The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-16
Progress of the Presidential Campaign.

rTngress OF the PresideDtta! Campaign.
In view Of the great fzzle in which the
Tammany Fourth Of July Convention closed its
laoors In view Of the failure of that Conven-
ton to come up to the broad ground on which
the democratic masses were prepared 20 meet
it, the evident tendency of popular opinion is
to revert to the times when the people found
that it was not safe to trust the democratic
party. Those were the times that gave the
republican party its start in life. Republicans
promised to save the nation, and the demo-
Gratis were crazy to carry out theory that
must destroy it, and this forced the people into
the former party, made up though it was of
wings, Know Nothings abolitionists, and all
the elements of chronic opposition to popular
impulse. The nation went with this party for
a purpose and forced 1t to accomplish the
purpose; but 80 soon as the pressure of the
general will was withdrawn, 80 soon as the
direct action of Vepeople on party councils
was no longer felt, as it had been through the
war, the leaders of the party gave indications
that their old instincts had not died out, and
they proceeded to reorganize the government
in accordance with those old instincts, on a
tyrannical, intolerant. anti-democratic basis
Entrusted with the national power, they made
partisan use of it, their prime object being
not to restore union harmony and peace be-
tween the rebelling States and the faithful ones
but to so frame the fundamental law of reor-
ganization as to keep down and defeat the pop
ular will and prevent democratic party from
raising its head in the Southern States. See
ing their great victory abused to such pur-
poses the people abandoned this party by COM
mon consent and gave victories or great gains
in numerous States to any organization that
promised successful opposition. Here was the
hint for the democratic leaders.
From the very nature of the case the de-
mocracy revived everywhere, and the people
rejoiced in q promised opportunity to put down
the men and the party they had seemed to
stamp with their approval by acting through
them during the war. AS the country is over
whelmingly democratic in its normal state, and
as the people were everywhere giving indica-
ton that eight years experiment of the other
party had sickened them, the case seemed
plain that there was to be return to the nor
NAL condition. Only one thing was neces-
sary-the people required to be sure that the
democracy in its revived phase was soundly
national and not vitiated by the errors and bad
purposes that had compelled them to cast it
aside eight years since. As the democratic
party was wrong the last time they knew it,
they demanded to know that it had got right
before they would trust it, They waited for
its nomination, to read, in the name of
the individual distilled of all its vir-
tues" what were its views of our
recent history and our present position
and its purposes for the future. In the name
of Horatio Seymour they see these views and
purposes declared with unblushing front they
see that the democracy has not yet arisen to
national comprehension of the war; but is
resolute still to regard it as it did from Chicago,
and to consider the present position of the
nation SIS the result of the triumph of wrong,
the whole of which must be undone, and they
see that the purpose Of this party in the future
must be to humiliate the victor. In the very
name of the candidate the democracy repels
the masses that poured out the blood and sub
scribed the money for the war. This will not
do for proud, generous people, confident of
the right of what they have done, and thus by
inevitable necessity the nation turns to Grant.
Little as it likes the party that was compelled
to put him up, much as it distrusts the more
violent element of that party, it knows, likes
and il willing to trust Grant himself for sound
judgment, upright heart and in6exible pur-
pose-the peoples own hero-and it knows
that it has no good to hope and every evil to
fear in the success of the democratic candidate