The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-25

year calculation that the Democrats can |
carry the next Presidential election. They |
give no signs of revolution. Nor can they |
derive any reasonable hope from differences |
in the. Republican party; for the differences |
upon questions of political economy are but |
the healthy processes of the Republican
party which keep it in progress; and as to
any differences about men, if any one thing
has been demonstrated by the history of the
Republican party, it is the fact that it does
not depend on any one man, nor on any set
of leaders. 1t is a Republican org ,nization.
having the liberty and sturdy individual in-
dependence that belong to republcanism,
and deriving vigor from the exercise of these
qualities.
1t may be regarded as settled that no Demo-
crat tainted with the unfaithful course of that
party in the struggle for national preserva-
ton can be elected President next time. and
that the party which carries this load cannot
elect majority at the next Congressional
election. That matter is virtually settled. and
the Republican party is left master of its own
destinies and the Democratic party to seek
out new character that may bring it acces-
sions or allies The New York World recog-
Dizes this situation, and in an article applying
the lesson of the recent elections, it tries to
impress this fact upon the party at large. 1t
holds up the new Democracy as the progress
sive Democracy, whose wisdom is proved by
their success in carrying elections, and it ex-
horts the Democracy of the country to follow
their lead. 1t describes the Democracy else
where as a stagnated Democracy, whose policy
has brought, and will continue to bring
defeat. 1t states that 'the Democratic party
has lost three successive elections by gross
mismaD0gement and glariDg mistakes, and
that '1n every one of these the Judgment of
the New York Democracy was overruled d
The specifications are that they were over
ruled by the rel jection of Douglas at Charles
ton; by the damaging (Vallandigham) plat
form in 1864; aud by forcing the nomina-
tion in 1868 upon Seymour, who Thought
the interests of the party required the nomi-
nation Of Chief Justice Chase, and by put
ting him on platform of a financial policy
against which he had recently delivered
powerful arguments. The World SAYS the
wish of the New York Democracy was can
didate that would strengthen the party in
Pennsylvania and Indiana in the October
elections and it was San Ohio movement
that thrust the nomination on Governor Sey-
mour, and put the party in the incongruous
attitude of running an anti-greanback candi-
date on greenback platform, and associating
an open advocate of Judge Chase on the
same ticket with the author of q then recent
letter in conflict with all Judge Chases ideas :"
TO this confession of Democratic follies we
may add that Valandigham, who was in tue
Tammany Convention the spokesman of the
Ohio movement for Seymour has since declared
that the rejection of Judge Chase at that time
was blunder. 1t is our impression that the
Enquirer, whose managing proprietor was the
main engineer of the Pendleton greenback
movement, has made similar admission. In
some recent comments on a statement of
Judge Chases health, we mentioned that the
signs indicated that the Western Democracy
were looking to him for a candidate. We
have now this statement that the leaders of
the New York Democracy wanted Judge
Chase, and regard it as gross mismauage-
ment that prevented him; and the aim of all
this seems to be to show the necessity for
nominating Judge Chase next time.
We perceive the force of these premises and
of the conclusion. No man who carries the
burden of the character of the Democratic
party in the civil war can be elected President
during this generation. The Worlds declara-
tion is wise, 'that the party cannot regain it's
ascendency in national affairs by attempting
to extract nutriment from the husks and chaff
of defunct controversies of past era. But to
say that the party has been defeated for
whole decade by gross mismanagement seems
to us about as encouraging to future success
as the explanation of election defeats which
attributes them to apathy and to dissensions
This only brings the question, What caused
the apathy and the dissensions? And so the
I
ment? And is the repetition of it in three
Presidential conventions a sign of wisdom
next time? May not devout mind find in
this the truth that when the gods desire to
destroy folks they lsst deprive them of judg-
| ment:
For our part we have an abiding faith in
the Democratic party's lack of political saga
city, and we believe it will continue to repeat
itself. 1t is something more than a mere
mistake Of strategy in convention. There
is beneath this more profound blunder, in
totally misunderstanding the character of the
American people. This was shown by the
course of the leaders of the Northern De-
mocracy in the secession war, and by the
contrary course of the mass of the people.
For Democratic leaders to place mean esti-
mate on the popular character is binder that
is akin to crime. 1t proves total incapacity
for popular leadership. The blunder which
concluded that the majority of the people of
the North would submit to an appeal from
ballots to bullets, and to the dissolution of
the nation, has been continually repeated in
detail by the Democratic waiting for a popu-
lar reaction which should undo the work of
national preservation.
What signs have they given of the capacity
to retrieve this blunder? They have at
tempted no reformation of character They
are like the traveller who sat down to wait
for the river to run by. They are all waiting
for the coming reaction. During the four
years of war they were looking for the time
when the soldiers would quit the army in dis
gust, when desertion would destroy its ranks,
when no more recruits could be had, and
when the Democrats at home would be strong
enough to rise and welcome the Confederate
! armies Since the war thew have been con-