The New York herald., 1874-08-21

An astonishing change has taken place
within five or six years in the political rela-
tons of Philadelphia to Pennsylvania, and an
appreciation of it is necessary to proper un-
derstanding of the Keystone State. When the
war closed the two great republican factions
of Cameron and Curtin closed for final
struggle, and at that time Philadelphia was
a Curtin stronghold, in which General Came
rons influence was almost powerless. The
strength of the "War Governor was with the
people in times Of excitement and when
''grim-visaged war had smoothed his
wrinkled 'front.' Mr.. Curtin found his
political influence, like Bob Acres cour-
age, "oozing out of the tips of his
fingers" General Cameron seized the
opportunity to attempt to break down the
Curtin combination in Philadelphia, but sue
ceeded only in breaking it up. This was
enough, however; the combination which
had so long resisted all outside attacks be-
came demoralized, and Curtin, himself dis
couraged, was glad to be exiled to Siberia.
The Philadelphia politicians shrewdly saw the
uselessness OF resistance, and General Cam
eron saw the folly of unnecessary war. A
treaty Of peace was signed between the con-
tending parties, and the strongest opponents
of Cameron then are now his warmest friends
All the Curtin men rallied around General
Cameron-all but Colonel Mcclure ''whose
heart was true to Pol,' and who made des-
perate effort in the Greeley canvass to put
Curtin in his old position. Thus as Napoleon
marched into Vienna and took up his quarters
at the imperial palace, General Cameron
walked into Philadelphia and took equally
good rooms at the Girard House.
These facts put Philadelphia into an entirely
new position. Five years ago she was arrayed
against the greater portion of the State; now
she domineers over the greater part of the
State Every annual Republican State Con.
vention has given evidence of her increasing
power and none more emphatically than the
last one. The Philadelphia delegation, formal
and informal, went to Harrisburg determined
to rule the Convention, and it did so. Its great
object was to force the nomination of Paxson
as Judge of the Supreme Court, and bitter
struggle took place on this point According
to custom the nomination for Lieutenant Gov
ernor should have been first made but if this
had been done the country members, who de-
sired Butler. of Chester, for Judge, would have
voted for NJ. Hall Stanton, of Philadelphia and
this would have forced the Philadelphians to
give that gentleman the nomination. At least,
they could hardly have sacrificed one Of their
own prominent citizens But if the Lieuten-
ant Governor had been taken from the city
the country could have successfully demanded
the Judge. The Philadelphia politicians, who
seemed to have absorbed the smartness which
was once attributed to Philadelphia lawyers,
perceived that the only way to carry Paxson
was to require the nomination for Supreme
Judge to be made first, and they carried the
motion to that effect by a majority of thirty,
after hard struggle and a good deal of
bad feeling in caucus. Five years ago
Philadelphia could never have forced q
convention to its knees before her. But this
triumph conclusively shows that she practi-
caly rules the State and has the power to die
tate the republican nominations This COM
plete revolution must be remembered in judg-
ing of the future course OF the republican
party in Pennsylvania, the leadership of
which is now concentrated in the hands of
General Cameron and the Philadelphia politi-
clans. This league is invincible now, and none
have better reason to know it than the one hun
dred and eight country delegates who voted
against the reversal Of the rules upon nomina-
tons last Wednesday. We congratulate Phila-
delphia upon her supremacy, in the hope that
this newly achieved power will be used with
wisdom and magnanimity. With good local
government her influence would be for the
good of the whole Commonwealth.
Ex-senator TooMBs, of Georgia, says that
she hates the government of the United
States and would give his life to overthrow