The New York herald., 1871-08-19

| OF the Political situnttOn-Tho Crisis TO
the Democratic Party in New York.
Mr.. Speaker Blaine, of the national House
of Representatives, in his late sharply pointed
speech on the political issues of the day, at
Saratoga Springs, has no doubt pretty dis
tinctly made known the republican plan OF
presenting these issues in reference TO all our
approaching State elections as the preliminary
skirmishes leading to the great general battle
Of 1872. He fights the democracy upon the
offensive, touching the late riot in this city
and the administration of our municipal affairs,
and also upon their ''new departure" on the
thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments. He draws anything but Hattering
contrast between the retrenchments and econ
omies of General Grants administration and
the alleged extravagances and spoliations OF
our city government. He enlarges upon our
late riot as illustrating the hostility of the
democratic party management to the recogni-
ton of the great American doctrine of equal
rights. He amuses and delights his republi
can bearers in defining the ''new departure"
of the Northern democracy as taken from CON-
pulsion, in order to avoid the charge of posi-
ton of incipent rebellion to which continued
opposition to the supreme law of the land"
would commit them before the American
people. Upon these points he stoutly contends
that, while the republican party has estab-
lished its claims to the public confidence and
gratitude, the democratic party has proved
itself utterly unfit to be entrusted with the
reins of the government.
Senator Morton next is brought before us
with campaign speech delivered the other
evening at st. Louis. He takes wider range
of discussion than Speaker Blaine, for he
speaks to Missouri and not to New York
political meeting. He dwels upon the neces-
sity of maintaining the republicans in power,
in order to secure the full recognition every
where throughout the country, and by all men,
of the new amendments to the constitution ;
he justfes the constitutional disabilities i'm
posed upon ''such men as jeff Davis Toombs
and Breckinridge, who made great national
funeral at which more than four hundred thou
sand men were buried;" he commends the
civil service reform policy Of the President;
he advocates the rights and the cause of free
labor; he discusses the questions Of free
trade and protective tariff, and goes for in
Cidental protection he advocates free schools
and contends that all the enemies Of free
schools are all in the democratic party he
applauds the republicans in Congress for their
heavy reductions Of the national taxes; he
defends the Ku Klux bill as benefcent mea-
sure; he argues that if the democrats come
into power their Southern men will rule the
roost again, and will not tax themselves to
pay pensions TO Northern soldiers unless
Southern soldiers are pensioned, and he thinks
the same rule would be applied by the South
ern leaders to the national debt as properly
involving compensation for Southern slaves
set free. '---. -~'
Here we have a little too much OF specula-
tive pleading for buncombe; but Senator Nor
ton is trenchant political campaigner of the
Western school, and goes for covering the
whole ground. He echoes back from st.
Louis the opinions of Speaker Blaine at Sara
toga on our 18th of July riot, and he holds
that our religious liberty is not safe in the
| utuuS vi tuO hc dSIceS Will tuc
speaker, too, in having no faith in this ''new
departure" of the Northern democrats, for, he
says, ''there is not one in thousand of the
| Southern democrats, and not one in fifty of the
Northern democrats, that accept these amend
ments." Finally, be will support the republi-
can nominee for the President succession
whether he be Greeley, Sumner, Trumbull
or Grant," but, 81 think at present." he
| says ''that General Grants chance is little
the best" And here we may say that Of all
| men Senator Morton is the man who may be
accepted as by authority speaking the senti-
| ments of General Grant on all the political
questions of the day. and that Speaker Blaine
| is perhaps next to Morton in the Presidents
confidence, Collector Murphy himself not ex-
cepted
Here, then, from Speaker Blaine and Sena-
tor Morton we have the general republican
plan of operations for these coming fall cleo
tons. The new phases thus presented in the
discussion of the political issues of the day
are the position of the democracy on their new
departure, their position, as illustrated in the
late Orange procession in the important mat
ter of religious liberty, and their position as
illustrated in our city government in regard to
the administrative virtues of feconomy, retrench-
ment and reform. These new points in the
general controversy are of recent development
The new democratic departure thus appears as
| new democratic obstruction. JEFF Davis has
been reduced to silence in the South; but his
silence has not diminished the zeal Of Mr.. A.
H. Stephens and his colaborers on their old
departure. They keep up their fire, and they
are evidently resolved to resist this new de-
parture to the alternative of organizing new
Southern party. At the same time there are
numerous Protestants among the Northern