The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-20

| sloner lifting up their shining faces and
crying 'Sayed-at any cost
THE GENERAL MUDDLE AMONG THE
POLITICIANS.
From the ~ Y. Herald
1t will not be surprising it, from the pre-
sent general muddle among the politician MS
parties, and factions of the day. we shall have
scrnb race, and very amusing scrub race,
too, for the Presidential succession. The
democracy of the North are all adrift the
Northern Republicans are wrangling over the
spht IN the party down South, while the
southern Democracy en- m0SSe, leaders and
followers, from Virginia to Texas. have
joined the liberal Southern Republicans in
new party organization on universal suffrage
negroes and all) and general political am
nesty. AT the same time in the North from
Massachusetts to Kansas, the temperance
people are organizing for Independent action
IN behalf OF the suppression of whisky. while
the womens rights women are moving
heaven and earth in the cause of woman suf2
frage, and the labor leagues, numbering their
members by hundreds of thousands are in
evltaby tending to new political movement
as balance of power between the two great
parties OF the day, in national and local
affairs.
1t appears, furthermore, that while General
Grant may be considered as candidate for
another term, there is at least one member of
his Cabinet-the Secretary of the Treasury
who aspires to the regular Republican nomi-
nation in 1872. Judge Lewis Dent, candi-
date for the new Southern liberal party for
Governor of Mississippi. in a pungent letter
on the subject, fatty says to Mr.. Boutwell,,
You aim to be the next President; in the
pursuit of your ambition you are ungrateful
and unscrupulous; you have denounced the
Southern conservative Republicans who are
for Grant, that you may obtain the proscrip-
tive Republicans who are for Boutwell, and
by some strange, deXterOus management and
occult political strategy you have so worked
upon the confidence of the President as to
cause him to flourish the club with which YOU
intend to break his head, by inducing him to
JOIN you in denunciation of the conservative
Republicans created by his magnanimity and
triumphant through his encouragement. In
other words, in cutting this new Southern
party, Grant, according to Dent, has been
taken in and done for by Boutwell,.
1t will be remembered. however. that
Chase, as Lincoln's Secretary of the Trea-
sury, played a much bolder game for the
succession than anything that has vet ap-
peared from Boutwell,, but that in the nomi-
mating convention Lincoln walked over the
course, and Chase was nowhere. Just as
easily may President Grant. if now candi-
date, supplant his Secretary of the Treasury.
1t was done with an effort on the part of
Lincoln, and can be done without an effort
on the part of Grant, even after giving his
Secretary all the rope he may desire. This
intermeddling of Mr.. Boutwell,, however, in
Southern politics, has been bad in every way
and in any event is no longer wanted; and
he will have quite enough to do hereafter
in attending to the business of his depart
ment.
According to Judge Dent the Southern con-
servatives of Virginia and Tennessee are
much indebted to Boutwell, for their decisive
victories. If 50, the Chief Justice is no doubt
thankful for, as it appears he is looking to
this new party to lift him a step higher. 1t is
given out that Mr.. Chase, soon after the Vir-
ginia election, wrote a letter (they always
begin by writing letters) to prominent poll
tician of Tennessee, an old friend of his,
wherein he expressed much qualification at
the defeat of the bitter-enders in Virginia and
rejoiced over the success Of the conservatives
that he was hopeful of similar results in Ten
nessee, Mississippi, and Texas, and strongly
limited that in his opinion the Republican
party had served its day, and that the time
was at hand when new conservative party
should be formed, embracing the moderate
men of all existing parties. This was a very
good idea year or two ago, but now the
question of the reshaping of our political
parties for the succession is in the hands of
General Grant. Ills 1lfSt SIX months IN OfHCe
signify nothing towards the settlement of this
question. On all the great issues of the day
he has the whole field still before him, and
upon the measures and results of his admins
tration during the next three years the ques-
ton of the succession will be determined.
Mr.. Chase, therefore, is too early in the
field with his new party. In the progress of
events it may WELD the balance of power be-
tween the two older parties of the country,
or it may be absorbed between them Re-
jected by the Northern Democracy and repu-
dated by the administration, the chances of
this third party are somewhat dubious, and
so are the chances of Mr.. Chase. He has
been unfortunate as pilgrim for the White
House. He had reason to be hopeful from
his first experiment as a Republican in 1860;
but he showed his hand too soon in 1864,
and too soon for the Tammany Democratic
Convention of 1865. Those old Copper-
heads could not understand his brilliant
transformation, though Greeley seemed to
understand it and admire it. 1t may be that
Greeley is still an admirer of Mr.. Chase.
He certainly displays a remarkable leaning to
this new Southern party. At all events. we
apprehend that Mr.. Chase is too early in the
field with his third party and that, done for
with the Republican party, his association
this new movement will only serve To
finish him among the Northern Democracy.
1t was a shrewd remark of old Colonel Dick
johnson, that the Presidency is neither to be
sought nor declined and he who is too hot
upon the trail is sure to be thrown off. There
may be a chance for the Chief Justice in a
scrub race, and if General Grant perseyeres
in doing nothing we NAV have a scrub race