The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-19

tho Conduct Of Political Campaign.
few weeks ago, before the opening guns
of the Presidential campaign Numbered over
the bills and valleys of New Hampshire, the
opponents of President Grants administration
all over the Union looked anxiously for the
result, in the belief that it would exercise an
important influence on the future action of
political parties and factions. There was
diversity of opinion it is true, as to the effects
that were to follow the first battle, on which
ever banner victory might alight. Some
anticipated that a democratic success would
indicate the hopelessness of Grants reelection
and convince the Philadelphia Convention of
the expediency of nomination that would
unite the republican forces, while others
argued that the defeat of the democracy would
insure the overthrow of Grant either at Phia-
delphia or before the people by convincing
both democrats and dissatisfied republicans of
the necessity of uniting in the Cincinnati
fusion scheme. In either event Grant was to
be the loser; hence his opponents could watch
stocaIly the progress of the fight and be salts
fled with its result. To be sure New Hamp-
shire was redeemed. The democracy with the
State patronage at its back, was driven from
the power it managed to secure last year
through the supineness of the republicans,
and the Granite State wheeled again into line
in the administration ranks, ready for the more
important campaign that lies before it, But
/ what of that? The democratic defeat was
designed by Providence to convince the still
stif-necked allies of Jeff Davis ofthe necessity
Of making common cause with the dissatisfied
republicans against the man who had dec
Grated that favorite of the chivalry with the
| Order of the Crinoline and Chignon. So the
same prophets who hailed democratic New
| Hampshire last year as the advance guard of
the destroying army of copperheads and sore
heads, shout for republican New Hampshire
this year as the pioneer that is to remove all
instructions to the overthrow of our military
despotism and to the throwing open of the
gates of federal patronage to the host Of the
faithful.
A similarly happy state of feeling prevails
in the anti-administration breast in regard to
the approaching election in Connecticut. We
are told that this second contest Of the year,
| like its predecessor, is to exercise an impor-
! tant influence upon the Presidential
campaign, and, whatever its result,
the effect is to be equally suspicious.
Let Hubbard win, and the success Of
the opposition in November is secured; let
Jewell triumph, and the defeat of Grant may
be regarded as already accomplished. A
democratic victory is to convince the enemies |
of the administration that they have only to be |
united to place themselves in power, and is to |
bind them together in support of the Cincinnati |
movement as closely as our Western friends |
pack their corn-fed pork in barrels A repub- |
lican success is only to be the means of inducing |
the opposition elements to unite for the accom-
plishment of their common object The game |
Is played on the principle of "heads / win, |
tails you lose," and whichever side of the coin |
turns uppermost Grant is to be the victim. In |
two weeks the Connecticut election will be
over, and we shall then hear as cheerful
note from the threats of the copperheads and
soreheads as we have heard since the close of
the New Hampshire contest. Should the re-
suit be the same the wooden nutmeg will prove
no harder to digest than the granite. We
shall be told then, as we are told now, by the
anti-Grant organs, that defeat is only the key
note to success, and the political ostrich, hid
ing its head in the sand, will continue to i'm
agine itself in safety. We understand that even
Senator Wilson, who is about to proceed on
pilgrimage to Connecticut, regards the signs
of the times as indicated in the New Hamp-
Shire campaign suggestive Of the urgency of
republican unity, even should it be necessary
to make concessions in the nomination of a
President-and Vice Presidential Phila-
delphia. However this may be, it is certain
that the ordinary conclusions of political
experience are rejected this year and that
preliminary reverses are now hailed as the
assured indications of final victory.
The present tone of the anti-Grant organs
and leaders calls to mind familiar incident
of the Southern rebellion. After the Union
spirit had been thoroughly aroused and the
Union army under General Grant began to
press the confederacy towards its inevitable
fate, the Southern generals, politicians and
journalists, with their Northern copperhead
sympathizers, professed to discover in every
new defeat ''blessing in disguise" When
Fort Donelson surrendered to the Western
commander its capture by the Union forces
was regarded by the hopeful rebels as
''blessing in disguise" When the artillery
of General Grant Numbered against the bluffs
of vicksburg. until the Confederate flag gave
place to the Stars and Stripes, and the key of
the Mississippi passed into loyal hands, the
result was still o ''blessing in disguise"
When Grant crossed the Rapidan he showered
these BLESSINGS in disguise" upon the rebels
all through those battles of the Wilderness, in
- IL I lod amin