The New York herald., 1869-06-04
The Chief Justice and the Democracy-A
Movement for 1872.

1t is generally understood that II Horatio
Seymour had said the word in the Tammany
Convention of 1868 Chief Justice Chase
would have been the democratic candidate
against General Grant 1t is generally
believed from the late extraordinary speeches
OF Senator Sprague on the political situation,
| and from some recent decisions of the Chief
Justice on gold contracts and the fourteenth
amendment, that movement Is on foot to
keep this distinguished Presidential aspirant
in the foreground as the man of all men for the
| democracy in 1872.
We find in our exchanges published letter
on another subject, dated Charleston, May 30,
1869, from the Chief Justice, which may be
construed as looking in the same direction.
The letter is in response to an invitation to be
present at the decoration of the graves of the
Union dead in Magnolia Cemetery aeaNCharles-
ton; and in his reply, after stating his regrets
that it is too late to make the necessary
arrangements for an attendance, and after
commencing the ceremony, Mr.. Chase says -
"And may we not indulge the hope that ere
long we who adhered to the national cause
will be prompt also to join in commemorating
the herosm of ouN countrymen who fell on the
other side, and that those who now specially
mourn their loss consenting to the arbitra-
ment of arms and resuming all their old love
for their country and our country, one and
indvisible, will join with us in like commemo-
| ration Of the fallen brave of the army of the
Union" In other words the Chief Justice
hopes to see the dawn of the millennium, that
''gOod time coming
Which kings and prophets have waited for
But died without the sight
But this letter also admits of the democratic
Interpretation suggested, with the various
| other little signs we have referred to-, and in
this view all the other holdover candidates
from the Tammany Convention will do well to
watch the development of the great promised
financial and general political reform pro-
gramme of Senator Sprague. He has not yet
given us any very distinct ideas of what he is
driving at or what he proposes to do but it is
probable that, like John the Baptist, he is the
forerunner of the greater teacher who is to
follow him. From present appearances, too,
| our political parties before the year 1872,
| especially the dominant party, will be in an
excellent position of Generalization and con-
fusion, to be manipulated and moulded with
the democracy into powerful Chase move
ment in opposition to the administration.
FRANCE AND MExIoo-WHAT's UP?-A gen.
tleman named Burdet arrived in Mexico city
lately from ST. Thomas. We are informed by
cable telegram from Paris that he goes
under authorization of the French govern
ment to look after French ''interests"
in Mexico. What particular ''interest"
has Napoleon in Mexico? The remains
of the unfortunate Macmillan rest in
the tomb of the Hapsburgs. French soldiers
were despatched to Mexico during the civil
war in the United States to look after French
Interests" How they got out of it is well
known. Mr.. Burdet goes from St. Thomas.
Perhaps the allied French and British war YES
sells lately spoken of in our Bahamas cor
respondence will rendezvous at st. Thomas,
and not at Nassau. This new movement is
ominous. President Grant should keep his
eye on good map of the banks of the Rio
Grande.