The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-20
The Demoralized Dem0cracy-Cenernl Gran
the Herald and the Politicians.

Tue DemOralizcd DemOcracy-General Grant,
the Herald and the Politicians.
The confusion of Babel-the confusion of
tongues-has fallen upon the demoralized
democracy. They, too, have had their decisive
defeats around Petersburg and are on the run
for Appomattox Court House. Had they fol-
lowed the advice Of the HERALD, as Seymour,
under the counsels Of John Van Buren, followed
it in 1862, the whole face Of things would have
been changed. After his splendid campaign
Of VicksbuSg we foresaw that the promotion of
General Grant would not stop short OF the
White House. After that unparalleled cam
paign which began in the Wilderness and ended
In Lees surrender It was manifest that Grant.
as the republican or the democratic candidate,
would be our next President. For well on to
two years, however, after Lees surrender the
opinion prevailed that General Grant was a
war democrat, and that accordingly the
chances of securing his great name for 1868
were decidedly in favor of the democracy, il
they would only abandon that fatal idea that
the war was O failure.
The HERALD meantime had presented
General Grant and urged his commanding
popularity upon the republicans; but the
radical leaders, managers and organs laughed
at our presumption. The republican party re-
lying upon Its own strength, they said, would
have no doubtful standard bearer for the
succession, who might turn out to
be another John Tyler or Andy Johnson,
but they would have man whose principles
were thoroughly republican, and SO proclaimed
to the four winds of heaven. Thus, In the
State elections of 1867, the claims and the
availability of General Grant for the success
sion were studiously ignored by the radical
managers, and Chase, as the great and reliable
radical statesman, was brought into the fore
ground. Then we began to show and il began
to be widely believed that Chase would in all
probability be the republican candidate, and
that to defeat him the war democracy would
be able to compel the Democratic Convention
to adopt General Grant. So IL was that even
the World at last began to discover in General
Grant the qualities Of a marvellous proper
man for the democracy on a new departure.
They only had to admit the settlement Of GER
tain questions and nominate General Grant to
march on to great victory and glorious
future. The same organ has since unblush-
ingly denounced this same General as nothing
better than drunken idiot butcher and On
impostor.
But the elections Of 1867 changed the pro-
gramme on both sides. The swamping of
Chase and Old Ben Wade in Ohio, and of the
Fenton-Crceley radical managers in New York,
ana 'nelr Chase programme, was speedily fol-
lowed ~ popular gatherings of the rank and
hie OF the Grant republicans, and the radical
managers began at once to lose ground from
the pressure OF these Spontaneous popular
uPrisings. These movements soon. indeed.
made such Roadway against the denunciations
of Wendell Phillips levelcd at Grant "a a
drunkard, on ignoramus, bad bargain. a
/ man of democratic proclivities. with
| weakness for Johnson; against the renon