The New York herald., 1870-11-23


The elections have demonstrated an impor-
tant change in the relative political position ol
the States. The tradition Of modern politi-
clans has been that las Pennsylvania gocs 80
gees the Union" the Quaker Common
wealth was the keystone Of our political arch.
This is like the old tradition that Philadelphia
was the natural metropolis Of the republic, and
| that oil law was in Philadelphia lawyers.
| Steam and the Erie canal settled one tradition,
education the other In like manner the Key.
stone crosses tive JWseys and remains with
| New York.
| Some months ago. when the democratic fac,
tions were quarrelling at Albany over the
terms Of a charter, upon which democratic
supremacy In the city would depend, the
HERALD pointed out 10 the sagacious leaders
that in the strife for few places in the city
| everything would be lost in the nation. Tam
many had been the citadel, New York the
| representative corps of the democratic army.
When the who'e country was submerged in
one wild, hill embracing radical waste Of
waters, Tammany, like the ark OF the
Delugs foated until it rested upon Ararat,
| and, having sent Hoffman out as q messenger,
he returned with sisns Of life and vegetation,
| for in his mouth was freshly -plucked
Govcrnorship. The old leaders, in their mad
ness, had been swept away. Wise, Breckin-
ridge, Black, valIandigham, Gwn, Bigler.
the Seymours, Bright, Soule, and the whole
host had gone under in the dcluge. They
would not heed the wisdom of the prophets
nor hearken to the commandments. And
with them were buried all the 'sisms" that had
brought SO much scandal and confusion upon
our distracted laud--State rights, squatter
sovereignty, fugitive slave laws, the resolu-
tions Of 1898, Jeffersonanism everything, in
fact, except the memory Of Jackson, and
even that became antcdiiuvian, and our poll
ticians read of it very much as tha !hcoissians
read of Nimrod ard MeihuseIah.
The duty devoving upon the New York
democracy has been performed with patience
and not without anxiety and suffering Every
thing had to be male anew. II was so hard
for the feeble minded and the stiff-necked
away down in Ohio and Kentucky 10 be-
lieve there really had been o deluge. and con-
venton after convention in these rash States
would insist that the party should take some
remnant of the wreck and make an s'o,d-fash-
ionsd platform" In vain the HERALD pro-
tested that the panks were sodden and worm
eaten; that all life and sap had oozed out;
that they were covered with fungus and moss,
offensive to vision from the signs of sure
decay. The platform was built, with little
varnish and putty on the worst planks, and
fossil candidates were put upon it-real antedi-
luvians, political mummies, still redolent with
papyrus and tar. And when the country
came to pass upon this and what the republi-
cans gave them in General Grant, with his
splendid war record, his nobleness and simpli-
city Of character, the decision was instant
and conclusive. The worm eaten platform
was blown into fragments by one November
gale, and Tammany, rebuked and overridden--
patient, protesting, wise, unheeding Tam
many-became the example and the arbiter of
democracy.
There is no education so perfect and splen-
did as the education Of adversely. The French
revolution began with a street riot and
developed into Austerlitz and Marengo.
The sans cn,ottes of the Carmagnoles grew
into Napoleon. No nation can 1.-Two
and grow without discipline, sciehce, patience,
law and wisdom. So it is with parties. All
the fever and passion and mad careering of
copperheads and young democrats and red hot
leaders is Of no more value in the serious
business of party than were the freaks of
Aarat and Clootz in the serious duties Of the
revolution. Cold reason, mathematical ar
rangement of resources and ideas, the preset
ence Of victory and statesmanship must come
to the leaders of a party or a people before
they can command success. This we see in
New York A year ago it seemed as if Tam
many had lost wisdom through the suspense Of
waiting and catching the general feeling,
mad whirl Of the sans cutottes Young Democ-
racy at Albany. And we said, if this is true.
then farewell to democratic ascendancy, for
with such a spectacle as this to show the coun-
try-'' ''Thmderbolt' Mike and 'Bg Six and
their followers in Donnybrook fair row, over
as serious business as charter for New
York-nothing remains but for General Grant
to walk the Presidential track in 1872; for
New York passes out Of sight in democratic
councils and general political calculations, and
while the Empire State lies a seething useless
mass OF anarchy and street mobs the Key
stone is with Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
The wisdom and patience then taught and
the warnings 50 earnestly given by the HERALD
were needed, and to-day the political future
of the United States rests with the Empire
State--imperial in politics, as she long has
been in wealth and power. The men who
have been true men, with the highest inspira-
t;or-p,on xUhop, IL will no wall To fnIInw