Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-11-10
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

From the expressions of opinions on Tues
days elections, as contained in some of the
leading papers of the country, we make the
following brief extracts:
New York Herald
General Grant, who led the Republican
party into power two years ago with the largest
majority, perhaps, ever given to President;
may feel this morning, as he reads the returns
of the November elections, that he has been
like the Prodigal Son, and has squandered
precious political inheritance. Whatever the
causes, the result is decisive. \ The
defeat of Butler gives poetic sequel to the
Democratic triumph, and is the one isolated
event which will give the greatest satisfaction
to the American People. 1t closes the career
of the ablest, most persistent and most daring
of the leaders of the Republican party, of the
one man who represented in his own person
the animosities, the mistakes and the audac-
tiles of Republicanism in its hour of arrogant
triumph. This election is not merely VIC
tory but revolution. The United States
pronounces in favor of conservative purposes.
We are weary of war aud its bloody instruc~
tions. The practical lessons to be learned
cannot fail to be of the very gravest impor>
lance. The canvass closes the political career
of General Grant.
New York Tribune.I
The verdict of the country against Grant
ism is delivered. There were only two great
questions before the people at this election
One was whether the Administration deserves
the public confidence, and the other was
whether it ought to be perpetuated. They
have both been answered in tho negative, SO
loudly that even the President must hear the
verdict. x x * This is the end of Grant
ism. 1t is not the revival of the rebellion,
the dcfnitive rehabilitation of the Demo-
cratic party. 1t simply eliminates Grantism
from politics as an impairment factor, and
leaves the two parties confronted-so evenly
matched that both must hereafter be careful
to make no mistakes. The future belongs to
the one who shall earn it.
New York World.l
Grants pretoriau phaanx has been broken
His ''Third Term" banner has been captured
and reversed for scof and a Kissing The
bummers of his army, the spoilers of the
South, have been compelled to sacken their
hold where the prey has not been wrested
from their teeth x Yet this is only
the first great battle in long campaign. It
is won triumphantly. Yet there are others
to be won. Victory has been tied. with all
her garlands on, to the standards of the De-
mocracy by faithful hands which have sue
cessfully planted those standards in the fore>
front of this great battle. It is victory for
free trade; victory for hard money; a VIC
tory for homo rule.
New York Times.l
The result of the elections yesterday in this
and other Eastern States will not be surprise
to anybody, except perhaps few persons at
Washington, and it certainly will not surprise
any of our readers, who have been kept tOler>
ably we'll informed as to the causes which in
evitably tended TO produce the present over
throw of the Republicans party. All that
could be done honOrably to avert this defeat
has been done by US, but since the last Pres
idential election, many of the party leaders
have been deaf alike to advice and remon-
STRANGE. They have apparently believed that
tho people would quietly submit to anything
and everything, and that the party which they
represented was indestructabie. Nothing
short of the events which we record this
morning could have opened their eyes to the
truth. x 1t will be the lot of the
President TO discover, in common with many
great men who have gone before him, that
foolish flattereEs and venal newspapers cannot
turn aside the current of public opinion
The truths which he aud his immediate sup
pOrters refused to hear from the lips Of friends
they must now listen TO day from the peo-
pie at the polls. x If the Repub-
licans defeated in six or seven of the ten
Massachusetts districts, it is a comfort to
decent men to know that one of the saugh-
tered candidates is Mr.. b. F. Butler -
Happily the severest foods carry away the
most offensive matter.
New York Sun
The indignation of the people as expressed
through the ballot boxes yesterday has shiv-
cred Grants administration to atoms. The
overthrow is complete and terrific Il is i'm
possible to enumerate the names of the great
mass of hypocrtes, adventurous, and rogues
which the work of Monday and Tuesday has
put under the sod never to rise sgsin.
IBoston Jou:oall
The result is a significant overthrow in
many senses, but it does not mean that the
old Democratic party has taken even a tens
porary lease of power in Massachusetts-
Thousands of Republicans voted yesterday
with the Democrats because they were dis
satisfied With grievances which are mainly the
outgroWth of Butlerism. That the
result is disastrous to the Republican organ
ization, party, it would be folly to DENY.
The loss of congressman, from whatever cause
it may have arisen, is most damaging. es-
pecially in view of the victories accomplished
by the opponents of the administration in
other States That it denotes important
changes in the political future of the country
is certain.
rBoston Advertiser.I
Part of the falling off, and not small part.
was directly owing to causes for which the
Administration is responsible. Outside of all
considerations of the popularity or fitness of
tho candidates, the Republicans would not
vote in way that could be construed as an
endorsement of the means by which the Adj
ministration has made its power felt in Mas