National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-03-19


lowing paragraph floating through our
country exchanges. II is just as applicable,
We regret to say, to Washington, go far as a
certain class Is concerned, a. to smaller COM |
munitlcs
ITO XII town underrate every present and |
prospective enterprise, speak Ill OF the churches
and schools, tell everybody the hotels are bad
withhold the patronage from your merchants |
and tradesmen, and buy your goods and gro |
certes at some other place and by oil means go |
70 the city for your millinery and such like; and |
u you are In business refuse to advertise"
THE PROSPECTS OF THE DEMOCRACY.
As is usually the case when Presidential
candidate, possessing the entire and unintcr-
ruptcd confidence Of his party, Ia, for the
second time, elected to that high office, car
rying with him an overwhelming Congress
sional majority, there now exists q lull In
politics, which almost amounts to an apathy.
This feeling, so cmincntly apparent at the
present time, Is more or less due to the
crushing defeat which the Democratic
cohorts received during the fall cam
paigu. The fOrlorn hope, consisting Of
needy Democrats and disappointed office
seekers, made as gallant an assault
as its dcmoralizcd condition would admit
Of, and was rcpulsed with so dreadful loss
Rs TO render their disbandment q dssiderdhUp
The present, then, is simply the lull which
succeeds complete defeat, and the same
principle which governs nature, giving a
calm after stor rm, rules In matters political.
That Mecca Of DcnOcracy-Tamman Hall
at the shrine Of which all good and true
Democrats were wont to worship, Is In a
condition bordering on total disruption. Its
81
sacrcdncss. arc forever buried beneath the
corruption II cngendcrcd, and Its associa-
tion., once SO binding, are forever broken by
the rapaclty Of its supporters. Tammany Hall
has lost the yigor of Its carly days; scarcely
a spark Of Its old vitality remains bright
enough to discover the growing darkness
which envelopes II. Unless the wisost coun.
Cils the purest action and the complctcst
renovation prevail that monument 10 the
former greatness Of the Democratic party
will be numbered among the things that were.
The Plttsburg Post, ono Of the party's organs
10 the Keystone State, thinks that "tho Dem
OCTatiC party Is based upon principles as i'm
nutablc and Us immoyable Us truth itself,
and defeat only works to rid II Of unworthy
elements" II finds encouragement where
less sanguinc partisan would dicovcr dcstruc-
ton.
The New York Herald, however. In an able,
wcll-considercd leader, published u few days
ago, says:
MANY gfkhr bcst and ablCst Democrats have
been thrown out Of Congress, and others who
have taken a leading part heretofore have be-
come so tainted and unpopular that, whether In
or out Of public life at Washington, their career
Of usefulness is ended. Not only do we fail 10
md any such Democratic statesmen, or even
active and energetic politicians, as formerly,
either at Washington or In New York and other
political centres, but there Is neither life nor
Ranization to be found anywhere. All Is dead
yeland whitening mcdiOcTity. Nor 10 we sec any
towering men OF the party who could he taken for
Presidential candidAtcH-men who have the ele-
menls within them to arouse popular enthusiasm.
Mr.. Hendricks, OF Indiana, and some few others,
are respectable enough, but cannot awaken
any stronger feeling than ordinary respect.
such Is the situation at present with regard 10
the Democratic party, us most prominent men
place In the course Of two or three years, or by
The time Of the next Presidential election, no
one can predict. The prospect at present Is by
no means nattering. The minority OF the party
In both Houses OF Congress Ia so small that Il
will bo P0werless IN matters Of legislation, and
II Is almost as pOwerless In most OF the States.
With abundant elements In the corruption, mis-
takes and shortcomings OF the domlnent Repub-
lican party, the Democrats have not the ability
Or organization to make use Of them effectively
We have but little to remark. The situa-
tiOn is sad and the prospect Is dark.