The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-22
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT TOPICs-COMPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
Lessons from Connecticut, by Horace
Greeley.

at her State election on the 1st instant by
nearly 1000 majority. She is the first of the
former free States carried by that party since
November, 1864, when it gave the electoral
vote of New Jersey to General Mcclellan.
Very naturally, the victors are signally elated
and regard this as initiating a long series of
triumphs. And there is not an unchanged
Rebel, in any part of the world, who does not
exult over this victory of his Connecticut
friends as his triumph--a triumph of his
principles, and presage of his early restora-
ton to all of which the adverse fortunes of
war have bereft him. TO him, it is Viclxsburg
recovered with Atlanta, Savannah, Richmond,
and Appomattox about to follow. Let us con
slider what this victory is, and what it por
tends
l. It is not the fruit of accident, reckless
ness, or surprise. 1t was hoped for on one
ide, apprehended on the other; and the con
test iust closed was unusually vigorous. The
state was well canv assed for either party; the
vote polled is heavy beyond precedent-con-
siderably more than 10000. II the Republi-
cans failed to do their very best, they GER
tainly did very well. Rarely or never has the
poll been so full at any otherthan a Presiden-
tial election
II, Nor does it result from a confusion or
instrumentation of issues. True, the Demo-
Gratis did not nominate their most obnoxious
men, nor proclaim their most obnoxious senti-
ments They acted wisely, prudently, but
not deceptively. If Toucey, Eaton, and T. II.
Seymour were not placed in the foreground
il was well known and understood that they
were on hand. They did not speak, but their
spirit animated some of those who did. Hos
tility to Congress, in all that it has done and
all that it has purposed, was the key note OF
the struggle. Hatred of the blacks, with
repugnance to their enfranchisement, though
less pronounced and less vociferous than it
has been, was the primary impulse of three
fourths of the triumphant party. If, there
fore, there be those who, in full view of this
result, shall still insist that the Democratic
party is dead they must mean that its ideas
and aims are necessarily transformed-not
that its partisans are so few as to be power
less, or no longer devoted to its fortunes.
III. Nor was the triumph won by direct
bribery. To say that it was is to impeach
unjustly the character of our voting popula-
tion True, the leading Democratic candi-
dates were mainly rich men, and their eXpen-
ditures in the canvass were exceedingly
lavish but they were devoted to making votes
rather than buying them. Everything was
naturalized that could or would swear
through" The State was carefully searched
for raw material out of which to fabricate cleo
tors. Whoever could be put on the poll-lists
was put on whose could vote in Connecti-
cut was sent for, though ever so distant
whose could vote and would vote the Demo-
cratic ticket was sought out and brought to
the polls. Most of the winning candidates
were decidedly popular; the wealthier of them
were profusely LIBERAL they made some votes
by protesting peculiar devotion to the inter
ests of Labor and the further limitation of the
days work but there are very few Republi-
cans in the State who were or could be cor
rupted with money.
~. The Democrats unquestionably made
votes out of their well-knOwn, if not plainly
avOwed, hostility to the negroes and to impair
tial suffrage. The coarse, the vile, the repro
bate, are generally Democrats on instinct; but
if one of them CHANGED to be DETECTED the
other way by kinship or past association with
better men, it was only needful to cry
"Nigger ~ to win him over to English q Co.
Clearly, If there had been no action of Con
gress looking to the concession of equal right
to blacks, it would not have been possible to
poll any such Democratic aggregate as was
polled. The Republicans were subjected to
the odium of wishing and seeking negro en-
reimbursement without the coUnterbalancing
advantage of securing the black vote.
V. 10 say that the recent acts of Congress
looking TO Southern reconstruction were Odious
would be grossly to err. Could vote have
Deen taken distinctly on the question, a ma
lorlty would have approved and sustained
those acts. What Congress did was not un-
popular; its hesitation to do it ,Das. Had the
great measure known as the Military Recon-
structlon act been passed in January rather
than IN March, the Republican ascendancy in
connecticut would have been maintained But
congress hesltated so long, and debated so eX-
haustlVely, that the cry, '"Hhey don't mean to
iet the south be reOrganized and readmitted
I'LL the next Presidential election, if ever"
was reiterated with effect; and the early
assembage of the Fortieth Congress neu-
tralzed the good effect of the passage
o1 the Reconstruction act. A general inn
patience of delay and anomaly had been
sedulously tostered, and was widely prevalent
and the calling of the FOrtieth Congress was
represented as reopening and indefinitely pro-
longing agitation and alienation, "Admit
that What has been done is Just and right,
why not stop doing Is there never to be an
end OF legislation about the Rebel States ? If
the Reconstruction act, already passed. is wise
and just, what need can there be of another p,
such were the queries and cavils which
neutralized the legitimate effect of what Con
gress had actually done. can that has hear
done looks well enough; but what NAV not
Stevens, and Butler, and Chandler do newt
Will they ever be done with reconstructin,
till admonished by the people to quit IL 81
Suspicion that something might be done, O,
left undone, as it should not be, neutralize5
the good effect of what actually had been done
and palpably aOeU done.
W. VI course, the Johnsonized Republicans
Who ENJOY the Federal offices, did what harI