The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-10-09
The Repubiican Victories Ycsterday-
Their Erect and Their Moral.

The elections yesterday have resulted IN
sweeping republican victory; q victory that
settles the Presidential contest and proves
beyond doubt that the attempt to hand over the
federal government to q new party composed
of democrats and dissatisfied republicans has
proved a complete failure. Despite the draw
avowed opposition of many Of the supporters of
President Grant; in the teeth of the most
desperate efforts of the liberals, and Of can
vass of the State as thorough as political OK
perience, tact and energy could make it,
Pennsylvania has elected Hartranft Governor
by majority probably exceeding twenty
thousand. In contradiction of the con-
fdent predictions of Mr.. Greeley him
self, made after q tour through the
State. Ohio has apparently remained
faithful to the republican cause, although los
ing considerable Of her accustomed majority.
Even Indiana. with the great strength of Sena-
tor Hendricks name to help the liberal side,
has refused to repudiate the party of Abraham
Lincoln-the party that carried the nation
successfully through the war Of the rebellion
and has probably ranged itself again under the
republican banner by small majority.
Thus the Central States, so far as they
have spoken, and the Western States, add their
voices to the New England States in repudi-
ating the demand of the liberals for change
in the national administration, and the great
Cincinnati Convention that seemed at one
time to promise SO much, has proved powerful
only in rousing the republicans to extraor-
binary exertions and giving them serious and
perhaps wholesome fright
We might readily find good reasons
for this result. The absence of any
well-defned issue involving principle
of government the shock which combine
ton between such homogeneous elements as
Greeley and the democracy could not fail to
give to all conscientious minds the suspicion
that desire to obtain the spoils of Office was
the motive power Of the Cincinnati move
ment; the imagined impracticability of Mr.
Greeleys views of government; all
or any of these may account for
the unwillingness of the people to
accept the proposed substitute for
republicanism and to place the singular coali-
ton in power. But it is enough for us that
the campaign is virtually over, and that the
people for reasons of their own have declared
in advance as distinctly as they can that they
would rather trust President Grant with
another four years of authority than try the
experiment of four years of President Greeley,
with mixed party of old democrats
and new liberals at his back. The
republican organs will no doubt enlarge upon
the enormity of the attempt to persuade the
people to different decision, and will indulge
with keen relish in the ridicule Of all who
have been so rash as to leave the comfortable
Preside of well provided party to follow the
Cincinnati JACKIE lantern into the morass Of
defeat and disappointment A fresh flood of
abuse will no doubt be turned upon the liberal
traitors, and their fate will be held up as a
terrible warming to all who may in future
be tempted to wander from the true
faith But we prefer to leave to our partisan
contemporaries the monopoly of all such CON-
mentary on yesterdays Waterloo, and to con-
tent ourselves with quietly accepting the
result as the verdict of an intelligent people.
While we admit the failure of the attempted
political revolution, we are not disposed to
| 4uSotAOA tAlC AOacoty VI VI tAAoSo WIZ
have drawn their swords on the side of the
revolutionists, or to doubt the sincere belief of
Mr.. Greeley and his followers that the best
| interests Of the country demanded different
decision.
There Is, indeed, lesson in these elections
and in the closeness of the struggle all over
the Union which should not be lost sight of,
and which cannot safely be disregarded by the
winning party. The strength of the opposi-
ton shows that there are mistakes to be cor
rected, errors to be atoned for and evils to be
remedied in the policy of the dominant party;
that the country, if not just now prepared for
violent change, is nevertheless not too
well satisfied with the present posi-
ton Of affairs. This fact appears all the more
forcibly when we look back upon the history
of the last six months and recall the events of
Convention were thrown upon the country
without any organization more than
fragment Of a party at their backs. Many
people believe to-day that had o
different nomination been made the
result would have been more favorable.
We do not share this opinion, regarding Mr..
Greeley as the best representative of the oppo-
sition to President Grants administration that
could have been chosen. At least his candl-
dacy at first created on excitement which was
mistaken for enthusiasm, and it was antici-
pated by the over sanguine that the Cincin-
natl ticket was destined to sweep the
country Then came the Baltimore Con-
vention and the endorsement Of the
liberal nominees but it soon appeared
that the democrats were not to be
unit in the campaign, and that large num-
Der would refuse to swallow the principles of