The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-22


cratic Party and Their PreJeceed Holy
AlIIanc
The dominating Idea, the common desire
and the one great object with the anti-Grant
republicans and the democratic party may be
stated in this simple qusstion-How can Gen
eral Grant be defeated In the fast approaching
Presidential election as q candidate for another
termp After the State elections of last year,
beginning with the defeat Of English, in Con-
necticut, and ending with the overwhelming
overthrow Of Tammany, in New York, leading
democratic journals Of the country, East and
West relinquished their arithmetical explana-
tions, and, frankly confessing that the
democracy were In hopeless mi
nority in the popular vote of the
Union. began to cast about for
still another new departure. In this general
consultation of the party doctors one proposed
the disbanding of the old party and the crea-
ton of a new party upon new principles, new
men and withal q new name; others proposed
only the temporary abandonment of the demo-
cratic organization and the ''passive policy
the policy of permitting and encouraging the
anti Grant republicans to lead Off with an in
dependent ticket and flexible platform which
would command the support of the democracy
in the common cause of the defeat Of General
Grant The democratic ''old liners" how
ever, protesting against any such cowardly
abandonments of the case and the cause Of
their party and its ''time-honored principles,
insisted that It's only course was to keep the
field under its own flag, and for the war,
against the party in power, whatever the con-
sequences of the campaign Of 1872.
Now, it seems to be understood between the
Missouri managers in behalf Of the anti-Grant
republicans and the democratic managers that
the National Convention of the so-called
liberal or reform republicans appointed by the
Missourians to meet at Cincinnati on the 9Th
of May, shall proclaim such principles of free
trade, amnesty, civil service reform and adj
hesion to negro equality and negro suffrage
as will be as accepta BILE to democrats generally
as to anti-Grant republicans. In the next
place, it seems to be understood that this Gin
cinnati Convention Is to nominate q ticket,
L
acceptable to the democrats. Then the demo-
cratic party In convention Is to come forward,
and, adopting this Cincinnati ticket and
platform, the Holy Alliance thus formed is to
advance from all sides, to the humiliation of
the 'Little Corporal" BY sort of common
consent between the high contracting parties
this is evidently the plan of operations agreed
upon.
Now, if 1t were generally believed, or If
there were visible reasons for the belief, that
these anti-Grant republicans hold the balance
of power, this Holy Alliance would be the
very thing for the end desired. But unfortu-
nately, the democrats have no faith in these
anti-Grant republicans as balance of power,
and these boilers from the administration have
no faith in themselves as new party, nor in
each other as confederates. Their whole visi-
BILE strength is limited to four or five members
of the national Senate and to some half dozen
newspapers, each representing its little clique,
and all suspicious of each other. AS they
have all, however, had their disappointments
as offce-seekers, they have all at least
this common bond of unity against
the military despot at Washington. Nor
have they been wanting in industry in
their efforts to break the prestige Of
General Grants popularity and the public
confidence in his administration. They have
been at 1t for year and more In the Senate.
Their war upon the St. Domingo annexation
scheme, from the violence Of their assaults
upon General Grant, betrayed their grand OBJ
ject; but with the prompt abandonment Of
that scheme, on finding there was mischief In
1t, the President spiked all the guns Of that
formidable battery. Next Messrs. Sumner,
Schurz and Fenton were seized with q virtu-
GUS ct in the matter Of civil service reform;
but they were completely fanked on that
question by message from the White House
announcing the adoption Of the reform sug-
gested. Next Mr.. Sumner, quoting Henry
Clay and various other high authorities In O..
lengthy preamble, brought in resolution
affirming the saving wisdom Of the ''one-term
principle :" but this experiment against Gene
raj Grant was also o flash in the pan.
The case was becoming desperate, when
the happy thought like an inspiration, came
to Mr.. Schurz of this New York Custom
House investigation. But here, too, the
developments of corruptions, blown to the
world, are only those which have been handed
down in the system established from one
administration to another for forty years and
In Immediately undertaking to correct the
abuses disclosed General Grant silences this
battery. What then, could be done to
cripple him with the honest masses of the
republican partyp The last resort OF impeach-
ment had been talked over and abandoned as
utterly impracicable. I'VE have it." cry
Messrs. Sumner and Schurz Tin these sales
of arms to the French during the Franco
German war;" And, with preamble as