The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-14
Our Political Parties-Tho Admfnfstrs-
ton and tho Presidential Success

tion and tho Presidential succes-
sion.
From the exhausting party excitements and
decisive results of our late Presidential con-
test. excepting the local disturbances Of Lou
isiana our political agitations have ebbed
away to dead low water. The tide is out, the
wind is down, the sea is calm, and the only
evidences of the violence of our late periodical
cyclone are in the wrecks and drift of the Gin
cinnati and Baltimore coalition which mark
the surf line of the terrific storm. The decis-
i've majorities, popular and electoral, from
which General Grant has entered upon his
second Presidential term, and the effective
majority in each House secured by his party
for another Congress, make it plain sailing to
the administration for the next two years
The last elections required for the new Congress
were those of Connecticut q month ago, tho
national results of which have left the contend
ing parties precisely as they stood before
three republicans and one democrat, although
the new Governor upon side issues marks a
local change Henceforward to the Summer
and Autumn of 1874 our State elections will be
of a local character, SO that not till the cam
paign of IA for the next Congress shall we
have any definite indications from the ballot
boxes of the drift of our political parties or OF
the leading issues for the Presidential struggle
of 1876
Meantime the movements Of the opposition
elements with every little shaking up are as
changeable as the groupings Of the bits OF
colored glass in the kaleidoscope. "A voice
like one crying in the wilderness has been
vigorously calling out to the disheartened
rank and file of the democratic party. in be-
half Of free trade, as the shibboleth which will
surely lead them on to victory; but the re-
| sponses to this call are 30 discouraging that
they apparently settle the question that free
trade for the Presidential succession will not
be emblazoned, "In hoe signo vinces" on the
ensign Of the democratic party, Not only
| from the protectionists of Pennsylvania, but
from other Northern, and even from some Of
the Southern States, interested in iron, cotton
and woollen mills, comes the warning that
| free trade as democratic article of faith,
will, instead of strengthening, break up the
party It is related of Lord Palmerston that
on certain occasion ct o public meeting to
which he was expected to speak, and at which
score of reporters had gathered 'to take him
down." the cautious Premier, not being in the
mood just then for disclosing his views on
State affairs, passed slip of paper to the
reporters table bearing the words, in pencil
'sThis fish won't bite So it appears the
democratic party, in being offered the glitter
| ing bait of free trade, exclaims, ''this fish
won't bite" Next feeble wall here and
there pleads for an adhesion to the Cincinnati
programme but that hastily constructed table
of Mosaics is evidently broken beyond any
hope of restoration.
But may not the democratic managers turn
these farmers oranges of the Northwest and
the Southwest to good account? The men,
bers of these secret societies are numbered by
hundreds of thousands and their common OBJ
ject is to put down the grasping railway mo-
nopolies, which, with their extortionate
charges of transportation, eat up the
farmers profits in taking his products to
market Do not these farmers oranges then,
offer fair ground for democratic change of
poles and grasping corporations of all de-
scriptions? No; because, as it appears, these
agricultural societies are acting as indepen-
IDENTIFY of our great political parties as are
our various orders of mechanics in their
trades unions In short, the opposition ele-
ments, democratic and anti-G repub-
lican, are all adrift, and apparently without
any inviting project or prospect of a common
field of action upon which they may unite
against the administration.
We have only, then, to consider the posi-
bilities of Presidential scrub race from o
breaking up of the republican party upon
rival Presidential candidates But these rival
candidates have not yet appeared, although
MIR. Speaker Blaine, General Butler, Roscoe
Conkling, Oliver P. Morton and others are
named as having set their caps for the White
House But the President is stronger than
any Senator with his party, and the party is
stronger than its leaders. This fact was made
manifest in the first and the second nomina-
ton and election of Lincoln, and in the first,
but particularly in the second nomination and
election of General Grant. 1t was feared, on
the threshold of the late campaign, that the
revolt against the administration Of such con-
spicuous party leaders as Sumner, Trumbull,
Schurz Greeley, Brown, Fenton, Curtin,
Forney and others would seriously derange
the dominant organization it was proved in
October and November last that the effect of
these assertions was to strengthen the regular
republican party. In that uncertain transit
ton epoch extending from Van Buren, to Lin
coin a revolt Of its distinguished party leaders
against the administration like that of the
Cincinnati Convention would have overthrown
the administration; but in the election results
,l -