The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-02


followers in order to attain IL, and clamoring
for much government or little government,
for interference or nOn-interference, for hon
esty or repudiation, for movement or for re-
pose, as may seem most likely to crafty the
passions or the preiudices of the rank and
file. To call this party Conservative" is to
degrade term which some of the purest aud
best men in the world have, amidst many err
rors and many delusions, ennobled by their
selt-sacriice, their enthusiasm, and their
piety.
If this be a true view Of the ends for which
the Republican party exists, it must, in order
to do its duty, discard at once the idea that
1t may or must use the same means that the
Democratic party has been in the habit of
using. As 1t rests on the moral and religious
sentiment of the community, and as it is TO
this sentiment that it must always address
ITSELF 1t must give up the idea of copying
Democratic methods, Democratic discipline
and organization. It's means must in q word
be noble as well as its aims. 1t must abandon
the Democratic plan of throwing dust in the
peoples eyes, OF treating voters as if they
were children, of trying to persuade people,
like Macaulay's Brahmin, that a NANCY dog
Is fine sheep, fit to sacrifice to the gods; it
must give up all forms of humbug; it must
not, for instance, try to bamboozle poor Irish
men by affecting to believe the Feniaus a
belhgerent power, and passing sham
votes of sympathy with 'the Irish re-
public" it must not affect to believe
that men can work eight hours and yet be
entitled TO as much wages as if they worked
ten; it must not pretend to believe that every
male voter is perfect Judge of measures and
men, that it makes no difference what caudi-
dates character or antecedents may be, pro-
vided he is "sound" on the suffrage or the
temperance or the Sunday question: or on any
other question; it must not affect to consider a
judges character and learning to be considera-
tions of less importance than his political
opinions; it must not, for instance, solemnly
pretend to believe such a person as Judge
Underwood Gan enlightened iurist," simply
because he hates Rebels; it must give up pre-
tending to consider the conclusions of human
reason to be no obstacles to the qualification of
anything on which enthusiasm or passion may
have set its heart and, above all, it must
make the character of public men the first,
and their knowledge the second, qualification
for office. Mr.. Stevens is just now abusing it
for its ''want of courage" We presume he
means by this its failure to take some
more advanced and less defensible
position; some position which would bid louder
dehance to the teachings of experience and
principles OF human nature than any he has
yet been able to urge it into. We, too think
II IS want OF courage that has brought it to
grief; but it is not the kind of courage he has
in his mind it is the courage to discard base
the courage to trust everything to humanity,
the conscience, the good sense, and the love of
truth and Justice of the American peopla and
nothing whatever to management" and Chi
cane and balderdash. Some of the sages who
have had charge of it have been all along
under the delusion that if they only shouted
loud enough for ''equal rights' it made no
difference how many knaves got office, and
now much humbug they embodied in speeches
and resolutions; but they are gradually
awakening from it. There are already strong
indications that the men of influence are
hnding isa The out New what Ter, the %.,, matter
we refer to it not because we wish to cast any
special blame on it for recent reverses. but
because it is the most influential journal of the
party-is doing now what, had it been done a
year or two years ago, would, we verify be-
heve, have prevented these reverses-warning
the Legislative jobbers" Off the course, and
advising voters not simply to "seratch" but
to "bolt," not simply to strike bad names off
the party ticket but to put good ones on it,
in other words, to make the getting of good
men into office the first of party aims: and
this 1t evidently does in the belief, which is
and always has been ours, that in no way
can the Republican party secure so long q
tenure OF power, so thoroughly root itself in
the confidence of the people, as by showing
that IL considers victory at the polls not a
blessing but curse if it has been won through
processes which harden the popular heart,
blunt the popular conscience, or provide
knayes with the reward of their hypocrisy
We sincerely trust that now that they are
shaking. off the delusion that they must swal-
low nominations whole, the Republicans of
this State and elsewhere will show that they
have clearer views of what the functions and
value OF the party are than many of their
leaders, and that they will, while saving their
consciences, give it their hearty support.
The Presidential Question The CoaIi-
uOn Against General Grant.
FFOni G'e ~ y Herald.
There seems to be a common understanding
and sort of coalition among radicals and
Copperheads, Chase Republicans, and Seymour
and PendletOn Democrats, to kill off General
Grant as a Presidential candidate. Nor is
there any mystery in this strange alliance
With the nomination of General Grant "a tbe
Republican candidate, the issue of the Presi-
Dental election is a foregone conclusion. Ex-
cepting, perhaps, Delaware, Maryland, and
kentucky, Grant would sweep the whole
country, North, South, East, and West. The
result would be the same with one opposition
candidate or dozen such candidates in the