The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-31

lima Elsction-A Presidential Cam
paign without . Precedent.
The North Carolina election comes of
tomorrow, and as az closing up of the contest
we have two very striking incidents the one
the appearance of Senator Sumner reply to
certain colored citizens who have asked his
opinion of the relative merits of the Presiden-
tial candidates, and the other the publication
of singular letter in the administration organ
in this city giving up the State and declaring
the conviction that it would be carried by the
democracy by an organized system of fraud.
When we come to discover what this system
is we find that it consists of determine
ton ON the part of the democracy to
challenge negro voters in certain dis
tricts on the north and south borders, where
there is alleged to have been extensive
colonizing from Virginia and South Caroline.
This challenging, it is said. will prevent the
republican vote from being fully polled; but
as challenging is legal right, and as it seems
impossible that it should prevent the polling of
all honest votes, we are disposed to regard the
cry of alarm as o false one, raised for the pur-
/ pose of directing public attention from in
tended frauds on the part of those who raise
it. We still believe that North Carolina is GER
tain for the publican ticket by a large ma
jority, and as the republicans have all the ma
chinery of the election in their own hands we
regard their defeat about as probable as would
have been the defeat of the regular democracy
in this city in the palmiest days of Tammany,
when registers inspectors canvassers, poll
clerks police, ballot-box suffers and repeaters
were all in the service of that famous organ
ization. .,ss9 rsfi.g ~ 4,,ass.slr,,ro9 atsf-
If Senator Summer has been slow, in an
nouncing his position in the present struggle,
he speaks now in no weak or uncertain voice.
He declares for Greeley against Grant, and he
| gives the reasons for his choice in character
istic manner. He contrasts the past career
and present position of the two candidates,
both of whom he regards as republican, SO far
rs they interest and concern the colored race !;
and the letter is no doubt made public at the
present moment in, order that it may affect the
North Carolina election. The Senator 8 argu-
ment as to the past careers of the contestants
is certainly powerful and conclusive. 1t is
an easy task to show that Greeley,
lifelong abolitionist, has been a
better and truer friend of the negro than
Grdnt, q lifelong, pro-slavery democrat. But
the Senator is not SO happy, we think, when
he gets upon the subject of the present posi-
sion of the candidates, and his plea that the
democratic party which supports Greeley as
unit will have no influence upon his admins
tration if he should be elected seems to be q
little overstrained. He makes good point,
however when he declares that as the supporters
of Grant make great glorifcation whenever
an individual democrat or single democratic
organ declares for their candidate, he does not
see why the supporters Of Greeley should be
debarred from rejoicing greatly over
the adherence to their nominee of nearly the
whole democratic party and press. Senator
Sumner commits the error of allowing his per-
sonal dislike of the President to lead
him into some extravaganza in his denun
citation; but otherwise his letter is,
g beyond doubt, very valuable aid to
the Greeley cause. There are some who may
suppose that it is calculated to weaken the
liberal republican candidate with the demo-
cracy but the democrats know what they are
about, and they are quite willing that Senator
Sumner should express his own views as to
their conversion The letter shows at least
that we are involved in the excitements
and uncertainties of Presidential campaign
which is without precedent in American his
tory Heretofore, in every Presidential con-
test, from Jefferson to John Quincy Adams,
| from jackson to Lincoln and from Lincoln to
Grant, we have had, in the results of series
of preceding elections, some data to guide us
in estimating the probable results of pend
ing Presidential struggle, State by State. In
the present contest, if the conditions of the
two parties were essentially the same as in
1864 and 1868 there would be very little diff
Guilty in predicting from facts and figures the
triumphant reelection of General Grant; but
the convictions of the two contesting parties
which if not test of their respective strength
under the new conditions, is interesting, as the
earliest slirmish preceding the battle, will
come off tomorrow in North Carolina.
Up to the present time, from the APP
parent strength of each of the two parties,
the victory in North Carolina has been gener-
ally conceded to the administration, although,
from the doubts and apprehensions expressed
by the administration journals within the last
two or three days, they would seem to be
hedging against an unexpected reaction and
the chances Of defeat. Victory in North
Carolina to the administration is absolutely
necessary to save in the State elections next to
follow in their order, and especially for Penn.
sylvania, Ohio and Indiana in October, for O
Grant defeat in North Carolina, under the cir.
cumstances, settles the whole question through