The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-23
THE ELECTIONS or 1869.

AS general rule, the party which triumphs in
a Presidential contest is allowed to walk over
the course in the succeeding year, and it only
meets with serious and dangerous opposition
at the Congressional and State elections which
occur two years subsequent to each grand
quadrennial struggle After Polks election
in 1914, the Democracy triumphed in 1915,
but in 1916 the gathering storm burst forth,
and ''Young Hickory was speedily confronted
by a hostile Congress. Taylor, elected in
1848, was not dangerously antagonized in
1849, but in 1850 the Democrats regained
their wonted ascendancy in Congress. Pierce,
elected in 1852 by the electoral vote of all but
five States in the Union, witnessed no serious
diminution of the strength of his party in
1853, but in 1854 the great Know
nothing and Free-soil tornado again des-
troyed Democratic dominance in the popular
branch of Congress. Buchanan, elected
in 1856. saw no cause for lamentation in the
election returns of 1857, but in 1853 the anti
Lecompton movement unseated the Demo-
cratic Congressman in their very strongest
districts, and sent working anti-Democratic
majority to the House of Representatives
Lincoln, elected in 1860, was we'll sustained
in 1861, but in 1862 a number of Republican
districts were captured by the Democratic
party, including the bulk of the old city of
Philadelphia. Andrew Johnson's position
was peculiar, but to considerable extent it
was affected by what seems to be general
law of American politics, for while he was
well sustained in 1866, despite the rumors of
his treachery, in 1866, when the Republicans
became fully apprised of his designs, they
sent to the capital the desperately hostile
congressman who finally impeached him.
The application of this rule to the present
wear is that the Republicans should and will
triumph in all the States in which they were
successful in 1868, except in those where they
defeat themselves by bad management, un-
popular nominees, internal divisions, local
issues, OF other exceptional causes. Several
Southern States have been lost already
through the selfish and disgraceful discords
of greedy and ambitious Republican poll
ticians. The Wells-Walker fight in Virginia,
and the Senter-Stokes quarrel in Tennessee,
gave the Democracy foothold in those Com
monwealths which they could never have
gained by their own inherent strength The
prohibition movement in Maine had the same
disintegrating tendency, but as the people of
that quarter were not yet ripe for serious
demonstration, it did not sensibly affect the
completeness of the Republican triumph A
large percentage of the Democracy absented
themselves from the polls. The excitements
acknowledgements were not sufficient to draw out
full vote and an inherent tendency to give
fair trial to a new administration made the
Democratic masses slow to respond to the
appeals of their leaders
In the natural course of events with equal
good management and equally popular sandi-
dates on both sides, the Republicans would
triumph in 1869 in all the States in which
they obtained decisive majorities in 1868. II
Packer succeeds in Pennsylvania, or Pendle
ton in Ohio, their success will be due to supe
rior personal popularity OF superior partisan
management, and not to any decisive change
of popular sentiment; for the moral force Of
the overwhelming Republican victory of 1865
should and will secure the reelection Of
Geary and Hayes, unless they fail to com
mand considerably less than the Legitimate
strength of the party.
AS in former times, the national admins
tration will not be fairly placed on trial unit
1870. Disappointed office-seekers and dis
affected partisans cannot fully mature thei
plans of opposition until that time nor car
they strike a blow sufficiently telling to b,
worthy of a vigorous effort until new Con
gress is to be elected In that contest, how
ever, all the smouldering fires of disconten
will burst forth. The Democracy will bt
strengthened, directly or indirectly, by all the
devices that baffied ambition can invent
Then, and not till tksn, General Grant mus
look we'll to his armor. If it has a veal
joint his personal and political foes will bt
sure to penetrate it.. The army of politicians
will then start on the war-path, and he car
only shield himself against their damaging
assaults by adopting and pursuing policy Sc
satisfactory to the bulk of the people tha
they will be ready to rally cheerfully ant
enthusiastically in his defense.