The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-08-22

present, when no question of absorbing
interest is before the country. To such
persons the discussions now going on in
some OF the papers must appear almost
lnexplicable. In the midst of summer,
and soon after Presidential election,
some foolish persons seem to fancy that
1T is possible to get the public mind ex-
cited over the question, "Who shall be
elected President in 1892" 1t is neces-
sary for their purpose to compare the
plainest and most unassuming man in
the country with Caesar. The intense
and hopeless ignorance which has been
shown in the treatment of this absurd
theme is worthy of the intellectual de-
partment" of a journal which derives
considerable share of its profits from
the trade of publishing obscene adver-
tisements. We have been told in the
organ of the slums that the President
can, If he please, make himself all-pow-
ertui, and completely suppress the CO.
ordinate branches of the Government.
This may be the view of the "European"
element of the intellectual depart
ment;' but it is not quite borne out by
facts. Andrew Johnson did not seem to
be capable of exercising any alarming
authority when once he had placed Con-
gress in an attitude of permanent oppo-
sition to him. The truth is, that many
persons then understood for the first
time how powerless the Executive would
be when it was placed in permanent con-
hict with the Legislative. The President
could neither remove nor appoint an
officer; he could not suggest or alter
given line of policy he could not resist
the passage of an act, for it was instant
ly passed over his veto. The Legisla-
tive branch of the Government might
possibly become omnipotent, for there
Is no check upon it except such as the
balance of parties and the tardy action
OF the Supreme Court may impose. But
that branch of the Government which is
intrinsically the weakest is undoubtedly
the Executive.
All this, of course, cannot be known
to such writer's as are employed by the
Herold-persons who are apparently as
destitute of information on all conceiv-
able subjects as they are of the rudi-
ments of the English language. A con-
temporary insinuates that they are
caught by the lasso at Castle Garden,
and in a somewhat exaggerated form the
statement doubtless conveys the truth.
The writer's, when caught, are naturally
more at home in dealing with African
than with American politics, for mis-
takes on the one subject are not so easily
detected as ON the other. There must
be something to talk about-and since
the Herald cannot very well talk about
obscene advertisements, with which its
columns are stuffed, it tries with con-
summate stupidity to get up an excite
ment in 1873 about the Presidential
election of 1876. It does not in the
least see that people have had enough
of Presidential elections for at least a
year or two to come. 1t argues that the
President ought really to express his
opinion on the subject. If Gen. Grant
were to be bound to reply to the Herald
every time it wished to advertise itself,
the Office of President would be scarcely
honorable enough to offer to one of the
intellectual department" (half Europe
an of that indecent journal.
The truth is, however, that this idle
nonsense indicates something of more
Importance than the faulty of a news
paper. 1t is one of the numerous proofs,
to be seen on all sides, of the wretched
state of restitution into which the Dem
ocratic party has sunk. The journal
referred to is its old ally-it tried to
help it at the beginning of the war it
endeavOred to shield it all through the
Tammany fight. 1t is now merely the
mouth-piece of one of the Tammany
leaders. AS such it is trying to see
whether ga cry" cannot be raised in
time for the fall elections. The Demo-
cratic party has absolutely nothing to
offer the people of its own. 1t can con-
tribute no ideas to the politics of the
day except the old one-abolish the
"black clement. Even free trade it
dare not touch. 1t is, therefore, obliged
to content itself with asking what might
happen if series of events took place
which are as improbable as the sudden
arrival of the millennium. The shrewd-
est politicians in the country cannot
form the least idea now who will be
elected President in 1876. No combina-
lions that could be formed now would
be of the slightest weight or service
then. The unforeseen always happens
in politics-and the Presidential election
of 1876 will probably turn upon some
issue of which no man living has now
the slightest suspicion or conception.
Put in motion what machinery we will
at this moment, it cannot possibly have
the least effect in 1876. 1t is subject
not worth talking about, and we refer to
it now for the first and last time-and
now only for the purpose of showing
how absolutely beggared the Democratic
party must be for ideas when it is obliged
to set its skirmishers to work to raise an
agitation over an event which is three
years and a half distant, and which no
human being can pretend to foresee or
control. We might as well waste our
time in considering whether We shall,
any of us, have headache four years
D hence, or what sort of weather it will
be, or what we shall be eating for dim
ner
The abiect condition of the Demo-
cratic party is not a subject for unmixed
congratulation. On many accounts it is
desirable that it should have much
greater weight in the country than it
now possesses or seems likely to acquire.
The more nearly the balance of parties
is maintained, the better is it for coun-
try which lives under constitutional