The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-10

verse. The proDaDilty appears to be that
they 60 about sewing thorns in their own
path. because, as DR.. Watt says, 'it is their
nature TO-" From one cause and another
the Republicans have Of late years fallen into
blunders sufficient to give their opponents
solid ground to work upon; but at the very
moment Republicans are short-sighted, the
Democratic leaders seem TO be deprived of
common sense altogether; and thus the
people see that Republicans, at their
worst, are safer men to deal with than Demo
Gratis at their best 1t might be supposed
that party was handicapping itself pretty
heavily in the race for power, when it under
took to carry on its back the noisy gentlemen
at the South who are for reviving those
tissues" of the war which everybody else is
anxious to forget A worse stump orator for
any political organization than jefferson
Davis it would be hard to pick out. To
have him going round making speeches is
enough to crush any side with which he is
identified. But the Democrats are not salts
fed with this load Perceiving that the
question uppermost in the minds of the intel
hgent classes is, whether or not stop cannot
be put to the political corruption which has
assumed such alarming proportions, the De-
mocrats come out and plant their flag on that
same corruption, and try to sneer down any
body who ventures to declare war against it.
Thus the World on Friday devoted a column
or 80 OF DOuu6IOub lIOuy bO MI. LNhILb lOI
daring to speak in behalf of the public inte-
rests at meeting of the taxpayers of New
York-a meeting held to support the very
cause which the World pretended to be
eager to win less than O year ago. No doubt
this course of the World is consistent
enough in one sense, for it is said to have
attacked the corrupt members of its
party for a Consideration" and now it
defends them for another consideration +"
Ia -. r Al
present state of public feeling, for even the
World to take brief from the men whom it
described last spring as "drunkards, Gin
solvents" and ''swindlers." The World is
always complaining that no one supported it
in the days when it had Mysteries about the
''Young Democracy. but the reason was that
nobody put any faith in it, not even the
Young Democracy itself, and events have
shown that the general suspicious were we'll
founded. When the gentleman who has just
relieved his neighbor of his purse and watch
was stolen at the Rochester Convention of
''scalawags" forward and expatiates
on the beauties of honesty, the mildest treat
ment he can expect is to be laughed at.
The Democrats generally are doing the
work which Providence seems to have as
signed to them-that is, working much
harder for the Republicans than the Repub-
llCdUb arc WOIkluR IOf themselves. lQ6Y nave
real genius for lifting their opponents out
of scrape, and then winning their battles
for them. What is the use Of Senator Sumner
opposing General Grant when the Democrats
are working SO hard to strengthen him in
the confidence of the people? Look at
the Connecticut election. 1t is almost i'm
possible for the Democrats to have q bet
ter chance anywhere than they had there.
| They can never, for instance, find better
nNar 10 tNr1t ar1 fhafr ntafi,
than Governor English. He is universally
respected, he was faithful to his country
during the war, his public life is singularly
! free from blemish. To make his prospects
brighter the other day, the Republicans were
much demoralized at tie moment of election,
and were inclined to let things take their
course without an effort. There was re-
markable combination of circumstances in
favor of Governor English, and the leading
Democratic paper, the New York Herald, un-
hesitatingly predicted his reelection by a
tremendous MAJ ority.
At this interesting point, what must the
Democrats do but hoist BOSS" Tweed on
Governor English's shoulders, like another
Old Man of the Sea. That finished the bust
ness at once. The moment the people saw
Tammany in the background, they took
fright. So it will be everywhere. Have not
the Western leaders warned the Democrats of
many overheard, or give up all hope of win
ming the Presidential elections? This ad-
vice, like the advice doctors often give, is
not easily followed Strike away Tammany,
and what remains of the Democratic party,
at least in the Eastern States? 1t is a
thing of shreds and patches, without or
ganization or means with which to
fight an arduous campaign. 1t is
for this reason that many respectable Demo
Gratis wink at the big and little Bosses, in the
hope that when the party RECEIVERS its po wer
it will be able to shake off all its incum-
brances. Of course that would turn out to be
delusion; but then Democrats always hug
their delusions as if they were realities. The
fact is, the Republicans would win in 1872 by
the infatuation of their opponents, if by no,
thing else. We hope, however, to see them
adopt more decided course. We trust they
will take up the question of purity against
corruption, and ''peg away" at it as they die
at the slavery question. If they do that, the
Democrats may be safely trusted to ruin theil
party by their own follies, and the Repub
lcans will occupy stronger position thar
ever.