New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-11-14
Some Lessons of the Election.

The result of the Presidential election, it il
scarcely possible to doubt, will be the deatf
OF the Democratic party. That party, in ac
ceptng the Cincinnati platform, protessed t.
| throw away its entire past. Whatever prin
clples it had held, and which gave it charac
ter as party, were cast overheard. An(
| then to make its abuegation more complete
| it nominated for President and Vice Presi.
dent two men who were not, and who never
had been, Democrats, but bitter enemies o.
| tile Democratic party. Andits new platform
and its new candidates were so terribly
beaten that it is pretty certain that it has
had enough of them so that, if the Demo
cratic party continues alive, it must manufac.
ture new principles, and change itself into
| something different from what has heretofore
| been o. is now Democratic.
Why was Horace Greeley nominated, and
the Cincinnati platform adopted by the DEM
| ocratic party? Some Democrats, who truly
say that the were prodigious plumbers, still
do not see It they were absolutely forced
upon their Patty. Horace Greeley was nom
mated at Baltimore because it was so palpa-
bly, evident to all sensible men that no Dem
| ocrat could possibly be elected. 1t is true
that straight Democratic ticket would not
have been beaten any wOIse-prObably not
so badly-as Greeley was still no Democrat
could possibly have been elected. That par
ty can never succeed in this Republic. 1t is
overweighed with its bad record. To label
ticket and platform with the word "Dem-
Ocratic," in Presidential election, is, and
always will be, until the history of the rebel
lion and of slavery arc forgotten, to doom it
to certain defeat. Therefore, the Democratic
managers, knowing that openly Democratic
candidates could not possibly succeed, were
forced to nominate Greeley and Brown. The
same reasons impellcd them to adopt the Gin
cinnati platform for no Democratic plat
form could hope for success under any cir
cumstances. The people Of the Union, ever
since 1850, have pronounced verdict after
verdict, and ever with increasing emphasis,
against the Democratic party and its distinc-
tive principles; and that verdict cannot be
changed. The action of that party, in this
election, was an attempt to put tupOn a new
basis, at least in appearance, and to obtain
q new trial upon new issues, with part of the
jury-the "Liberal Republicans" -pledged in
advance to render new and different YER
dict.
We have nothing harsh to say now of this
Democratic performance. 1t has failed ut
tcrly, as we knew it would fail i; and the Bit
terness of the failure is punishment enough
for those who made the attempt, and who, to
the bitterness of defeat, have the added NOR
LITIGATION of having been compelled to force
'bOiled crow" upon revolving stomachs, and
to have so Inundated themselves for nothing
after all.
But we still have something to say-and
it is duty to say it-about the manner in
which the campaign was conducted by the
Greeley coalition. No Presidential campaign
in American history has been so marked, so
contemplate, for the enOrmity and the mean
ness of its ISLANDERS. The best and purest
men in the nation have been accused of the
basest crimes; the lQftiest regulations have
been assaulted with the blacklist lies it was
possible for malice to invent. Meanness
never before plunged to such dirty depths of
detraction. Even the honor of the Republic,
which ought to be sacred to all American citi-
zens, was not suffered to escape. But here we
acquit the Democratic party of the main guilt
and baseness Of these ISLANDERS. Although
the Democratic press and orators did not
hesitate to use these weapons, which it de-
filed an honest hand to so much as touch, vet
the great arsenal Of Islander and lying was
erected and maintained by the Liberal Re-
publicans." With few exceptions, these
despicable reneSadcs invented and furnished
to the Greeley coalition the monstrous SLAM
ders and the prOdigious lies of the campaign.
The principal ISLANDERS were drawn from the
other deserters from the Republican party,
or from the columns Of the New Y ork Tribune,
tho Chicago Tribune, the New York Sun, and
other Liberal Republican" organs. Nor
were these journals content to lie from spite
alone, or against the Republican party only.
They did no retail trade in falschoOd; but
they revclcd in the business apparently from
pure love Of lying. Setting aside their SLAM
ders against the Republican party, they made
prOdigious efforts to deceive, and mislead,
and betray their own party and their own
cause. Democrats who have lost bets, and
who have been led into foolish extravagances,
and who have made weak nominations, and
who have lost their labor, and their money,
and their honor altogether, III one common
ruin, have. to thank the "Libcral Republic
can" journals and leaders for it. Who was
it that told them there was to be n political
revolution, which would restore them to
power? Who was it promised them to divide
the Republican party, and lead two or three
hundred thousand Republican voters into the
DcmOcratict camp? Who was it deceived
them with false promises, baseless prcdic-
tons, and a silly tale Of wonderful dissen-
siOns in the Republican party? Let Schurz,
who promised the Democrats that they should
have the German vote almost en- maSse, an
swer. Let Trumbull, who promised to give
INOIIllWCStcTl oLlLcS 10 INC
Democratic alliance, answer. Let Sumner,
who promised the negro vote to the coalition,
and who was to revolutionizo New England,
answer. Let Fenton and Greeley, who prom
ised to carry New York and the farmers
vote of the country, answer. Let Austin
Blair, who promised to revolutionizc Michi-
gan, answer. Not 4 man of them all has
fulfilled single one Of his boastful pledges.
But the deceit did not stop there. The
New York and Chicago Tribunes, and all the
other Liberal Republican, journals, have
deceived and betrayed the Democrats with
false promises about the elections all through
the campaign. Even up to the eve of the
| most disastrous rout they assured the Demo-
Gratis that their ticket would succeed. How
prodIgiously they lied about the prospects in
Maine, and North Carolina, and all The earlier
elections! But how mOnstrOusly they lied
about the prospects in Pennsylvania and
Ohio, when they knew better! With de.
liberate intent to deceive their own party,
| they put forth the most prcpostcrous pre-.
| dictions, invented tables of States and cleo.
toral votes and majoritics, and declared that
| they had sure information of their correct.
ness; and so induced many a Democrat tC
| bet and lose his money, and many Demo.
cratic convention to carelcssly nominate q
weak local ticket, when they knew that thcil
predictions were the most absolute false