The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-21


old Republican party was finally dissolved, and
jackson, Adams, Crawford, and Clay were run
for the Presidency, each upon his personal
merits, there were no delicate and dangerous
questions to be affected by the election of
any one OF them over the others. In the end,
there being no choice by the people, when
the election was determined by the House of
Representatives in favor of Adams the re-
construction of parties which followed (crys-
tallizing eventually into the Democratic and
Whig parties) was more upon personal issues,
such as the battle of New Orleans of 1916,
raised between Jackson and Adams than
upon anything else. In 1860, on the other
hand, the Democratic scrub race was delibe-
rately contrived by the Southern slaveholding
ohgarchy as an opening for an armed Rebel
hon and an independent Southern Confede-
racy by force of arms. 1t was senseless and
suicidal war on the part of jeff Davis and
the South, as the war against Germany has
proved to be to Napoleon and France; but
do we not see in both cases that aspiring
and desperate demagogues are reckless of
consequences?
Assuming, then, that we are to have a
Presidential scrub race in 1872, the Republi-
can party being broken up, it will make no
material difference whether the election is
made by the Electoral College or turned over
to the new House of Representatives chosen
in this years elections. With the Republican
party out of the way the party lines will dis
appear, even in Congress, and the members
of the House, if called TO choose President,
will be controlled by the spoils and plunder.
Therefore in 1872, whether we get Presi-
dent from the people or the House (the Re-
publican party being broken up, and the
Democratic party too, on different candi-
dates, and General Grant being thrown out),
a scrub race will be followed by political
revolution in the Government itself. The
political elements which for twelve years have
been kept in the background will, as the most
active and united forces, come to the front;
the thirteenth, fourteenth, aud fifteenth
amendments to the Constitution will be de-
clared irregular, spurious, and void; the sove-
reign rights of the States each to control its
social institutions and political elections will
be reafflrmed, and the national debt resulting
from the war against the Confederate South
ern States will be abated and repudiated, as
a monstrous insult to the South and as an
oppressive burden saddled upon the country
by an unconstitutional despotism.
Strong as our national bondholders feel in
their securities, we can tell them that their
only reliable security is General Grant He
is pledged to the faithful redemption of the
debt, and we all know that he is safe and
sound ON this great question. We are sure
so far, but no further. Break up the party
identified with Grants administration, cut off
Grant, and give us a scrub-race candidate for
our next President, and we shall have scrub
administration, scrub Congress, and a con-
dition of political and financial chaos worse
than that of France under Gambetta. Take
away General Grant, and You can carry even
the negro vote of the South to-day for repu-
diation, and you may carry the vote of the
West in the same direction tomorrow. The
success of Carl Schurz in Missouri is revo-
lutionary sign in that quarter of bad omen;
for Schurz is aptly defined in Bismarck s ex-
pressive allusion to those revolu-
tionarly sans eulOttes of France
as ''those gentlemen of the pavement "
We have finished the work of great revolu-
ton, but now the reaction is upon us. Andy
Johnson, IN his last annual message to Con-
gress, in plumply proposing reputation, had
glimmering of this, only he was a little too
fast. But he picked out the arrow which
may still strike the vulnerable heel of Achilles.
If the administration party, pledged to the
| public debt, is broken up, the elements
| pledged among themselves to reputation
| will take its place. This is the simple logic
| of the question. Then, indeed, shall we have
| something like the blessed bankruptcy.
anarchy and universal Generalization of Mexi-
| co in full blast. Look at it, Twenty-Five
| hundred millions of debt is heavy burden;
| but it may be wiped out With a sponge.
| There is the danger-the sponge. Schurz
| say, to look after, and 30 the course is clear
| for him against Grant, but Fenton and Sum-
ner are among the bloated bondholders, and
their folly is amazing. But, oh! it may be
said, these horrid foreshadowings are absurd.
So it was thought of the warnings of the late
| Rebellion. We are sure of nothing in this
age of startling events, and nothing revolu-
tionary is impossible. We venture, there
fore, another prediction. Let these mutinous
leaders of the Republican party continue
their mischievous work against the admins
| tration, so as to make in 1871 General
Grants retirement from the Presidential field
or his defeat a foregone conclusion, and by
the year 1872 such distrust and fear will come
| upon our national securities and such depre
citation that reputation will become the ruling
! condition of the Presidential election.
HONORS TO YOUNG MIR. COLFAX.
From the Neo Orleans Times.
The American mania for presenting parties
in Office with silver slop-bowls and ornamen
tai tea-kettles has just touched the climaI
of its absurdity at Washington, where ou
solemn Solons of the Senate have STAMPED
with the seal of appreciation this custom, 81
extensively practieed heretofore by need,
custom-house subalterns and syeophanti,
policemen. The victim of the Testimonial
mania in this instance is the amiable owl whc
fills the second Office in the nation-th,
Honorable Smiler Colfax but, in order to rot
it as far as possible of the fish-like smell o
fawniDg adulation, they have struck, as Bru
tus did at Rome, through the bosom of he
greatest son. Schuyler Colfax, Jr., aget
about a half dozen months, bound in swad
ding clothes, still muling and puking in hi
nurses arms, Is the object of this weight,
| con,nlimant from the .sSanatara of tba XI'