The New York herald., 1870-03-13
Tho Charter Question In Albany-The
Chances or tho Democracy.

trusted to tho hands OF the democrats OF this
State at the last election, and the RESPONSE
bility rested upon the democratic leaders in
this city as to whether the opportunity should
be used as golden guerdon or thrown away
like q wornout garment. Some Of the would
be leaders appear to have made the latter
choice. Three months ago people looked
to the chances Of democratic succession
in the Presidential chair and to the con-
troll Of the federal government with some pros
pect of success. But these anticipations are
becoming small by degrees and beautifully
less, owing to the insane quarrels in the New
York democratic factions. We cannot acquit
the leaders of these factions of the disaster
which has befallen their party at the New
Hampshire election. This is but skirmish
fire in the defeat that is to follow all over the
country if better counsels do not prevail among
the wranglers Of the Empire State. The re-
publican party is virtually stronger to-day,
with its leader Grant directing its columns in
action, than it ever was. It has good record
to show that people feel in all their closest rela-
tions. Grant was great in war, but he has
proved himself greater in peace. He was
called q butcher while in the field. Suppose
he was, he fought it out on the line that led to
peace. In war he sacrificed the arm in order
that he might save the body. Now, in the days
Of peace, he finds that he can save both the
body and the arm too so, with calmness and
Judgment, he directs all his efforts to reduce
the national debt to bring gold down to quo
tation hardly above par; in short, to restore
us to the condition in which we stood prece-
dent to 1860. And all this by policy
remarkable for its moderation in all things
moderation even in it's dealings with Spain,
the weakest of foreign Powers, which might
have demanded vengeance and retaliation.
What contrast does this condition Of the
ruling party and its leader, General Grant,
present to the operations Of the democratic
party and its leaders to-day! Three months
ago the democratic party promised to assume
the proportions of giant. 1t gathered like
stormcloud upon the political horizon, threat
ening to hurl q tempest upon the republican
ship, and republicans in Congress wed with
each other to see which of them should take
the helm and command the deck in order to
meet the approaching shock. Now, alas! for
the democratic party. The stormcloud turns
out to have been but mirage. 1t has melted
away before the breeze of factious folly, and
Grants vessel can sail into the winds eye
without fear or danger from that quarter.
So much for the grand old democracy,
the time-honored and once potent party.
But the democracy which aspires to give us
charters and forms Of government to-day is
not the democracy Of old. That party had
wisdom for its guide, patriotism for its
inspiration and the good of the whole peo-
pie for its object. 1t was party Of intelli-
genoe, and its leaders had status far above
the rough and tumble of our present political
life. There was dignity and talent associated
with it. 1t Is the democracy Of the slums that
now would grasp the. sceptre Of the Caesars
and assume the toga Of republican virtue only
to cover the smallest vices of degenerated
democracy.
Fancy Marcus Tullius Genet sweeping into
of Cicero, and Caius julius Norton in the
threadbare garment Of the great Roman die
tator! The young Augustus Creamer, whose
calm brow needs only the laurel wreath to
make counterpart Of Petrarch, stands a
head and shoulders above his fellows in this
discontented Triumvirate in point Of intellect
and judgment; and why he should be allied
with the ''hard-fsted" men can, perhaps, only
be accounted for by the prevalence of weak
human nature towards that s'vaulting ambi-
ton which o'erleaps ITSELF" Rumor hath it
that the motto "Irs0 juncta in ua0" no
longer applies to the Senatorial Triumvirs-
that the young Augustus refuses to resign his
toga and his self-respectto to assume the belt and
cestus of the gladiator Herein lies trouble,
and hence, no doubt, arose the reported wordy
collision between Senator Creamer and Sheriff
O'Brien in Albany the other night.
With these divisions among the leaders of
the rough and ready democracy with the con-
iicting amendments to the latest bill for the
government Of the city, in the upstairs and
and downstairs caucuses of the democratic
delegations, what ore the prospects of getting
any bill at all passed during the present ses-
sion? They are infnitesimally small, indeed.
The silk stocking diplomacy of our dear boy,
Sammy j., is evidently not in afiliation with
the notions of the rough and ready ''boys,'
for they have already torn his pet document
to pieces in Assembly caucus, and with the
manipulation in the Senate and handling it is
yet to 60 through in Committee of the Whole,
it will be an emasculated creature before it
reaches final legislation, II it ever gets to that
goal.
Meantime, what are the chances for a city
government? Are the cravings Of hungry
crowd of anti-law and order politicians VIII o
are bent only upon securing the spoils, with
out any regard to the rights Of our citizens
and taxpayers, to be- allowed. to throw the
metropolis into chaos and disintegration by
substituting for our present form of govern