Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-10-23
THE DEmOCRArIc PAnrY.


The nm. thing military commanders do
alsef 3 n.l.t interval Offesl from the confusion
Of, OF great battle, and before planning new oper
ION, 1 70 cali tie mmter-rIlls and gain an
e4ac1 knowledge of their available forces. Let
US initiate this prudence and examine vhst
ground the Democratic party has for future
hoPes. The figures we shall have occasion to
1se s may be verified BY reference 10 the cusus Of
to'V ana to any Authentic statement of the cleo
uon returns for 1872. The aggregate pupular
vote Tor several candidates for President last
year was as follows:
s HOE IIant 5o7 7g3
94g 42S
SV""i ''''' - lS9
AOsai popular 6. .469. .TO7
The total population of the States (excludinR
the Territories, which do not vote for Prtsidentl
IN 1870 was IS, ,205, sos; from which it appears
Of the population.
The total negro population Of the States lex
cludng the Territories) in 1870 was 1885. IO6
and reckoning one voter to six cOlored inhabi-
Hnn anu. lhe negro vote was in round numbers
ovO,UOO. All the negro votes were given TO
dRANr: We have accor 1ingly the data for
estimating the number Of GRANTS white sup
porteTs:
Deduet neSra oSsa vote vot 3g7 f9}
Inc white vote for Grant,. 2,791 793
Let US now compare the white vote for Grant
with the white Democratic vote:
WILL DeoeratG vote 81
"''' WIZ ior "raht..' 279l 792
Democratic white majority 121
This result is deduced from the actual figures.
on the sLpposllion that the whole Democatic
vote was polled and that the ralOo of negro voters
70 negro population was the same as the ratio Of
white voters TO white population. Neither Of
these supposiliOns is quite accurate. Hundreds
OF thousand Of Democrats stayed away from the
polls, disgusted with GREELEY's nomination.
and every negro voted who was entitled to the
elecllve franchise. At least 100000 should be
ADDED 10 the Democratic strength for the stay-
a'-home democrats, and the negro vote would
be more truly estimated by calliag it one five,
instead of one to SIX, of the negro poDulation
Making these corrections, the relative strength
oil parties as represented by white citizens would
stand us:
Democratic white citizens - am Oh
Whhe vote for Grant 26l3 O9S
White Democratic majority 55s. .s2l
Inc white Democratic majority Ofthe citizens
OF the United States is thus more lhan half Of
tne whole negro vote. Even taking the actual
ngures ol the election returns without any retif
cations, the Democratic party had last year
a clear majority of the white voters Of the Uni
ted States.
We now proceed to what the old fash.
ioned sermOniEers u4ed to call the "appli
cation"
WE may safely assume, without exposing our
selves to the charge Of being visionary or over
saEguine, that an administrator 30 VuInerabl.
as that OF General GRANT cannot escape for
A. powerful and growing opposition
mldable and thoroughly organized opposition
party there is certain to be, and the only RrounC
Tor difference of0pinioR is whether that inevi
table opposition shall be led by the Democrat,
party, or by some new parts. n
II stands 70 common sencs that the threC
millions OF Demo cratic voters must form tn,
bulk OF any successful opposition party. They
need only few hundred thousand recruits L
make them majority. They will gain thes,
recruits, not by capturing Republican leader
and Journalists, who, as last years experience
proves, can control no votes, but by direct ap
peals to the people. If successful new party
were formed, the Democracy would necessarily
form nine-tenths of It, They would be an over
whelming majority in every primary meeting
in every caucus, In every county convention
every State convention, and in the national con
yenton Tor nominating a candidate for th
Presidency. The people have toe much pene
tratian to attach l'any importance to a mer
change Of name, when a controlling maiorit,
OF the new party would necessarily consist O
Democrats. A change Of name would be
mere skulking sham, which honest Democrat
have too much selfrespect to practise