St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-11-22
Political Leaders.

The Late election suggests several
thoughts upon political leadership in
this country. The Democratic politic-
iaus who managed the Stale Cunvrn-
ti"n of their party in New York after
the Cincinnati nominations. were rc>oIN-
ed to secure the adoption of the Cincin-
natl candidate 1T Baltimore. hccnn~,.
they were sure that the Republican Sc
cc>>ion would swell the Democratic
vote into vast majority. They rca-
>oncd that if such men ~ senators sum
ncr. TrumhulI. and >churl were will
ing t" leave THEN party. they must nee
c~~aIilN Head an army of fullnWcI> with
them; and that if politicians like Mr..
Fcmtuu. Nj. IIutchirG>. Nr. M'Clurc.
and Nh. Corhr:rnc were ready To coop
crate with Democrats. it was because
they were sure of the di>iutrglltion of
the party. We were constantly told
that General Grant was til" only man
who would divide the Republicans. and
the only one who could not he elected.
D"uhtlc>> the gentlemen whom We
have named believed much of what WIS
said. Mr.. sumner Thought that Ma>>a-
cIuI>rtt~. ia" great Republican State
would follow him. NJ. TlImhuIl SUP
posed that he c"uld div rrt Illinois and
Mr.. >,hurI imagined that he could con
troll the German vote. Du the other
hand. the ncmocrat> made the same
mistake. II the Cincinnati candidate
we've ''rcgularll nominated. and if the
men who are called the leaders of the
party MIR. Hendricks. Nh. seymour
Mr.. Thurman. Mr. Bayard openly sup
ported him. the whsle party would fol
low. and the result was certain. MI
these gentlemen have been uudcrcivcd
and il has been made evident that in
the old English SENSE there are no party
leaders in this country. In English his
tory, when Il few great Wings or Tories
had Ice u secured. the vote WIS virtual
~ p"llcd. But this j. not the fact in
this country. and it i curious that
sIcWd politicians d" not learn it, Mr.
Webster Thought General TaNlorS nom
Inatl"n mot tit to lac made" hut he
found himself marching alone Mr. Sc
wand turned la AndIrW johnson. and
pr"phc>ird forty th"u>and majority fnr
him in New York. but New York gave
thirty Thousand majority against him.
and Mr.. Seward WAS politically dead.
Mr.. tha>, said the war was over. and
t"Hcd with iammauN and Mr.. Chase
disappeared.
Despite all these familiar instances
the Democratic managers insisted upon
surprising that the detection of Mr.
sumner and the others meant Il ,iS>o-
luton of the Republican party. But
they were d"uhlN mistaken. First. in
surprising thai many Republicans would
follow the >cccdcr> into The Democratic
Hines and -t..,,,I Il Il.
Democrats would follow them in SUP
porting Il lifelong enemy of the Demo
cratic party. In the familiar phrase. Il
party may hc sold. hat it can not he de
liVrred. All these calculations forgot
that an intelligent people decides for
itself. Party ties with lis are strong
hut they are not InNlncihlc. II i he
cause We u~' parties d> means and not
a. ends that we prove nur capacity to
govern ourselves. We honor men who
maintain ably principles that We ap-
prove. But We In not therefore adopt
all the MEASURES that they recommend
he Republican party ackuuW lodged
tnr Instance. the great >crNirc of MI
Sumner III the long autiSIaNrry debate
of the last twenty Years hut If va>
not therefore willing 1u commit The
cause OF equal rights l." rN-rchcl> and
cnpprrhradS hcc.rr>r hc advised it. mad
had he accepted the Democratic mnnii-
nation for Governor of Massachusetts.
although the state was .pr"hahlN proud
cr of him than of amy of her living
sons, She would have defeated him hy
seventy thousand majority.
he Democratic managers who >aW
certain conspicuous leaders leave the
Republican lines. lid not see that for
every one at them hundreds of thou>-
slnd> of Republicans just as >,Drrir and
intelligent a. they. bat not prominent
or known. cluHg al the muIc closely to
the panty, and -tIoNr all the more zeal
ouslN to defeat I'd" cau>c which the So