Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-02
No NonrnEnr nnmooaats.

| entire customary aud reliable Democratic
vote of the States of New Hampshire, Con-
necticut, New York, New Jersey, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, California and Oregon is
polled, there is sufficient certain Liberal
Republican strength in those States to as.
sure every one of them for Greeley and
Brown, and these, with the assured vote Of
Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, Alabama,
Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and
Missouri would Ell ct them. It Is
almost certain that the Democratic electors
will be chosen in West Virginia, North Car
DINA and Louisiana. Arkansas may be lost
blythe registration tyranny, while Mississip-
| pi and South Carolins-are under sway OF
the satraps of the administration. This, it
seems to us, is the complexion of the ma
tional political contest, the determination OF
which, is to fix the policy Of the Federal
government for the ensuing four years, and
very strongly to impress its character for
many years, and, as far as can be seen, to
| shape its destiny-to decide, indeed, wheth-
er it is to be federated republic, admins
tered in the spirit and by the letter Of the
constitution, with pure hands, and in the
single and upright intentions of distribu-
ting its blessings and imposing its burdens
equally upon each State, and every class
of its citizens, regardless of sectional
lines of demarcation, of opinions enter
tanned upon exciting questions long since
settled, of distinctions of nationality, Of
color or former political condition, or of go
cial rank; or, whether this great people are
still further to be merged into conglom-
crate nation with the distinctive elements
of statehood remaining only in name to its
component members; the spirit of it fund
amental law, for the time being, to be the
spirit of the party dominant, and its letter
the sport of the passing partisan exigercy
of the hour; its statutes to be framed to
promote sectional predominance and de-
signed to maintain a sectional inferiority,
and to perpetuate a sectional stigma; its
revenue wrung from taxes unequaly laid,
to be rioted in and squandered by legions Of
unnecessary Office holders, whose hands, in
every grade, are besmeared with the newt
able corruption which such spirit and
such system begets-whether, in fine, a
rule is to continue under which the States
as such, and the people as individuals, are
fast losing their interest and legitimate
powers in the government, and becoming
mere machines in the consolidation Of a
structure through their labor and treasure,
which is literally and absolutely to govern
them. -Es-.--
These are the respective principles in
volved. The opposition-a union of Dem
ocrats and Liberal Republicans-uphold
the former, and are striving to obtain pow
erto establish them, and to bring in their
train reconciliation of sectional animosities,
peace by the removal of the causes Of strife,
purity of administration By a gen.
uine reform in the civil,
service, and well regulated and secure lib
erty as against ceDtralizing despotism, by
faithful adherence TO the constitution,
rather than a control of the powers Of Gov
eminent inspired by ''ideas" and expert
encies. The administration, composed of
the bulk of the party for the last fifteen
years calling itself Republican, but properly
called Radical, as indicative Of extreme
and violent fundamental alterations in the
system of Government, maintain the lat
ter, and are striving with every iilegitimate
and corrupt influence bred Of power in pos
session, TO retain it, and to prolOng and
swell this adverse c1rrent against Conserv-
atism, which threatens to engulf every an
Gent landmark, and encompass every in
terest In its baleful tide.
We confess to some misgiving, as indica-
ted by the recent election, and, indeed,
some prior circumstances, that the North
ern Democrats may not, as a unit, be at
the polls on Tuesday next. When the
stake is considered, we have ferVent faith
and a strong hope that the detection by alb
senteeism viii not be 50 considerable as
to effect the result. A Democrat Of any
section who will vote for Grsnt-though
politics, like nature, permits Of monstrosi-
ties-we can scarcely conceive of. It is in
the power of the Democratic people 10 Sc
cure this election. The large number of
Liberal Republicans throughout the North
ern States who have, with noble disinter-
estedness, openly aud formally dissolved
their connection with the Administration,
are standing firmly, unseduced by its
corrupt Establishments and unmoved by
its display of corrupting power.
They are keeping faith with their
plighted troth to reform and return TO con-
servative principles, and to their allies.
The danger is not that they will be defect
ed from their purpose by the bug-a-boo OF
Southern Ku-Klux, or the arTant tomfool-
cry that because the Southern people yet
think themselves men, and propose to dis
cuss public men and measures in their own
way, and vote as they please, are "disloy-
alp and covertly seeking TO undo the past.
The men who have had the intelligence and
the independence to cut themselves adrift
from an efficiently organized party in
power at critical juncture ike this, will
stand in the breach. 1t is the lukewarm-
ness and concealed and in few instances
open hostility of a certain body of
Northern Democrats which is most
to be feared, and we say to them
now, though at this late hour, it may be
of little avail, that, if the interests of Con-
serv4tism and good government are over
slaughed for another four years By their
inaction or supineness, fearful response
bility will lie at their doors. That day of
disaster, should it come, will be a day Of
"new departures" the end of which no man
can foresee. We, of the Southern Democ-
racy, met in council at Baltimore with
you. 1t had been told, and it was an in-
exorable fact, that our support of any can
d;data tIat Won ynioht name from VOur