The New York herald., 1870-02-23
TIE DssAs'us,es OF Il. Dsmocracy-Pre.'-

battle Is sometimes told in this fashion -
The rebel General EARLY made an attack upon
the Union army and defeated it. Some Of the
generals counseiled an advance which woliid
have been destruction to the federals. Instead
OF making the advance the rebels began to
plumber the Union camps and to quarrel for
the food and raiment Of their captives. So the
day which should have been day of victory
was passed in idleness and dissipation. They
had driven the Yankees out of their tents and
would have good time. Sheridan came up
on that long ride of twenty miles, reformed
his defeated columns, attacked the frolicking
and registering rebels, and sent them whirling
down the valley. That was the end of all
rebel power in the country of the Shenandoah.
A great triumph became an overwhelming
disaster.
The democracy Of New York, in all times
and under every depression the triumphant
democracy, took possession of Albany and the
whole State government at the beginning of
the year. Its leaders were those men of New
York city who had marshalled it in defeat
disciplined its columns, sustained it through
disaster and extorted victory from the most
disheartening events 1t had fought every
radical contrivance for the suppression and
elimination of its power. 1t had seen the prin-
ciples of free government destroyed, solemn
pledges broken and sacred constitutional
guarantees overridden in the effort for its over
throw. The great city of the Western World
the queen of this vast Contnent-within itself
splendor far SURPRISING Tyre and Sidon,
with its enterprise, its wealth, its great
renown, had been dragged at the feet of COM
missions and boards, stripped and robbed in
the effort to deprive it of freedom and compel
its people to bend to the republican ascen-
dancy. With all these obstacles-with the
great fame of Grant leading party flushed
the beginning of what seemed to be an unavoid-
able reaction The democracy of the country
called upon the democracy of New York to
make good its pledges to restore to the stripped
and bruised metropolis its stolen franchises,
to remove the fetters that had been placed
upon municipal liberty, and establish gov
ernment ''of the people, by the people and
for the people,"
Never had party so noble mission nor so
many Incentives for its prompt performance.
The new administration made many blunders.
The President gained unpopularity in a
surprising and spontaneous manner. He
stumbled against the old party precedents and
trampled upon the ambition and cupidity Of
the greedy and exacting men who placed him
in power. Republicanism was confronted with
record of financial imbecility, mismanage-
ment, venality and the invasion of the constitu-
tional prerogatives of the South. Impeachment
had rent it with fissure as deep as that the
poet saw between Roland and Sir Leoline.
The Fessenden and Sumner, the Bingham and
Butler factions were irrevocabe in their hos
tility.
They stood aloof-thc scars remaining
Like cliffs which had been rent asunder.
dreary sea now fiows between
The victory was complete in itself, and the
| beginning of victory, which would have
swept the country in 1872 and given the
democracy triumphant reign for many, many
years; for the conservative republicans, like
Bingham and Trumbull, would have gladly
welcomed an alliance with prudent and vic
torious democracy. What do we see? Just
what the rebels tell us was seen on the morn
ing of Jubal Early's 'victory' at Winchester.
The camp followers, the suffers. the greedy
retinue of the army have broken into the
republican tents and gorged themselves with
the plunder Instead of wisely and earnestly
setting about reform, and giving us a Charter
and restoring to New York it's privileges, the
whole country is called upon to hearken to
| the quarrels of Harry Genet and Mike Norton,
Of Tom Creamer and Jimmy O'Brien. Behind
them, we are assured, Mr.. Tilden is standing,
respectfully apart, gloved and anointed, but
| giving the mutneers his blessing. Behind Mr..
| Tilden we see the recognized organ Of the
roughs and thieves of this city, edited by a
| radical outcast, who sold himself and his sheet
to Messrs. Tilden & Co. not many years ago.
| They pretend to lead the democracy. His
newspaper is simply spy and pretender.
So, while treachery and disappointed ambi-
! ton have left this triumphant democracy no
more power and influence than pack of howl
ing wolves-while at Albany all is chaos,
anger, greed, strife, necessary legislation is
arrested, and the republicans hold the situa-
ton and remain its masters by cheering on the
combatants-we look to Washington and see
the President gaining ground every day. His
administration gathers around it renewed
popular confidence. The blunders of his civil
career are like the blunders of his military
| career. As General he had Belmont and
| Donelson but he also had Vicksburg
and Richmond. As President he is
rapidly making himself as strong as
Jackson. Instead of being controlled by the
politicians, he is gradually controlling them.
Representing the common sense, the patience
and the honesty of the people which grow
around him every day, he holds in his hands
| the succession. The democracy might have
taken advantage of his early stumbling and in