The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-26

Dan Voorhees, on the Political Situa-
tion-Great Revival in Copperhead-
Ism.
Congressman Daniel Webster Voorhees, made
his first stump speech of the campaign at Terre
Haute yesterday, and full report Of his re-
marks will be found in the HERALD to-day.
The dissatisfaction manifested all over the
country when he made his onslaught on
Greeley in the House of Representatives has,
doubtless, induced him to appear before
his constituents at SO early day, and We have
now more exhaustive statement Of the
reasons that induce him to oppose the en-
dorsement of the Cincinnati nominee by the
Baltimore Convention The speech is bold
and forcible one from Voorhees, point of
view, and the Indiana Congressman fully
sustains his reputation as a plain and
powerful talker But his point of view is now,
as it always has been and always will be- the
unadulterated, uncompromised Copperhead
point of view; and as that description of poll
ticians has almost wholly disappeared North
and South, East and West, except, probably, in
the benighted region in Indiana represented by
Dan Voorhees,, it is not likely that the speech
will exert much influence except upon the few
incurable Bourbons who still sigh for slavery
and look anxously for the time when the four
tenth amendment will be blotted out of the
constitution. few years ago the
Southern fire-eaters might have swallowed
the red-hot apprehension of Voorhees, with
relish but the South has grown heartily sick
Of the sympathizers with rebellion who took
such good care Of their own skins during the
war; and who have been trying ever since its
termination to WOO the Southern States back
into the old democratic ranks; and SO the
Congressman's eloquence will, we fear, be
wasted
Dan Voorhees, has never been distinguished
for discretion, and while the indictment he
makes against Greeley is a terrible one, from a
democratic point of view, his exposure of his
real hopes and desires will not be very accept
able to his more discreet and polite associates
He declares his opposition to the political
equality as we'll as to the social equality of
the white and colored races, and believes
negro has no rights that white man is bound
TO respect, Singularly enough, he entertained
the hope that the Cincinnati Convention would
have given the democracy such a man to en-
dorse, and that in their platform and candidates
they would have recognized the necessity Of
going back twe. g years and placing the govern
ment on the good old beaten track travelled in
the days of Polk and Pierce and Buchanan Had
they fulfilled this expectation he would have
been happy to have received the liberal repub-
licans into the democratic fold; but when he
heard that the Cincinnati Conventonists had
nominated Greeley, the lifelong denouncer
of copperheads inveterate enemy Of democ-
racy, the wool-dyed protecionist, the old
underground abolitionist, the upholder of the
war, the advocate Of civil rights for the negro,
the man who had called Horatio Seymour as
hard names publicly as Dan Voorhees,
has called him privately-then q
new light broke in upon him. His face was
'slifted up and frightened as he fancied he
beheld o chance of playing on the republicans
in 1872 the same game they had played on
the democracy In 1860, and Of slipping
good, sound reliable, unreconstructed
the split in the rival organization. This
hope still lives eternal in Dan Voorhees,
breast, and he urges the Baltimore Convention
with tears and prayers to put Independent can
didates into the field and to elect President
who will wipe out oil the Corrupt and uncon-
stitutionnl legislation" with which the repub-
ican party has filed the statute books.
1t is unfortunately too late in the day for any
such policy as the Indiana Congressman re-
commends. The democratic masses have got
tired of copperhead TRADES, and are willing
with the South, to accept the lessons of the war;
to bury past issues and to live as well as they
can under the constitution as it is They cannot
be deceived any longer by the cry of "Nigger
niger |" raised whenever labor is spoken Of
They know their own power and their own
position and they feel that they are safer now
against the competition Of colored labor
than they were when the blessed in
stitution of slavery gave prominence
to such leaders as Voorhees,. The very
democrnts who have been urging him on to
take the position he hos assumed only use
his honest copperheadism for their own pur-
poses. They would scout as absurd the idea
of IN independent ticket and wisely desire to
support Grant for reelection voorhees, him
self admits that General Grants administra-
ton, although zone Of the worst ever
known in American history" is better than
anything that could be expected from
Greeley. Let him, then, drop his claptrap
talk about great copperhead revival and
straight democratic Bourbon nomination, and
go in with the New York democratic organ for
the endorsement Of Grant by oil democrats
who are willing to bolt the Baltimore Conven-
ton. By that means he can best defeat
Greeley. and that course. we advise him to
adopt