The New York herald., 1868-04-08


once or twice, whcreupOn Tony stabbed him with
his penknife, severing the walls of the heart and
causing death almost instantly. The jury rendered
averdict accordingly. During the investigation the
boy, almost wild with grief at the terrible deed he
had committed, sat next to the father of the de-
ceased, an old man, who mOaned and gr0aned, rock
ing himself to and fro over his bereavement.
The Connecticut and Michigan Elections and
Their Important Bearings ON the Presidential
Contest.
The confident hopes of the republicans of a
great victory in Connecticut have been signally
disappointed They have not only failed to
recover the State, but have failed to prevent a
significant increase of last years democratic
| majority Before the election all the advan-
tages of the contest were apparently on the
radical side. Under the flag of General Grant
as their Presidential candidate they were all
brought into line and worked harmonously to-
gether. Their working politicians were further
encouraged by the prospect of some immediate
rewards in new division Of the federal spoils
with the removal of Andrew Johnson they
were relieved of Barnum and his menagere,
and the bright aud balmy skies of election day
gave them every facility to bring out all their
reserves in the rural districts. On the other
hand, the democrats, without a Presidential
champion and uncertain where they would find
one, had an uphill battle to fight against the
great Union hero of the war. How is it, then,
that they have won this remarkable victory?
They have won it upon the broad and general
issue of hostility to the excesses and revol,l-
tionary schemes and tendencies Of the party in
power, including, especially, universal negro
suffrage.
The popular verdict of Connecticut, it may
be fairly claimed, is against the impeachment
and removal of President Johnson. The radi-
Gals made their fight to great extent upon
this question. But the paramount, underlying
issue upon which they were defeated is, after
all, this issue of universal negro suffrage. This
proposition they adroitly attempted to cover
up; but it was skilfully kept in the foreground
by the democrats, and this has turned the scale
in Connecticut. We want no better proofs of
the fact than are furnished in the Connecticut
republican platform, taken together with the
results on negro suffrage last fall in Ohio and
New York, and with the result on that distinct
proposition in the shape of a constitutional
amendment in Michigan on the same day with
this Connecticut election. The republicans even
so late as last fall held Michigan by some twenty
nine thousand majority; but on Monday last this
proposition of universal negro suffrage, although
there are only some twelve hundred negroes in
the State to be affected by the result, was voted
down in Michigan by decisive majority.
Negro suffrage, then has swamped the republi-
can State ticket in Connecticut. The popular
antipathy to universal negro suffrage has proved
stronger in Connecticut than the popularity Of
General Grant.
We may safely assume then, from all these
experimental elections, last year and this year,
that from Connecticut westward to the Pacific
are opposed to this radical shibboleth of uni
versal negro suffrage. Nay, more; we may as
sumo that if the democracy, as they did in
this Connecticut election, keep their copper
heads in the background and bring forward as
their Presidential candidate popular man,
identified with the war for the Union, they
may upon this issue of universal negro suf-
rage beat even General Grant; for was not
General Scott, the most distinguished soldier
of that day, beaten in 1852 by poor Pierce, a
subordinate general of volunteers in Mexico,
and was he not beaten simply because Pierce
was supposed to be safer than Scott on the
negro question? But what champion of the
war for the Union will do to put in the field
by the conservatives against Grant as the
radical candidate? Admiral Farragut is the
very man. He wants no platform, in addition
to his war record, but retrenchment and re-
form and qualified negro suffrage in opposi-
ton to universal negro suffrage. The de-
mocrats Of New Hampshire, profiting from
their late defeat, are acting upon our hint, and
like practical men, in taking up Farragut, they
propose vigorously to dispute with the radicals
the election for the succession.
But may not the radicals take the back track
on negro suffragep II is too late, we believe,
| for that. In their Congressional system o
| Southern reconstruction they have carried this
cure-all of universal negro suffrage too far
to be now abandoned. If they do abandon II
they will drive Off the ultra radicals into ar
independent Presidential faction. They must,
however, do one thing or the other, and 10
any event they will need the votes of these
still unreconstructed Southern States But ir
hurrying in those States on the basis o
universal suffrage to the negroes and whit,
disfranchisement, the danger is that the re-
action on this business may cost the radi
Gals more in the North than they vii
gain in the South. Unquestionably thes,
Connecticut and Michigan elections vii! ope
rate TO demoralize the white radicals and tn