The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-03
cracy and the Various Political Move
menss Of the Day.

From all the signs of the times our ap-
preaching Presd entail campaign of 1872 will
be one of the most complicated, one of the
most exciting and one of the most fercely con-
tested in the history Of the country. The
| late election in New Hampshire and the more
recent election in Connecticut have brought
about change of front by the Northern
democracy, and certain developments in the
South from JEFF Davis and others, which, in
| connection with General Grants admins
| tration and the malcontcnts of the republi-
can party. have given new shape to
the general contest widely different from the
outlook of three months ago.
First, the republican defeat in New Hamp-
shire, resulting from the violent quarrel
between Senator Sumner and the administra-
ton on the st. Domingo annexation scheme,
was hailed by the democracy as the first gun
Of great political revolution. They were in
ecstacics over their wonderful victory. 1t was
the beginning of general breakup of the
radical camp, and the national course was
clear for the democratic ticket The revolu-
| tion had set in and would roll on from State to
! State, so that before the close of 1877 General
| Grant himself would be able to read the hand
| writing on the wall. But the unreconstructed
| Southern fre-eaters heard the good news
| and they, too, rejoced in the glorious prospect
before them. In the revolution that was coming
they saw the overthrow of negro civil and po-
litical equality and the restoration of Southern
rights and State sovereignty, and they joyfully
nroclaiu ad thu cIa tidinro II tho Coufb JaT
Davis, too, was reused from his long slumben
and looking into the future through the tele-
scope of this New Hampshire election, he
foresaw the coming triumph of the '1ost
| cause, and at Selma, Alabama, he declared
this conviction to delighted meeting Of South
ern sympatiizars. Meantime, the Connecticut
election was coming on, and, startled by the
war-trumpet Of Davis and the shouts of his
Southern confederates, the Connecticut repub-
licans dropped their petty wranglings,. buckled
up to their work and recovered their State.
thus completely upsetting the great demo-
cratic revolution commenced in New Hamp-
shire.
From this sudden reaction on the issues of
the war the democratic politicians began to
discover that what we had been telling them,
over and over again. since 1861, was true
viz, that so long as they continued to fight the
issues fought for in the war by the Union ar
mics. and settled by the war, so long would
they take the field to be defeated, ''horse, foot
and Dragons" Then came forth Mr.. John
Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, in trench
ant letter, urging the democratic party to
accept the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments; then came Mr.. Vallandighem,
of Ohio, and his Montgomery county
then came the Pennsylvania Democratic
State Convention, accepting them, and
now comes the Ohio State Conven-
ton of the party, under the lead Of the
convinced Vallandigham, declaring that s'while
we denounce the extraordinary means by
which they were brought about we recognize
as accomplished facts the three amendments
tothe constitution (the thirteenth, aboishing and
prohibiting slavery; the fourteenth, establishing
equal civil rights regardless of race or color,
affirming the sacred obligations of the national
debt and regulating all rebel debts, and
fixing certain disabilities upon leading rebels,
subject to absolution by two-thirds vote of
each house Of Congress, &C., and the fifteenth,
establishing negro suffrage under the protec-
ton of Congress) recently declared adopted,
and consider the same as no longer political
issues before the country"
This is indeed revolution, and it lifts
mountain of dead weight from the back of the
democratic party of the North. But how is it
in the South? Kentucky, though somewhat
feebly, responds to Ohio, and Tennessee
responds to Kentucky; but the democracy
of the cotton States, from South Carolina
around the seaboard to Louisiana are, we
fear, with JEFF Davis. He has been making a
sort Of triumphal tour in Alabama and Geor-
gia, and his receptions from place to place, as
the champion of Southern rights against what
he calls tyranny to which he submits only
while he cannot resist it, are the receptions of
hero among his people, who speaks their SEN
timents in speaking his own. In truth,
the democracy of the cotton States
through all their newspapers and all
their leaders, have constantly repudiated
these new amendments to the constitution as
frauds and outrages which Southern men de-
voted to their constitutional rights will never
recognize. Alexander H. Stephens, Linton
Stephens, Toombs Wade Hampton and all the
recognized leaders of the democracy Of the
cotton States have repeatedly expressed, and
very lately, too, the precise opinions of Davis
on the situation. They do not accept it, they
will not consent to the validity of these new
amendments, and they have been counting
upon the Northern democracy to hold fast to
their Tammany national platform of 1868, in
still declaring the whole reconstruction system
Of Congress unconstitutional, revolutionary,
null and void