The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-11-08
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
The Republican Triumph.

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This grand Republican victory is not
merely the work of day. 1t is the great
beating Of the popular heart responsive to
the appeal for humanity, for justice, for
freedom, and for equality of right. The
first rude interruption to the true Demo-
cratic idea enumerated in the Declaration of
Independence, and which was an accepted
doctrine of our National creed, was when
the Missouri Compromise measures were
under debate in Congress. Then followed
the anti-slavery agitation, spread out over
many years, and characterized by various
vicissitudes of success and failure, the
South and the adherents OF slavery proving
generally victorious. The compromises
OF 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska struggle, the
secession war, were all part of this long
controversy and successive steps therein.
The struggle of fifty years had its first
triumph for freedom in the campaign of
1860, and now has its fourth grand victory
In the reelection of Grant, which primarily
means the security of equal rights to all
the people of this land. The struggle was
first for freedom--freedom for white and
black-the one from tyranny the other
from slavery. Next the war was waged to
show that men who protested to love liber.
ty could fight for it and win. And now
for eight years the adjustment sought to be
secured has been equality of right Tor all
peace, justice, order in every part of the
land.
The Republican triumph again assures us
Of the fidelity of the great mass of the peo-
pie to principle. The men who run the
political machine pirate of the purchasable
quality of voters, of their ignorance of gen.
eral principles, and their blind and fatuous
devotion to leaders. Let the result of yes
days contest show the fallacy and falsity
of opinions like these. Our victory is so
complete and well-defned that words are
hardly adequate to express the joy of Re-
publicans. They see in it the hand Of Prov
idence--a direct interposition in behalf of
justice and right, and against veuality and
fraud. The foundations of the Republic
are now assured. The stability of finance,
trade, manufacturing, and production is
ity will be undated. Merchants are no
longer fearful because of an apprehended
interference with the regular steady and
safe progress of affairs by the hands of an
inexperienced and eccentric doctrinaire.
From the New York Herald
From the significant general results of
the State elections in 1871, including the
revolution in New York against Tweed
and his Tammany ring, the conviction had
fixed itself in the minds of the Democratic
magnates, oracles, and arithmeticians that
without re-einforcements from the Repub-
lican camp the Democratic party would
enter the Presidential campaign of 1872
against Grant without chance or hope
OF success. Hence this fusion with the
Cincinnati anti-Grant Republicans. Nor
can the defeat Of this coalition be limited
to the weakness of the anti-Grant Republic
cans and their ticket, or to the indifference
and decentralization of the Democrats. The
ticket would have answered the purpose,
and the coalition would have been sufficient
to carry it through. with case against the
Administration commanding the support of
the floating element of the country. But
the case against General Grant was too
weak for this purpose. Made up of
charges Of corruption not established nor
generally believed; of promises of civil
service reform too shadowy to attract pub
lie attention; of an acceptance of the
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments wide
ly distrusted, and of plea for universal
amnesty and Southern reconciliation so
broad and comprehensive as to excite sus-
picion of ameditated surrender to South
ern rights as expounded by Alexander H.
Stephens, the case of the opposition coali-
ton against General Grant was trihng and
baseless.
THE RESULT.
From the New York TimesJ
Our readers will share with us in the
salts. faction with which we regard the close
of the Presidential contest. 1t will now,
we hope, be possible to talk about some
thing else besides politics and the "claims
of candidates." There are many social
questions which urgently call for attention,
and it is very desirable that careful study
should be given to the measures which can
alone render the Republican party worthy
of the confidence which the public has so
long reposed in it. We do not regard our
work as finished, although the election is
over. We have, as party, yet to prove
that we deserve to retain the control of
public affairs, and that can only be done
by unremitting care. by careful consider
alton of the wishes and interests Of the
people, and by pursuing broad and lib
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