The New York herald., 1872-11-16
Tho Future OF the OppositiOn-A DIFF
ference Among Doctors.

amably together to make Mr.. Greeley Presi-
dent of the United States, have suddenly got
ct loggerheads on the question of the future
character and title of the opposition to the
administration of the successful candidate
General Grant. The organs of the old de-
mocracy, sore over their defeat and dissatis-
fed with themselves for entering into doubt
full and improbable bargain with their natural
enemy, are anxious to bury the memory OF the
coalition campaign under the enormous popu-
lar majorities for Grant and to settle back into
the old copperhead harness. The boiling re-
publicans, on the other hand, who cast them
selves out of their former party into the pit
of the Cincinnati Convention, are eager
to keep aloft the liberal banner and to rally
beneath it for future battles All this might
have been expected. The democrats, having
found their experiment failure, would, as a
matter Of course seek to hold together the or
ganizatlon that had done them good service in
the past while the liberals, without legiti-
mate family name to boast of or home to
shelter them, as naturally desire to lay the
foundation for q new departure. The diff
Guilty is that neither effort has any prospect of
success. 1t is utterly impossible to revive the
dead democracy, and it has already been clearly
demonstrated that the liberal coalition is a
failure. 1t can never again make so respect
able a show even as it has made in the recent
canvass. If o democratic national convention
should ever again assemble who are to be its
leaders and it's shining lghts2 Clearly
not the men who deserted the camp
and carried over their colors to the
enemy. The Bourbon element, which remained
true to copperhead doctrines and pinned it's
faith to OConor, would insist upon being
regarded as the only genuine democracy. AS
its numbers are too small to command control
of the Convention, while, as has been shown,
amply large enough for mischief, and as it
would refuse to follow Hoffman, Tilden,
Hendricks or any Of the promoters OF the
Greeley movement as resolutely as it refused
to swallow Mr.. Greeley himself the party
would be broken and scattered in future
campaign even more disastrously than 1t has
been broken and scattered in the battle which
has just been fought. The liberal party, as
would be equally powerless in future
national convention. It's standard bearer has
already deserted the platform upon which he
stood for temporary purposes alone, and its
members are embittered against the demo-
Gratis for their failure to give an efficient sup
port to its Presidential ticket. Does it expect
that it could ever again induce democrats to
repeat the farce of 1872? What strength has
it now got in or out of Congress to compare
with that it boasted last May? With almost
every one Of its leaders consigned to private
life, can it ever again offer single induce
ment to any party to suffer it to take the lead
in popular contest? The position in which
these liberal leaders find themselves is one
which, nevertheless, may produce important
results. Mr.. Greeley has declared himself
Independent of all parties. He cannot, there
fore, be counted among those who viii repre-
sent liberalism among the people. In the
United States Senate Sumner, SchurZ, Fenton
and Upton, although in hopeless minority,
will be able to keep keen eye upon the
administration. As they are aware of the
workings Of the 'Ring," their services on
this point will, no doubt, largely tend to
power in its hands, Senator Trumbull will so
soon vacate that Office, without hope of re-
election, that the vigor of his attack may not
be counted. Like General Banks he will have
the choice Of retiring into complete yacy or
maintaining his war from the outside. Scat
tered, weak and divided, the democracy will
not have rallied sufficiently to form body of
enough innate force for the propagation of q
new idea from the liberals, and, as we have
said, they would be unlikely to accept it, even
though able to work it to successful conclu-
sion.
II does not follow that there is to be no op-
position to the majority party and no struggle
for possession of the national government in
the future because both democrats and lib
erals are wrong in their ideas Of how that op-
position is to be organized and by what name
it is to be known. There is, indeed, q splen-
did opportunity for those who opposed the re-
election Of General Grant to lay the founda-
ton of an organization which may yet take q
prominent part in the politics of the country.
They will have respectable position in Con-
gress, with some experience and ability among
them, if they will only cast aside the memory
of the past and keep their eyes fixed steadily
on the future. They must bear in mind the
fact that General Grant has been elected now
on his own merits alone, and that without him
there would be no republican party. The
policy of the administration during the next
four years will no doubt be influenced by the
character Of the popular verdict, and it is
very probable that the President may find
himself called upon to pursue course not in
harmony with the wishes of the republican
politicians in Congress This may especially
be the case in regard to the treatment of the
South and to civil service reform, and it may
become desirable for the opposition
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