The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-15
The Spring Elections.

body expected it to go democratic and be
carried off in the tidal wave which swept the
country last fall. Even this uncertain result
has had the moral effect of republican
victory. New Hampshire, even in the
palmiest days of the republican supremacy,
was always doubtful State. In the olden
times the cry was "As Maine goes SO goes
New England" But Maine has grown more
and more republican, and we may say now,
CAS- New Hampshire goes so goes New Eng
land" In New Hampshire and others of the
New England States the party lines were not
strongly drawn. The introduction Of temper
ance and other questions into the canvass
prevented the republicans from polling their
full vote. We presume that so long as minor
questions are allowed to intrude upon a cam
vass there will always be an edge of the
party, thin, scattering remnant, causing
annoyance to the calculating politicians,
and even at times-as when Birney defeated
Clay-destroying the result of q Presidential
election. But there is no party who should
study the election in New Hampshire
more carefully than the democracy. To them
it means everything. If there is any per-
manency in the remarkable results of last
fall, if the defeat of the republican party
really came from the tidal wave of political
opposition, then New Hampshire should have
responded to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts,.
But the fact is the democracy is very much
like the Confederates at the battle Of Win
chester, they have thrown away their victory
before they have earned it. Coming into
power as a probationary party their first act,
in many cases, was to destroy the confidence
which success had inspired. The defeat of
Schurz in Missouri, the intemperance Of many
leaders in the South, the election of hack
politicians to the Senate, the failure to realize
the expectations of reform promised, in New
York especially; the appointment Of General
Porter to the most important Office under
Tammany Hall and the surrender of the city
and State to Tammany dictation, al these
have naturally tended to deaden the conf
dence of the general public in the sincerity of
the democrats.
These are the elements which contributed
to arrest the sweep of the democratic victory
in New Hampshire. On the other hand, the
republicans, although wise in some things,
have not been in others. If, for instance,
leaders like Mr.. Blaine, Senator Edmunds
and Mr.. Wilson had frankly expressed them
selves as dissatisfied with the administration
and with the tendency of General Grant and
his followers to drift into Cmsarism, we be-
ieve that New Hampshire could have been
carried by the republicans by small but de-
cisive majority. But upon this issue the
leaders OF the republican party have been
afraid to oct. They rest under the spell of
executive patronage. They have the coura ge
to complain but not to mutiny. They have
never yet seen that great as the President is
by his Office the people are far greater. They
have never had the confidence in the republi-
can party which the memories of its history
should inspire. They could not see that this
was the party that drove Lincoln to emanci-
patton, and which. if properly conducted,
would drive Grant out of C@sarism. We be-
lieve that if the true members Of the
party-the men who hold the rela-
ton to it now that Greeley and Chase and Ste
vens did ten years ago-had really made up
their minds that the republican organization
to its military chief, they might have forced
the President into position in harmony with
the popular sense of its members, just as they
forced Lincoln to proclaim emancipation after
he had publicly derlded the wisdom or value
of such measure. The burden of the re-
publican party is more seriously felt in Con-
necticut. Here we are to have another election,
TT
the incubus that rests upon the campaign in
this idea of the third term. Connecticut is
more doubtful State than New Hampshire,
but there is no reason why the republicans
should not carry it if they mean to do so. Gov
ernor Hawley has pointed out the way, but if
he is not sustained by the men to whom the
party has right to look with confidence for
counsel and leadership, then the republicans
will have either barren victory or an over
whelming defeat.
There is no reason why the selfshness of
one man should be allowed to put great
party in peril. For ourselves, although we
have had occasion, again and again, to GEN.
sure the republicans, and although we believe
that the good of the country would be served
by change in the administration, still we
know that representative government
also requires not only party in power but
party in opposition. No party can govern a
country with due regard to the best interests
of the people unless its opponents ere strong
enough to criticise its acts and compact
enough to prevent its adoption of extreme and
violent measures. This IS the value of parties
as we see them in the House of Commons and
we welcome every change in our politics that
promises to bring the same influences into
Congress But the republican party can never
exercise its true functions, either as party in
power or as an opposition, so long as it is