The New York herald., 1872-04-02

cratic Party.
Returns Of the Connecticut election, sufi-
cent for all practical purposes are before our
readers. The results are the election Of re-
publican Governor, State ticket and Lcgisla-
ture, aud the success OF Jewell over the com
bined vote Of all tle opposition elements
This victory, though confidently anticipated
by the republicans, and evidently feared by
the democrats, win yet have great force in
shaping the organization Of The opposition
forces for The impending Presidential
struggle. 1t strengthens the great body
Of the republicans alhering TO General
Grant II weakens tae republican boilers
and malcoltents and II must operate
to diminish the faith OF transition dem
ocrats in The saving virtues of the Cincn-
natl Convention. The defeat, Oh the Missouri
coalition platform, OF Hubbard, Que Of the
| abest and most popular of the leading demo-
| Gratis OF Connecticut, aud man, wiibal, un'-
versaly respected, must have this effect Tor
| if your anti-Crant republicans have proved
unequal To the task OF giving him The few
hundred votes outside Of his own party re-
quired to elect him this anti-Grant republican
| faction can hardly be worth buying or selling
| in the Presidential market.
| Under the same conditions Of parties and
issues as in 1871 there would have been very
/ little interest awake ned in this Connecticut
contest beyond the limits OF the State but in
the interval since April last the political
situation has been so greatly changed as 10
make this little local affair Of considerable
degree of national Importance. In the New
Hampshire election Of March, last year, in
consequence of the noise aud conlusion II made
by Mr. Sumner and others in the
Senate agains!! General Grant in connection
with his ST. Domingo annexation sch eme,
doubts and apathy were created among the
old hardshell abolition republicans, and SO,
for The first time since poor Pierce was Pres-
dent, New Hampshire went by default for the
democrats. But they did not see aud could
not be made to see their unexpected victory in
this light. They hailed IL as the first gun Of
a continental reactionary revolution. The
country had become tired of the denominations
| OF the radicals and tired Of ''the man on
horseback and his military despotism, and
the pendulum of public opinion was swinging
back to the old democratic party, including
the Dred Scott constitution, under which Il
! negro had ''no rights which white man was
bound to respect" Aud so there was uni
versal growing Of democratic roosers and an
alarming resurrection OF copperheads, and so
general was the enthu siasm Of tae old liners
| Chat even Jeil Davis aired himself in the sun
aud clapped his hands for Joy and to various
meetings Of Southern admirers he prophesied
from the voice OF New Hampshire, the ,lti-
mate triumph Of the ''lost cause"
But this was too much for the old Union
party of the war, and so Connecticut in April
scattered all these extravagant and foolish
democratic rejoicings to The four winds The
young men who had fought and put down the
great rebellion. and the old men who had re-
mained at hometo provide for their boys in
the field reused by the ieering voice Of jeff
Davis. settled IL for the old line democracy in
Connecticut. Then the great discovery was
made by tho democratic leaders that they
would oe fought if they wished it, till utterly
cut 10 pieces on the issues Of the war, and
then came that s'acw Departure The demo-
cratic acceptance of negro emancipation negro
civil equality and negro suffrage, az embodied
! in our new constitution, the constitution Of
I universal liberty, displaoing the old constu-
! lion Of he 70 slavery. Thus within one short
month The democratic party underwent tho sur
prising transformation from the Dred Scott de-
cision 10 the fifteenth amendment. Bat upon the
| old pr0-slavery thoroughbreds the shock was
paralvzing, and the whole party, rank and
file. were demorazed by The ignoble surrcn-
! der to Ssmbo. The party, however, might
have rallied, az their eyes became accus-
! toned tn these new and strong lights Of
! American liberty bub for the unearthing of
! the grecuback placers, the wine yaults ald
diamond mines Of Temmany Hall. Against
! the popular wrath awakened by these ds :
\ closures there was no remedy, and 80 from
Maine to California, and from san Francisco
back to this metropolis, the thunder OF the
State elections rolled along the sky, louder and
louder, ill il eliminated in the grand crash
! Of New York, which fairly shook the ground.
Then followed another and very i'm
! portant democratic discoyery-thc discovery
4 that this parry. as q national body, was in a
I hopeless popular minority, and that the
4 elections Of 1871, from Connection. through
! had demonstr3tcd the fact. The fact and the
! course TO be pursued in view OF this stubborn
\ fact. were widely discussed. until the bligat
/ idea w,s thrown out by General Blair, from
Missouri Of he passive policy. Behold, said
H., the way Of The Missouri democracy, and
4 walk in il, fJr Il is the way Of salvation. We
\ democrats Of Missouri were IN a minority,
whom the bolting republicans, under glorious
| old Graz Brown and Carl Schnrz, in Their
independent anti.Grant STATE Convention, set