The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-02-02
From Ha,7per's Weekly.
HOW 1o Reep in Power.

! AS the time approaches when the
| Spring political campaign will begin, 1t
Is useful to remember that party in
power is always at certain d1sadvan-
tage, and that it cannot retain power
merely by force OF organization nor by
standing still. A victorious army is
always surrounded by a cloud of bum
mers; nd a successful party attracts all
| the Vultures and unclean birds OF poll
tics. Long power, also, usually enables
| a party to secure its special and origt-
nal purposes, and lulls it into forgetfnl-
ness OF the fact that it can not repose
upon past laurels. Party organization
does much, but it Is not strong enough
to insure constant triumph. No party
organization was ever more unscrupu
| lOus and despotic than chat OF the DEM
Ocratic party. But that would not have
given it so long dominance but for
the immense interest of slavery behind
it, the protection of which was the sole
purpose of that party for a generation.
| At last the common sense and con-
science of the country prevailed over
party ties and broke through the vast
web of ignorance, cOWardice, and de-
mOraliZution in which the Democratic
party had entangled the people; and
now for eight years the Republican par
ty has controlled the Government, and
is intrusted with it for four years more.
Its very success brings its dangers.
In the first place the party arose to de-
strOy the aristOcratic influence In the
Government that called itself Demo
cracy, and which was an alliance In
which the courage and will of South.
ern oligarchy used for its purpose the
mingled ignorance and commercial
timidiLy of the North. This result has
been largely achieved. III the second
place the steady hold of the party upon
the country, and the immense oPportu-
l.; NJ OF no
TO dishonesty and speculation, have
made it responsible for great deal OF
corruption. Now Il party out OF power,
whatever its real character, has the
chance of limitless promises and pro.
LESSONS. If the character of the Demo.
cratic party were not so hopelessly es-
tablished-if the country did not so in
stantly and cOntemptuously reject the
assumption of principle by party
which for II generation was the pimp OF
slavery, and if its promises OF
economy were not so ludicrously
contradicted by Its management OF
the CITY of New York, where the in
trinsic character of what is called Dem
ocracy can be constantly studied, it
might have given the Republican party
u much more serious resistance than IL
has yet offered.
But the shrewder leaders OF that
party have now an advantage over the
duller leaders which they will not fail
| to use. They tried hard to persuade
| the party TO change it's mask at the last
| election. They insisted that the victory
| of the Republicans upon the old issues
| should be recognized. But the Demo
| cratic party is not party of intelligence
or principle, and it had therefore neither
perception nor courage. 1t beat the
| same old tOm-tOm, and was again
| defeated. But defeat again and again
repeated Is something which even dull
ness at last cOmprehends, and those
| who prOphCsied it last summer will
now be heard more patiently. They
| Will advise II remuneration OF old issues;
| an avoidance of candidates tainted by
defeat Il vigorous eXaggeratiOu of all
| the difficulties of the situation, of the
weight and extent OF taxation, OF the
frauds of the rings, OF the increasing
corruption IL skilIful casting of the
| whole esponsibility upon the party in
power, and the most unctuous promises
of a better time under Democratic
| economy.
a campaign sagacinusly conducted
upon such plan will require some
thing more upon the part otthe party
in power than reference to its old vic
| tories, or reliance upon the past crimes
| of the Democracy. 1t can withstand
tho onset in ono way only, and that ~.
| by giving the country practical proof
that it is bent upon honesty and econO-
my. TheMppeal to the notorious pro
cedcnts of the Democratic party will be
| met by assertions from the best Repub
licanS OF tho practices which have
| grown up in their own party; OF the
jobs which are urgently pressed 10y
their own party friends; of the charac-
ters of those who are often selected AS
the party representatives; of the rcck-
| less methods which are often adopted
to secure party ends. And this kind OF
objection would be made with danger
Gus force, for the Republicans who
would make it are the truest and best
men of the party.
The evident policy of the Republican
party for the spring campaign i'll New
| Hampshire, and Connecticut, and
Rhode Island, not for local success
| merely, bat for the benefit of the whole
party every where, is, therefore, the
simplest and strongest declaration In
favor of public honesty, political and
financial; and the plninest proof of the
| sincerity of such declarations is i'll tho
the least suspicion OF direct or indirect
corruption. In one word, the difficulty
| which our friends must bear i'll mind IL
| a growing fear among honest men that
| the Republican party is getting to be as
| bad as the Democratic. We must show
them that they are mistaken, and there
| is but one way in which we can do 1t.
| The Indifference of such men is our
danger. They naturally belong to us ;
but only because of the greater tntelli-
| gence and high purpose of the party.
Let us prove that the party deserves
success, and we need have no fear that
it will not achieve it.
| C.SnAE~F S6n&EAA@