The sun., 1872-11-29
The Future OF tho Liberal Party-A Letter
from Col. Ethan Allen.

"
Jroos 2 F,t,e, Esq, Editor Slt Se"''n't Trenton.
My DEAR SIR; have yours of the sth
National COMMITTEES" with reference TO the
:, ture Of the Liberal Republican party. IL
seems to me that time only can fully answer
our future. In my own judgment we have made
gallant fight. which may yet prove 70 be the
defeated because no great issues divided the
political parties, and mere personal arguments
were not sufficient to bring out the popular
vote, or TO cause change o. Administration.
w we made platform Tlnelnn1.I AZ I2%Sins
nominee. At Philadelphia the Republicans
adopted substantially the same platform and
narrowed the night to one of men, not principles.
There being then nothing more important than
individual political interests at stake. the
with the party in power and against any change,
and thus at the beginning the heaviest artillery
was placed against us; United to this, the De
principle awakened an interest In the contest (:
and second because years Of hostility to Mr..
merely personal between him and Gen.
Grant. We did not fail because our
ase NO MS man IN Pe United can
Of So many personal friends "a Horace Greeley,
and no one lives who is more beloved or esteem
selfish record and its loyalty TO every moral law
which governs human conduct. IL Ia true that
In the heat OF an angry contest he was oalumn-
ated and represented, but all such attacks
were made only by the miserable gad flies that
skim over the sound and healthy flesh Of tho
body to find some fostering pimple to assail and
feed upon. We failed because we were engaged
In a combat not ytalized by any issue sufficient
to make a distinct line between friends and foes.
1t Is yet too soon to determine To tine fu-
ture. II Gen. Grant faithfully carries out the
pledges Of his party which are substantially the
same as those made by the Liberals at Cincin-
natl, he may be the real, though not to us the
accepted, agent of reform. II Gen. Grant car
ries out the measures Of our party, consistency,
II nothing else, may compel our approval. We
cannot honestly assal him II he does for the ma
tion that which we claim to be right. II remains
to be seen what Gen. Grant will do In this drec-
In Philadelphia. VIII he continue on this road
Of reformt II 80, we must applaud him. II he
do not, VIC must resist like honest men who
claim TO battle for the public good.
When Congress meets | presume the leaders
Of our party, Messrs Sumner, Trumbull. SchurZ,
1ipton and the many Others In the two houses,
Will point the way" before us. II would bs
premature and imprudent to indicate any
course till these able and honest men have had
Republicans can do no better than to be pas
siye for the present and to watch events. II we
have forced the enemy in sef-defence to adopt
our own course OF political morals, then we
have already won the victory, even though
other hands than those which we would have
chosen execute the reform But II the party in
power prove by their recreancy that the vows
made In the storm are tn be broken In the sun
shine, then IL will he in order to send every
prove by future efforts that the Liberal victory
has in truth been only postponed remain yours
very truly, ETHAN ALLEN,
Chairman National Committee