The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-02


rather from personal motives than to pro.
mote cardinal principles; because they de-
serted their colors before the great campaign
in which they had enlisted was finished,
and because the Democratic party did not
hold out very strong inducements for active
Republicans to join it. Some of its most
worthy and high-minded leaders we're timid,
and dared not utter their patriotic thoughts;
some of its most conspicuous champions had
no words of denunciation for armed traitors,
but bristled all over with sharp criticisms of
the means used to crush the Rebellion; and
too many of its most influential managers
were notorious corruptionists, who, in league
with rotten Republicans we're growing rich
by prostituting Democratic victories to the
promotion of schemes of plunder; while
some of its weightiest advisers we're mere
fossils of the old Federal epoch, as much out
of place in progressive party as would be
the Cardiff giant in the Wall Street Stock
Exchange.
The Republican party may go to pieces,
and is certain, now that its mission is COM
pleted, to lose large body of its ablest and
best members, especially its aspiring young
men, upon whose limbs party shackles hang
loosely, and its d0ctTinGireS who are genuine
Democrats of the advanced school. But if
the Democratic party hopes to attract such
Republicans to its ranks, it must institute
thorough reform in the measures it is to pro-
mote and the men who are to manage its
affairs.
The conflicts of the past fifteen years have
made this class of Republicans not only
courageous, but eminently practical. They
know when to begin, and they know where to
stop. Satisfied that the cause in which they
enlisted in 1855 has triumphed, they will not
re-enlist for the purpose of fighting the
ground over again with blank cartridges; and
they certainly will not join the Democratic
party for the sake of wailing over the battles
it has lost. Accustomed to do their own
thinking, to utter their convictions freely,
and to carry them to logical conclusions
without fear, they do not cover before
sonorous names, though chiselled on monu-
mental brass, nor do they believe that the
march of constitutional improvement must
stop at the graves of the departed authors of
the FederdLtst.
Very likely the present leaders of the
Democracy in New York and the two or three
adjoining States may not covet an alliance
with the disintegrating elements of the Re-
publican party. True; they might infuse into
it some fresh blood, give it several new ideas,
and teach it how to gain national victories-a
novelty which the Democracy have not en-
| joyed since Buchanan, with the aid of Fill
more, succeeded in beating Fremont by
minority of the people. But very possibly
some of the fossilized Democratic chiefs in
| the States we have named think that
| Republicans have been trained in q bad
school, the school of rapid progress, radi
| cal reform, great civil convulsions, aud
| severe strains upon the Constitution.
| Their reactionary leaders have been wont
| to regard Lincoln as a usurper, who
crushed the Rebellion by violating the Con-
stitution; and Seward as a tyrant, who
| hailed men to prison at the stroke of his little
| bell; and Stanton as the embodiment of all
that is crafty in politics and cruel in admins
tration, who, as War Minister, welded vast
armies to oppress the ruling classes of the
| South, caught, in moment of halluclnation,
with reasonable arms in their hands. These
discounted theorists may think, too, that
men who have acted prominent parts in an
organization crowned with many victories,
may not take kindly to inferior roles in a
party prostrated by a long series of defeats.
Well, for the arguments sake, let us admit
all this; and then it perhaps may logically
follow that Republicans, trained in such a
bold, vigorous, progressive school, and who
have borne conspicuous parts in the colossal
events of the past fifteen years, solving some
of the most difficult problems which have
agitated the political world since the era OF
Cromwell, and waging one of the greatest
wars and winning one of the grandest tri
umphs in history-we say it may well be that
such men, though they may leave the Repub
lican party, will not be attracted to the De
mocracy. Certainly they will not if it is benz
upon fighting the reconstruction controver-
sizes over again, allows its policy in Congress
to be dictated by garrulous fools like Davis
and Salisbury, and in the foremost city and
State of the Union prefers to be ruled by
knot of shysters and strikers, who are dis
tinguished for nothing except skill in stuff
fng ballot-bexes with fraudulent votes
and filling their pockets by plundering th'
people.
If the Democrats embrace this auspicou
hour to reform their party and bring in allie
who will more than make up for the expurga
tion of reactionary and venal members, the.
will save the country from repetition of thu
political distractions that marked the Monro
epoch, when four candidates ran for the Pre-
sidency. Let the reform Democrats perse
we're, and they will surely rescue the name o
Democracy from being the synonyme o
defeat, or, whenever victorious in its strong
hold, from being mere cover for fraud an
corruption. At the same time they will saw
the country from being distracted by tn
wrangles of three or four, or it may be half
dozen, sectional parties or personal factions
THE HISTORY OF BLACK FRIDAY.
From the NJ Y. Times ... s..
The story Of the combination which al
tempted to force gold to 100 premium las
September cannot be told i'll brief space
The Congressional committee which was az
pointed to inquire into the circumstance
, took evidence enough to fill more than on
, entire copy of this journal. We have endea
vored to lay all the substantive facts befor
| our readers without an unreasonable deman
upon their time and patience; and the repor
l. of the committee itself will complete the his