The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-23
THE RADICAL BREAK-UP.
Remarkable Admissions from q Leadhns
Party Organ. VA

The Nation tRadical,) one OF the MOST can
did and thoughtful journals of the party in
power, IN it's last issue, uses the following lam
guage:
1T seems not at all likely that we shall witness
something OF the same kind during the coming
lali; II is casting no extraordinary discredit
1885 IT has been iosing it's hold on the popular
election. It had very difficult wol to do in
reconstruction, md one for which the ex-.
peience OF the war had hardly fitted it's leaders,
damage the reputation Of any party which un-
dertcok II. Il was enabled to carry it out sue
Sessssus.y y solely eh owns to Andrew Johnsons
pldity. How deeply the leaders felt the i'm
portance OF Johnsons folly to the party
was well shown by the frantic efforts made by
mem sns,n ana Dy sna party papers to magnify his
crimes ana sae gravity Of the impeacbmer.
y trlal. - add len to this, the party has had
the spending, 4 eight yea1s of enormous sums
q money. and has Sseen forced to collect and
oaspurse 1t without any adequate administra-
tive machinery. The consequence, and the in
ovitable consequence, has been moi only that
the party has has had to shoulder the respon-
siDillty otgraat abuses, but has had to witneseI
the accession to it's ranks Of prodigious nun D
per OF knayes and adventurers, and to bear tLL
burden OF their I" loyalty" and s.soundnessh
While entirely unable to put stop to their
too, in investigating the cause OF the decline
OF the party IN popular estimation, must Of
course, be made for the WEAKNESS OF any party
which has been long in power which inevitably
comes over the public before many. wears
Many people forget the nlisdeeds OF the oppo-
sition, are constantly fretted by the faults Of
the administration. and gradually worked
them selves first into o belief that any change
would be Tor the better, and then into q deter
mnatlon to, have change Of some kind at any
cost. s9 -g.E'7 Z. -
The party was, therefore, in d somewhat
sorry plight at the approach OF the Preslden.
tial election; and il 1t had made up its mind t.
discard Grant, and Democrats mad made mn
their mlnds to take Chase, there is, we believe
little doubt in the minds of careful observers
that 1t Would have gore 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 dnv. As il
was, Grant may be said to bave achieved q re-
spectacle victory only by the peculiar1ties Of
the elective machinery. Had he boen depen-
dent on direct. popular vote, he W 1u.d have
barely escaped defeat. The history OF his ad.
ministra ton thus far has certainly not been Of
character to give the party a new hold on the
popular confidence. Indeed. 1ls warmest
friends have been forced almost from the first
TO act on the detensive--to devote themselves,
in TACT, mainly to the work OF proving, not that
it has established new claims 10 popular Grati. att
tude, but that 1t has done nothing to earn
popular distIust. -ls'e
1t is not at all surprising, therefore, that
the hack politicians, whose presence in it's
ranks and use or Its machinery as their own
ends have brought SO much discredlt on it.
shauid once more begin 20 feel anxious and
cast about Tor some means OF rekIndling the
popular enthus'asm in its behalf, or procuring
o renewal of4ts ltase OF power. SA ~