The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-04-20
JOHN c. q EDWARD BAILEY, PRORs,

universal respect.. Known 10 he
just in his administrasion Of public
affairs, untainted by the breath ol
any corrupting Influences, often
weighed in the balance and never
found venting, affable with the
humblest, and personally popular
among all glasses, the people trust
him. They confds In his iudg-
ment. The very fact that he pre-.
dicted long ago present conse.
quences, and advised the pntlic
how to avert them: has more than
ever increased faith in his wisdom,
and fixed, a. ] am impressed, q
determinations by thousands to
adopt his policy. What that pol.
icy 10, is foresltadowed in the fol.
lowing conversation:
THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION AND
DEsfocRATIo PARTY.
@. Judge Orr, you have been
long affiliated with the Democratic
party OF the country, and / have
some curiosity to ], arm why, 90
soon after the Philadelphia conven.
tion Of 1868, In which you played
an important part, you identified
yourself with and espoused the
principles of another party not
generally acceptable to your own
people. D.
A. The answer to that question
is a simple one. 1t VS. generally
believed throughout the South
that the object OF that convention
was to restore harmonious feeling
between the two sections, and, nc.
cordiDgly, her representative men
were selected to confer and act
with the Democratic leaders of
the North. Results proved, how.
ever, that elements of disruption
were already at work within the
party-that the West and East
were antagonistic in their views of
public policy--and that, in many
respects, the South was not in q
condition to agree with either.
The effort then made to create a
healthy public sentiment toward
us signally failed, and, after q mere
spasm of cordiality in the conven
tion, its members separated as di
v, verse in their opinions as ever.
These chickering's resulted in the
election of General Grant and the
present supremacy of the Repub-
lican party.
Q: But is it your opinion that
the Democratic party will never
regain its power2
A. A party called Democratic
may eventually succeed, but the
old regime is forever dead. The
antagonism of 90 many leading
members OF the party to the war
will, since the war has proved
successful, put them in the same
category in all future, popular
elections with the opponents of the
revolutionary war, the war of 1912,
and the war with Mexico. None
oi the parties opposing these wars
had sufficient vitality to recover
from the damaging results Of their
opposition. But the blunders of
the Republican party, already
made and which they will continue
to make, not moving cautiously in
consequence of their consciousness
of strength, will necessarily create
a reaction, under the influence of
which they, too, will be overwhelm.
ed in national politics, as the Jack
son party was overwhelmed in
1840 in the contest between Mr..
Van Buren, and General Harrison,
wien the election was won not 80
much by the popularity of the
Wing principles as by the unpop.
ularity of the jackson and Van
Buren, administration. High taxes,
the consequent stringency of the
finances, and official corruption, is
the rock upon which the Repub-
lican party will be wrecked. From
the debris another party will arise
composed of the progressive men
Of the country, whose leaders will
be real Statesmen and economists,
and under their administration the
Union will advance in true great
ness and solid prosperity. Doubt
less the next census will change
the basis Of power. More relative
strength will be given to the South
and West, which will result in
weakening the influence of the
New England States, and transfer.
ring the control of the country to
the agricultural sections.
Q. Do you think the country
would be better off under a Demo.
cratic administration than it is at
the present time2 .'-..,
A. / can only answer that ques-
ton with qualifications. In my
Judgment, the election Of General
Grant avoided violence and blood.
shed throughout the Soath. Under
the administration of Mr.. Seymour,
zTos~ ----I1