The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-07

| democratic in the true sense of the term, nor
| faithful to State rights, according to the
Southern acceptation, the Democratic party
has no hold upon the gratitude or nope Oh the l9
! Soutb. The second coming of Moses is not
| more improbable than the second coming OF
| Buchanan, which is what Democratic orators
and Journalists toll and pray for. They may
| indeed continue to run the party race over
and over again, until their leaders ole or grow
wearied of defeats, or until their followers de-
| sert the sinking ship; but the Democratic
! priuciple under its present name and manage
ment. is dead from top to tap-root.
! Strange as it may seem, the ferceness with
! which the Democrats oppose all conditions of
! Southern restoration is one of the grounds
of want of confidence in their guidance. The
fact is understood that the Northern oppo-
nents of the Congressional policy are actuated
solely by desire to secure party advantage
not by devotion to the best interests of the
South. This point is well stated by the
CTeScent-
'The truth is that the Democratic politicians
OF the North are beginning to change places, in
respect to the restoration of the excluded Stales
with the Republican politicians. The former
now show the same anxiety to keep those
states from re-entering the Union Republican,
as the latter formerly showed to keep them out
lest they should come in Democratic The
Ola Guard, a New York Democratic monthly,
for example, declares that the only hope OF
beating the Republicans in the next Presiden-
tial election is for the Democratic party of the
North TO refuse resolutely to recognize in the
Electoral College the votes of States reorganized
under the Military bills. IL calls upon us to do
ourutmost against reconstruction, unless assured
we can, by assisting reconstruction, reinforce
the opponents Of the Republican party. But if
the South Will not oppose the plain purpose of
Congress, and II the Democratic party of the
North shall lack the backbone to dispute the
title of a President elected by means of votes
drawn from Southern military colonies, then
the Old Guard desires that chaos may rule for
at least a season. and that the South may be at
the mercy of revolutionary mongrels "a little
longer Now this question of the occurrence
and duration of chaos and of mongrel domfna-
tlon is one that peculiarly and vitally concerns
than impertinence for men at a safe distance
trom the scene of trouble to tell us that we
ought, with joy, TO assist in rendering our con-
dltlon as miserable as possible, for the sake of
throwing odium upon one party and improving
the prospects of another. such party tactics
may be very profound, but they certainly lack
the appearance Of being magnanimous"
The same "party tactics' which require the
South to postpone reconstruction dictated
some of the most harsh provisions of the law.
With such party it is not surprising that the
Southern people refuse to affiliate.
1t does not follow that there is at present
room for new party, or that an organization
aiming to steer between the Democratic and
Republican organizations would be entitled to
Southern support. The desire for third
party is Ineligible, and, as an abstract mat
ter, not unreasonable. There are thinkers
who object to the centralzing tendency of re-
cent legislation, apart altogether from its
primitive character. There are others who
apprehend continued turmoil and excitement,
and who do not like the idea of reverting to
Hobbies state of nature-perpetual war. 1t is
natural that these opinions should seek voice
and organization. But cui bono? What good
can possibly result from a movement that
would be powerless as against the party now
dominant throughout The country? The nice
distinctions OF the closet or the newspaper will
have no effective power of resisting the senti-
ment which furnished the sinews and fought
the battles of the Union.
Not more certain is it that the Republican
party now governs the country than that it
will continue to govern until the great issues
which agitate the South shall have been
finally settled. OF so much the advocates of
middle party may rest assured. If their
purpose be, then, to benefit the South, to
hasten its restoration, and to invite a return
of confidence and commercial activity, their
wisest course will be to submit to the logic of
events, and to seek within the Republican
party the influence and activity which can
nowhere else be exerted with the same imme-
diate advantage. Thus may they most
surely counteract the ultraism and violence
which they so earnestly deprecate; for
the great body of the Republican party does
not countenance and will not sustain ex-
tremists in their threats and demands. The
preponderatlng tone of the party is one of
firmness, blended with great moderation. 1t
is fixed in its purpose of reconstructing the
Union on the basis laid down, but it seeks
no punishment for it's own sake, and will
carry prescription no farther than contuma-
cious disloyalty may render necessary. We
submit that the conservative" projectors of
a middle party at the South may promote
moderation and good feeling more edectually
by junction with the controlling element of
he Republican party than by leading the for
lorn hope of Democracy, or attempting to form
a new party, with objects vague and leaders
preordained to defeat,