than ia sotno other States, becauso the Democratie platform here was for sound currency. But even iu this State the effects of abandoniug or feebly supporting principio can readily be traced. In evory district where the candidatos have bid for the support of the " soft money" men, so called, they have not only failed to get the vote they sought but have loet very noticeably trom the disgust or indifference of Democrats who favored a sound currency with no irredeomablo paper features. If the question had been one of policy merely there would have been aomething to say in favor of the course pursued. The supporters of an irredeemable currency were loud and unceasing in their advocacy of their remady for the ills besetting the country and extravagantly bold in their assertions as to the numerical strength they could command. If votes only had been wantod candidatos might well have been pardoned for supposing they were to be won by falling in with tbe new movement, though the result shows they would. have boen mistaken, even in that aspect of the caso. But the grievous mistake was iu the assumption that success alone was worth considering; and the sacrifico of a principie was justifiable in securing it. It did not seem to occur to some of the candidatos that if Democrats only wanted to be in the majority they could sacure their wish in this State by joining the Kepublican party. If the result teaches them that they made, as we have said, a grievous mistake, there wiü in tho end ba vory littlo to be dis8atisfied with in the result. Spite of the National defection, the Democratie party in Michigan 13 still a power, as the eleetion shows, and has within it the eleinents of success. Whatever may be the differenties of opinión among its members, the vote of Tuesday shows that the vast majority of tho party is unwilling to indorso a paper currency whieh is irredeemablo. This being settled, there can be no insurmountable obstacle to the harmonious adjustmeut of the differences which exist while there is so niuch to bind the party together in the devotion of its inenibers to the Democratie theory of our govermnent, and their oppositiou to th Kepublican party for itscontemptuous disregard of that theory. It is inevitable that, sooner or later, the losses by defection will be made np. the " irredeeinable" heresy is doomed. lts only hope was to succoed by a tidal wave which should sweep the country before the paper money reached the par of coin. And now that the wave has passed, without any of the expected results, and with the utterly unexpected result of stranding thoso who, like Butler, strovo to ride into power upon it, the strength that the movoment has borrowed from the Domocracy will be returued. - Free Press.