The New York herald., 1871-11-21

Ops. the Way fer the Democratic
Party.
We have curious report from Washington,
which We accept as substantially true, and 1t
Is to this effect:-That on the 30th of the pre-
sent month, Thanksgiving Day, four days be-
fore the reassembling of Congress, . secret
council ID to be held in Philadelphia, Balti-
more or Harrisburg probably in the lat
ter plaoe-which will be composed Of General
benjamin F. Butler, Of Massachusetts,; Soma
tor Carl Schurx, of Missouri; Jacob D. Cox,
of Ohio; Senator Spencer, of Alabama; w. N.
Evarts, Thurlow Weed, Horace Greeley, @. A.
Dana and George Wilkes, Of New York; Sem
ator Trumbull, Of Illinois, and some half
dozen or more others Of the anti Grant repub-
lican managers-that Senators Sumner and
Wilson, OF Massachusetts,, win also each have
finger In the pie, but win not be present on
the momentous occasion, and that the object
Of this extraordinary assemblsge will be 10
arrange programme for the coming Congress
to head on General Grant and to unite the
republicans opposed to his nomination upon
some general plan Of operations.
This ID one Of those desperate remedies
which are required In desperate GASES but 1t
comes too late. The movement however, Is
very interesting, aud will be apt to result in
some very curious political disclosures, alli-
ances and complications. To begin with, we
have in this forthcoming secret convention Of
disanected republicans the solution Of all these
late mysterious arguments in leading demo-
cratic journals In favor Of passive policy by
the democracy in 1872-the policy of keeping
their party in the background and of letting
| the anti-Gr republicans come forward with
their independent Presidential ticket, and
then, by flank movement, to bring up to Its
support the whole strength of the democracy,
with all the loose materials of the country,
and sweep the field. This plan has evidently
been agreed upon between some Of the demo-
cratic leaders and the managers Of the anti
Grant republicans, and hence the arrange
ment for this secret council at Harrisburg.
Carl Scburz has been the most active mission
ary in this work. He was In this city last
week, and doubtless he was here on this Inn
portant business Of new combination for tho
defeat Of General Grant.
The plan. then, having been agreed upon
between the high contracting parties, we have
only to consider the elements which 1t en-
braces and the prospects of the joint stock
coalition. Who are these anti-Grant republi-
can managersr Is not every man of them
Office expectant or offce-seeker2 |
Every man Of them would have been this day,
most likely, crying up General Grant to the
seventh heaven, had he only given them and |
each Of them the Office or Offices asked for or
expected. But they asked. or expected too |
xnuoh for it is with office seekers and expect
ants as with militia company-they cannot
all be captains. 'sMany are called, but few
ars chosep." How far, then, II the wrath Of
these disappointed men likely to affect the
solid masses of the republican party7 How
far did the wrath of Calhoun and
the numerous democratic soreheads Of
General Jackson's first term. affect, in 1882,
his second election3 How far did the active
electioneering Of Mr.. Chase, in 1864, for the
Presidential succession, as s'Father Green
backs" with all his hackers, including Mr..
Greeley, affect the renomination and re-elec-
ton Of Abraham Lincoln2 The opposition Of
Calhoun and Of all the dismissed Cabinet and
other officers Of Jackson 90 far strengthened
him In 1882 that he walked over the course.
The efforts Of Mr.. Chase and his backers to
supersede Lincoln increased the strength Of
'.Honest Old Abe" in the republican nomi-
mating convention and his majorities in the
election. In both these cases the honest
masses Of the country, proud Of their Presi-
dent, and believing that he was unjustly as
sailed, rallied to his support; and 50 they will
do In the case Of General Grant.
These republican malcontents, singly or
combined, can only muster corporars guard
Of followers against General Grant, and they
know II. Hence their frst efforts have been
to engineer him ont of the Republican Nomi-
mating Convention. They have discovered
that they do not carry guns enough for this
purpose, and now they are ready for q bolt
and fusion with the democracy on the plan
suggested. But these fusion tickets are
never adopted except In cases Of confessed
weakness, and they have never amounted to
anything In our Presidential contests. For.
example: with all the fnsions and junketings
between the national republicans, so called,
with Henry Clay as their candidate, and the
anti -Masons, with William Writ as their can
didate, in 1882, against Jackson, they gained
nothing and accomplished nothing. And so
it was with the fusions and combinations
tried against Van Buren in 1886 and 80 It
was with the fusion tickets tried against Lin
coin in 1860. In . word, no man has ever
been elected President Of the United States
since Washington except as the candidate Of
well defined and Homogeneous party orsaui-
cation, and the attempt to elect no-party
man 10 1872 will signally fail.
But they say that Carl Schurz PROPOSES. in