The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-03
Governor Orr ON the Situation.

Governor ORR is remarkable politician.
He has wonderful knowledge of men-a
memory which never loses name, face
or an event committed to its charge-an
invention fertile in its expedients, and g.
courage in critical emergencies which, as
his present obscuration shows, not unfre-
quently surpasses his dexterity. Bland
and genial in address, kind at heart, pleas
ant and inexhaustible in conversation, hab-
ituaIy thoughtful and self-reliant-he nev-
ertheless fails because he lacks the pro-
phetic insight and moral consistency of
statesmanship. BE belongs to the DIsRAEI1
school, which confounds politics with policy
or state.oraft. He has greater genius for
compromise than Mr.. CLAY himself.
The conversations be has recently had
with some of the leading Democrats Of Mis-
souri, are quite characteristic. The Governor
objects to 'the bungling way" in which
that party has been managing matters of
late, and to ''the great mistakes" made by
the Tammany Convention, to the impracti-
cable ard obsolete ideas Of SEYMOUR and
the military record and revolutionary pro-
iects of BLAIR, to the Confederate Generals
on the floor and the Southern sentiment IN
the platform. The Governor has no pa
tience with old worn out policies, but wants
something bran new. And if e1pediency
is, as 30 many insist, the only law in poll
tics, he is quite right.
A party labors under disadvantage which
seeks to restore the constitution, no doubt.
The case of President johnson shows this;
for his unpopularity is less due to the bitter
ness Of his language in regard to the Radical
leaders than to his strenuous opposition to
their unconstitutional measures of recon-
struction. He has lost ground with every
reassertion of the inviolable sanctity of the
constitution. The martial trophies Of GRANT
and SHERIDAN are more highly esteemed
than our noblest heritages of liberty. The
peaceful fame of JEFFERSON and MADISON,
the brightest stars that shone in the blue
field of the republic, has been eclipsed by
the smoke of battle. Men are impatient of
the restraints of international compacts,
the limitations of power, the safeguards of
private right. But, then, what is the Dem
ocratic party to do? The constitution is
its life. It clings to the antique structure;
and how can it be helped, if the fall of the
one involves the overthrow of lie other? In
those ssobsolete ideas" which Governor ORR
objects to, principles are involved which
may be defeated, but which cannot be COM
promised.
The Democratic party might have at
tempted russ de guerre by the nomination
of an ex-Republican for President, just as
the Republican rarty has nominated an ex-
Democrat. Bat this resort would have in
volved an abrogation of principle for the
sake of success. We are glad that o higher
policy has been adopted. The only objec-
tion that can be justly urged against SEY-
MoUR and BLAIR is that they are thorough
Democrats; and if the country rejects them,
then all we shall have to say will be--so
much the worse for the country. SEy-
MouR's "obsolete ideas" would have saved
the liberties of the republic, and BLAIR's
Revolutionary" principles would have re-
established the rights of the component
States, which were secured by the first Rev.
olution.
AS to Mr.. CHASE, distinguished as he is
at once by his intellectual gifts and moral
qualities, and wide as is his influence over
the conservatives of the Republican party, it
is not clear that he could have been nopina-