Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-12-22
CRUMBLING OF THE REPUBLI-
CAN PARTY. :


- NoAASA' oAsSkaua
40 be Revived
From the Anti-SlaFery Standard.
WAsHINoToN, Dec. Q, 1867.-The Re-
publican party is falling TO pieces. 1t i:
being constantly betrayed by its own
friends. The great OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Of all mere political parties ever formed
has no enemy so dangerous as the cowardly
and trescherous, The timid time server and
the mere expediency-mongers who dwell
within its borders. In Congress il fails
constantly. II is falling 10 pieces daily.
A chief reason is because IL has no leader,
no one brave enough to strike back or saga
cious enough TO see blow and ward il of.
Whatever else might be said of Mr.. Ste.
yens leadership, il had the merit of strik-
ing back, and OF beiRg alwas ready to at
tack when liberty was threatened. A crowd
Of mere responsibilities now strive to rule.
All Of them are secretly conscious Of the
unftness for the position their ambition
aspires to. So all strike to prevent other
men from that direction Schenck is too
cross, Kelley is deemed too egotistical,
Boutwell, and Shellabarger too modest, Ia
quality with which not many are afflicted, }
Butler is too imprudent on an emergency,
Logan is not yet a skiIlful enough parli-
mentarian, Julian would be best, but he ia
too hard-worked and weary a man TO un~
dertake the task. For all practical pur-
poses Mr.. Stevens is of the past, except 80
far as he can counsel.
Ii is no Use Disgusting the fact The
Republican party is not now one. There
are two distinct parties in its midst. The
question is really which shall keep the
great name and maintain the splendid or
ganization. This honor belongs by all that
is just to the Radicals. The Conservatives
have no claim, many of them are petty
and peddling soldiers of fortune, while the
others are .iaundiced and disappointed poll
iticians, who grieve at being so near states
manship, and yet unable to make people
recognize them as such. What transpired
on the black days-a twin disgrace-of last
week has given a final, if yet unrecOgnized.
blow at the unity Of the party. Nothing
can keep these discordant elements to-
gether long, except the pressure of an out
side danger, overwhelming as that which
drove them into fusion when Sumter was
fred upon. The Republican party in Con-
gress might have survived, though that is
doubtful, the defeat ofimpeachment. There
are other measures that might have rallied
the shattered elements But il can never
survive the utter wreck of mutual cons
hdence which has resulted from the
tyrannical and shameless conduct of the
majority which destroyed the nations great
hope. That conjunction of Conservative
fears and Copperhesd lusts was ftly ex-
empihed by the manner in which thew
crushed all debate, destroyed free dis.
cusslon, and made Parliamentary liberty a
Jest, and brought to shame and scorn the
highest prerogaliye bestowed by the con.
stitution on the national Legislature. The
tyrannioal conduct of the majority in pre-
venting debate, has swept away the last
hopes among discerning men Of looking 10
Keeping the Republican party intact. The
only chance-and it is a slender one-lies
in the fact that the Conservatives may vet
be compelled to retrace their steps, by the
bitter NORWOOD and gall johnson will
compel them TO swallow. Men hardly yet
begin TO realize how fatal a blow the MAJ
| iority dealt at the life of the Republican
party on Saturday last. The inutility of it
is seen in the fact that the question can at
any time be re. preached. Impeachment is
a privileged question. Any member may
make charges by resolution, and can not
| be prevented from speaking thereto.
| The Radicals are, it is pleasant to re-
| cord, not dishesrtened by the defeat, which
is not theirs, however. They are taking
steps toward organization. Consciously OF
unconsciously, they see that division Is
actual, though not yet acknowledged. They
are determined not 10 allow themselves ia
| be divided
| Yesterday quite number of the active
and earnest Radicals, Western men mostly
met at the residence of Thaddeus Stevens
| An informal consultation was held, and il
was determined TO bring mp Impeachment
again, by the presentation of different
motions 10 impeach, 10 which their movers
who are leading Radicals, can speak al
length. This they have a right 10 DO
| There will be conference during the
present week, looking TO the parliamentary
organization Of the Radical wing. Ii IL
understood that some leader for the House
/ viii be selected, probably Gen. Schenck
and around him, With such aid AS Mr.
| Stevens health will allow him to give
there will be determined Radical stand
for the carrying of such measures az art
now pending.
| Presidential ISSUES had much TO do with
the defeat of impeachment. The Grant
managers, nearly all, especially Wash
bnrne, were active in opposition. General
| Garfield and Judge Spalding, Of Ohio
who are the Chase leaders in the House,
were also prominent in the boomerang
| policy they engineered on Friday last. As
| proofs Of their spirit let me mention that
4 - 4 4 A
son, Just before Governor Boutwell, CLOSED
his splendid argument, that he must insis
upon his motion 10 lay on the table anc
call the previous question: as 1t would never
do TO let the debate go on. There ar
many men here" he says, who will b,
Influenced by the speeches and the debat,
will go against MS" So much for Garfield
He has a bad attack of lego" and ha
lost his balance and his conscience. A
for Spalding, he was chief in obiecting
after the previous question was called, &
allow any Of the minority to make even
proposition, much more TO explain VIII
ihey flibustered. Perhaps the irascibl
old lawyer may not think 40, but il eve
he gets back again from the Cleveland dis
trict he will have 20 do much penance i
sack-cloth and ashes, and get great dea
stronger Endorsement from Tbaddeu
Stevens than that he 80 humbly sued 70
in the fall Of 1866. Banks and Dawes vii
be remembered. They eat dirt aud dougl
all the time.
WASHINGTON SOCIETY THIS WIN
TER.
"Perley writes as follows 20 the Bo,
ton Journal from Washington
A majority Of the Senators, and a
least one.third Of the Representatives, ar
accompanied this winter by their wiYe'