National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-09
THE CONNECTICUT ELECTION

We naturally look to such leaders as Rep
resentative Hawley, Of Connecticut for ex-
plantations of political results in the States
which they represent. In the Hartford
Courant of the 7th instant we find it stated
that the Democratic victory of the preced-
ing day was mot a vote of confidence in
'the Democratic party. That we can af,
firm from local knowledge. Nor is it any
evidence of want of confidence in Mr..
Harrison. We could not have had more
popular candidate. nor one more cordially
'liked. The regret at his defeat among
Republicans is sincere and universal.
even those who felt called Only a mis-,
take of judgment which they will one day
'fsee, we believe-to 'rebuke the Admins
'tration, in the phrase ofthe day, regretted
that they must do so at the expense of SC
''good man as Mr.. Harrison"
As the CourGnt is owned by Gen. Haw
ley, and is acknowledged to be his personal
organ, this explanation, that in his opinion
his Republican friends have committed g
blunder. would be satisfactory if it were
not that in another article of the same issue
of that journal we find an attempt to ere
Duke the Administrator" because the East
ern contractionists have not been able to
control the acts of such Democrats as Sena-
tor Merrimon, and the infationists in both
Houses of Congress. The tone of this arti-
Gle is so thoroughly in accord with the
spirit of the Independent press, so captious
and faultinding, and so utterly regardless
of truth, that we are forced to accept
it as another blunder-not blunder of the
people, however, but "a mistake of judg
'tment, which he will one day see, we
''believe" 1t does not explain that divi
sion of party sentiment, almost sectional in
its character, enabled the South and the
West regardless of partisan feeling, to com
bine in procuring reasonable compromise
regarding the currency question 1t does
not admit that other interests than those
represented at the meetings of New York
and Boston capitalists were involved in the
action of Congress, but with reckless per
sonal illusions and malignant disregard Of
facts, attempts to fix upon the Republican
party the stigma of absolute failure to do its
duty 1t is not without regret that we are,
in consequence of this article, compelled to
hold the Courant and its editor responsible
for the mistake of judgment Of which the
people are now accused. The following ex.
tracts from it will serve to illustrate ouI
meaning:
"What we want is a fixed, steady policy,
looking towards return to real money, and q
Secretary of the Treasury who will have no in
clination to violate the Constitution, who will
not, like a horse jockey, be trying to buy up
the national bonds, which are payable in gold,
in deprecated currency-thinking he is doing
a smart thing by getting them in at 95 cents on
the dollar, who will have the courage to be
honest, and the irmness to hold an even course
towards discharge Of our forced war loan.
"What we do not want is another mediocre
Secretary of the Treasury of the same calibre
of Boutwell, and Richardson. Mr.. Columbus
Delano is talked of. He is the present Secre-
tary of the Interior. We are not aware that he
has made his mark as statesman, nor do we
know that he has any special qualities for the
difficult post of the Treasury above those OF
fifty respectable gentlemen who might be
named. The appointment needs to be one
that will instantly give confidence to the coun-
try.
"Public meetings Of protest and warning
are needed ell over the country. Perhaps Con-
gress will pay some heed to them; the men,
bers certainly will if they are made to feel that
their places depend upon it. At any rate, pub
lie opinion will strengthen the hands of the
President to veto any bill that has dollar OF
imitation and depreciation in it; and public
meetings will show the world that the people
of this country intend to uphold the national
honor and not take the downward road to re-
pudiation.
"We have no ministry to change, and no
parliament to dissolve, but We can make our
Government feel the pressnfe of public opin-
ion."