The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-23
THE RADICAL BREAKUP.
Remarkable Admissions from Leading
Party Organ.

The Nation tRadical,) one OF the most cap-
did and thoughtful journals of the party in
power, in it's last issue, uses the following Ian
guage:
1t seems not at all likely that We shall witness
something Of the same kind during the coming
fall. It Ia casting no extraordinary discredit
on the Republican party to say that ever since
1866 1t has been losing it's hold on the popular
qffeclion. 1t had very difficult work to do in
reconstruction, and one for which the ex'
perlence of the war had hardly fitted it's leaders.
and which, from it's Very nature, Was sure to
damage the reputation Of any party which un-
dertook it. It was enabled to carry it out sue
cessful!y solely OWING to Andrew Johnaons
folly and the South's obslnacy. and stu
pldity. How deeply the leaders felt the i'm
portapce Of Johnson's folly to the party
was we'll shown by the frantic efforts made by
them and b. the party papers to magnify his
"crlmes" and the gravity Of the impeachment
trial. In addition to this, the party has had
tie spending for eight years Of enormous sums
of money, and has been forced to collect and
disburse it without any adequate administra-
tive machinery. The consequence, and the in
evitable consequence, has been not only that
the party has has had to shoulder the respon-
sibility OF great abuses, but has had to witness
the accession to its ranks Of prodigious num-
ber of knaves and adventurers, and to bear the
burden OF their "loyalty" and 'soundness"
while entirely unable to put stop to their
plunderlng and peculating. Some allowance,
too, in investigating the cause OF the decline
course, be made for the weariness Of any party
which has been long in power which inevitably
comes over the public before many years.
Many people forget the misdeeds Of the oppo.
sition, are constantly iretted by the faults OF
the admnistration, and gradually worked
them selves first INTO belief that any change
would be tor the better, and then into deter
mination to have change Of some kind at any
cost.
The party was, therefore, in o somewhat
sorry plight al the approach OF the Presiden.
tial election; and If it had made up its mind 10
discard Grant, and Democrats had made up
their minds to take Chase, there ia. we believe,
little doubt In the minds Of ,areful observers
that il would have gone to pieces. Here the
folly Of the opposition, combined with the en-
ergetic action Of the sensible men at the Chica-
30 Convention. postponed the evil day. As 1t
was, Grant may be said to bave achieved re-
spectacle victory only by the peculiarlties OF
the elective machinery. Had he been depen-
dent on direct popular vote, he " ,uld have
barely escaped defeat. The history Of his ad
ministration thus far has certainly not been Of
a character to give the party new hold on the
popular confidence. Indeed. lls warmest
friends have been forced almost from the first
to act on the-deiensive-to devote themselvss,
in fact, mainly to the work Of proving, not that
it has established new claims. to popular graft
tude, but that it has done nothing to earn
popular distIust.
IL is not at all surprising, therefore, that
the hack politicians, whose presence In its
ranks and use OF It's machinery as their own
ends have brought 30 much discredit on 1t,
should once more begin to feel anxious, and
cast about for some means Of rekindlinR the
popular enthu,' ann in it's behalf, or procuring
a renewal Of ,ts l:ase OF power.