The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-08
ThA Peculiaritics and Curiosities Of
This Presidsntial Comprehension IL
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PRESIDENTIAL canvass 1t stands alone. We have
nothing to compare with 1t in all the catalogue
of our Presidential battles touching the con-
ditions of the fight and the changes which
have taken place in the party in power and in
the opposition elements. For instance. in
General Grant we have great soldier who
was utterly unknown TO the politicians until
from his sweeping and decisive victories in
behalf of the Union he became the most avail
able Presidential candidate that either party
could offer to the suffrages Of the people The
consequence was that while the republicans
confidently counted upon him as their Presi-
Dental standard bearer in their approaching
campaign of 1868, the democrats were not
without their hopes of securing him. They
had found that his antecedents were those of
democrat, that he had voted for Buchanan in
1856, and they thought that, notwithstanding
his services and high military promotions
under republican President and Congress,
he might still be gained as democrat
Accordingly, some of the leading New York
managers of the democratic party proceeded to
take soundings in the direction indicated, but
they were too Late General Grant had been
secured by the republicans, and the door was
shut He was made their Presidential candi-
date against all corners in 1868, and he was
elected. He has been nominated s the repub-
lcan standard bearer for another term, and
still, while he has faithfully co-operated with
the republican party in Congress in the foreign
and domestic policy Of his administration,
and while he stands before the country as the
recognized head and embodiment Of the re-
publican party, he has done nothing and has
said nothing since 1868 to show that he has
observation that if the democrats, in Mr.
Greeley, have republican as their Pres-
Dental champion, the republicans, in General
Grant have O democrat We have never had
anything so curious as this in our Presidential
politics heretofore, and will probably have
nothing like it for long period hereafter
Another popularity in. this canvass, without
precedent, lies in the fact that Mr. Greeley
the democratic candidate, was first nominated
as the candidate Of the anti-Grant or liberal
republicans, and that as the representative Of
these two parties, he has two strings to his
bow. General Harrison, in 1910, against Van
Buren,, gathered in oil the opposition elements
of all descriptions but still he was run and
elected az the whig candidate. Again, Cen
eral Taylor, in 1848, took in everything as fish
that came into his net, and wished it to be un-
derstood that sthough he was whig he was
not an ultra whig;" but when he got into the
White House he found that he had to be on
ultra wing in the hands Of the wing party.
Mr. Greeley, as the candidate of the two
parties, on the same platform, has, in advance,
judiciously provided for probable future con-
ingencies by proclaiming the broad principle
Of equal rights in behalf Of all his supporters.
Hence the harmony between liberal repubi-
cans and democrats in his cause as the cause
of sectional reconciliation and civil service
reform. Upon this doctrine of equal rights
Mr.. Greeley, as the champion of the "outs''
against the Gins" has unquestionably the adj
vantage over General Grant in reference to
the ''spoils and plunder;" and it is ON adj
vantage to the outside party which was never
more conspicuously developed than in this
campaign.
But next to the nomination of Mr.. Greeley
as the democratic candidate the most remark
able political novelties of this Presidential can
vass ore to be found in the changes of base
made by old party leaders on both sides and
in the trenchant campaign letters and speeches
Of these old soldiers. Thus, from Senator
Sumner who, until his st. Domingo quarrel
with the administration was esteemed as the
Nagnus Apollo of the republican party, we
To 1oct &c
tons, speeches and letters against General
Grant and his administration which, to-
getber with the anti-Grant speeches Of Cen
eIal Schurz have become the favorite cam
paign ammunition of the democrats. And
Trumbull, with his caustic expositions of the
shortcomings Of the President, and Banks,
with his modest announcements Of the reasons
which have determined him to support Gree
ley, have each contributed to strengthen
Summers general indictment among that
large body of men who in this contest have
been hating between two opinions, like the
historical donkey between his two inviting
bundles of hay In all these letters and
being too bitterly personal, the leading boilers
from the administration have been doing more
or less effective work for all actively engaged
in the cause of Greeley and Brown.
On the other hand, it has been made mani
fest in the North Carolina election that
neither the record Of Greeley as friend of the
black man nor the appeals Of Sumner and
Schurz nor the arguments of Trumbull and
Mcclure have made any impression upon the
colored vote Of the South in favor Of Greeley
as Presidential candidate against Grant.
The Southern blacks had 'passed the word
for General Grant, F" and, in the freemasonry Of