The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-21
The Republican Candidate In 1876.
From Hnrpor's Weekly.

From Harpor's Weekly.l
Assuming that the Republican party
does not mean To destroy itself by the
denomination Of Gen. Grant, who could
not even carry Massachusetts,, and
would certainly lose New York, Penn
sylvania and Ohio, il is time to look mt
the considerations which should deter
mine the selection of a candidate. Not
withstanding tho Republican successes
of the last autumn, it is plain that the
Republicans can not elect u candidate
merely by the party momentum. The
situation can best be studied in Massa-
chusetts. That's the typical Republican
State. In 1872 the Republican majority
was nearly 5000. Last year tho Demo-
Gratis elected the Governor and several
members of Congress. During the year
there vas q party revival, 50 to speak
u vigorous Republican protest through
out the country against certain Repub-
Iican tendencies; and at the late cleo
ton, although the Republican candi-
date for Governor was entirely unexcep-
tiOnablc, he was returned by n majority
of barely 5000. This result i'm q State
like Massachusetts is the conclusive
proof that the sense of the party obliga-
ton is so weakened that its force is not
alone enough to elect q President. The
kind of dissatisfaction that was felt in
1872, and which led to the Cincinnati
movement, has UNNECESSARILY %dcepencd
and broadencd. 1t was without result
then, Because OF it's candidate and the
alternative it presented, which forced
many thousands of Republican voters
TO support Gen. Grant under protest,
and which kept many thousands OF
Democratic voters from the polls. But
next year the Democrats will nominate
a candidate who will be sustained by
the entire party vote, and an immense
number of dissatisfied Republicans will
also support him unless the Republican
candidate should be wholly satisfactory
to those who desire a total change in
the tone of administration.
If look for the causc which have re-
duced the Republican party to its pres
ent doubtful condition we can easily
find them. One, of limited scope, is the
hard times; the other, and the efficient
cause. is impatience with what may best
be described as a low, personal, selfish,
intensely partisan character of admin
istratiOn, which fosters such iniquities
as the Credit Mobilier, the whisky and
Indian frauds, questionable transac-
tions of all kinds involving high Off
GERS, and an disregard Of them,
d despotic porty control by the Office
holding interest, and % c%ontemptuous
violation Of solemn party pledges.
These things, and such as these, are not,
indeed, peculiar to the Republican par
ty, but the Republican party is largely
| composed Of men who will not tolerate
them. When Republicans said the civil
service ought to be reformed, Mr.. Nor
.ton rctortcd that it was the best upon
tho planet. When Republicans pro
posed to investigate the general order
business and the sale Of arms to France
Mr.. Conkling replied that it was mud
throwing. and moved to inquire whether
any officers Of the Government, mean
ing the Republican Senators Sumner
and Schurz, were in collision with for
cign agents. Such things az these, with
the leadership of men like General But
Ter and that of the Grant Senators, as
Cameron, Morton, Conkling, Carpen-
teri, and the intimacy with the Presi-
dent of "Boss" Shepherd and of Nc
Donald and others-all these things,
and not the hard times, have alienated
the sympathy of Republicans, and shat
tered the party.
This is a matter of general conscious
ness, but the evidence is also conclusive.
The election of 1874 occurred when this
spirit seemed to be h~opelessly para
mount, and the Republicans were SO
universally routed that had there been
a Presidential election they would have
lost the Administration, only two years
after the great victory Of 1872. In 1872
the Republicans carried New York by
fifty thousand majority. In 1874, with
one Of the best candidates for Cover
nor they ever had, they lost the State
by fifty thousand. The secret was Re-
publican disgust. Form the mean time
the third term had been suggested, o r a
practically indefinite continuance OF
the intelcrable tendencies which had
dissatisfied the party. In the New
York Conyentien-controlled by Mr..
Conkling, the immediate, especial and
enthusiastic friend of the Presidcnt-a
resolution disappearing the II ird term
was s~mothered. Tho result OF tho cleo
ton showed that defiance Of the %intelli-
gence of the party was not the way OF
success. The result, however, attribut-
ed by the managers to the hard times.
Butthis explanation was discredited this
wear when, although the times had
not changed, the Grant leadership
in the convention was passive, the third
term was denounced, certain tendencies
of the Administration were indirectly
censured, the proceedings showed that
the party was independent OF the Adj
ministration sand Notwithstanding the
prestige of Gov. Tilden's canal reform,
which the Republican Convention cor
daily approved, and his skill as a par
tisan leader, the actual Democratic ma
iority Of last year was reduced from
fifty thousand to less than four thous-
and. The secret was not that the times
were better, but that the Republicans
the independent Republicans who
give the party it's majority-saw that it
was possible to reform the evil tenden-
cies with which they were Disguised,
| without directly or Indirectly support
ing the Democratic party. The favor
able Republican result every where was
due to the same causes as in New York
tho feeling that the incubus was
loosened from the party.
The indispensable condition Of sue
cess in 1876 is, therefore, evident. 1t is
that the candidate shall be i'm himself
the proof that there will be no continue
ton of those things which have so
radically aIienated immense numbers
who would prefer to vote the Republi-
can ticket, but who will not vote it
merely because it is the Republican
ticket. Republicans ought to see clear
ly that as Grant himself could not
possibly be reelected, so none Of the
Grant group a be elected. It is the
Administration which has endangered
and defeated the party, and any candi-
date who would represent substantially
a continuation Of the Administration in
49, -