The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-08
Ghe 3}:aailg; gARr!g gus
The Moral Victory.

AAS sAOAd4 ASIo4ys
The Democracy of the state Of New
York may rest assured that the moral vic
tory which they had won in the election
of 1875. outwelghs the numerical victory
which they won III the election of 1874.
1t was indeed i very striking success
which last year reversed the immense ma
jority of Gov. Dix and gave $4,000 major
ity to Coy. Tilden. But political parties
live or die by their moral character and the
estimation III which that character is held
by the greet mass Of the people. The tidal
wave which submerged the Republican
maJ1rltles III so many states last year, and
which ls only another expression for wide
spread popular disgust with the selfshness
and the corruption OF the Republican lead
ers, counted heavily in Gov Tilden
Democratic majority of $4,000 1t express
sed the popular estimation of the fact that
the Republican leadership had destroyed
the moral character and the once high re-
pute of that party The alliance this year
Of the Republican party with the Canal
Ring viudicates that popular Judgment of
one year ago.
1t Is more striking success which the
Democracy of New York have now won, for
1t Is moral success and an unprecedented
success so striking and SO significant in that
respect as to make it matter of indiffer-
ence whether our numerical majority
shall turn out to be %, OO0-the off year
numerical equivalent OF a $4,000 guber
Material majority. or shall turn out to be
little more than but half that number.
1t is an unprecedented success. No other
polltclca party in theU United States ever be-
fore staked its own existence upon reforms
within its own constituency. That has now
twice been done by the Democracy of New
York. First, in the fight t. expe the
Democratic members of the Tweed Ring
rom the Democratic party. which cost it
The control of the state for a term.
Second,in the fight to expel the Democratic
members of the Canal Ring, which
has been carried through triumphantly
aving every administrative and executive
officer in the state and costing US nothing
but the loss of one branch of the state
legislature. 1t is thus a success uuprece-
denied in the history of the Democratic
party.
The Republican members of the Tweed
Ring, and the Republican memb rs of til,
Canal Ring have never been expelled from
| he Republican party. The attempt to ex-
pei them has never been made. The pro
posal to expel them was never preached
by the purest or the boldest man 10 : the
party of great moral ideas" Nor was the
| attempt ever made, or a proposal ever
| preached in the Republican party to expel
from its ranks or from its leadership the
corrupt rings exclusively Republican in
| membership. The Credit Mobilier Ring,
the Custom House Ring, the Indian Rings
the carpetbag ring, the Kitchen Cabinet
| Ring, the District Of Columbia Ring, in
stead of being elected from the Republican
party, have risen to its control.-cut-pursa
Ut its empire and its rule Promotion to
cabinet appointments, to judgships, to for
| elgn embassies, has been the reward be-
slowed by the head tof the Republican
| party upon the men whom its protection
could not shield from the wrath of the PEG
pie. Worse still, the very men who had
stolen the livery of Democracy to serve the
| devil In, and whom the Democracy had
| eJec ted from their cUuncil-cham bers
and their fellowship, were received with
ELUSIVE Joy into the Republican camp and
court. Yesterday S success is thus utterly
without precedent, either as proposal, an
attempt, or victory, in the history Of the
| Republican party.
BY such efforts, by such victories the Demo
| crazy are suUuulnR tne pfeJuQlceS OF the
war period and are winning the sympathies
Of the intelligent, the virtuors, the
patriotic citizens Of the United States.
Aud the eminence which belongs to New
York in the Democracy of the Union, by
virtue of her unmatched victories, she
maintains by still higher title and with
ore generous and enforced assent, in the
moral character of those victories.
To have expelled its half of the Tweed
Ring though at the cost of losing Demo
cratic supremacy in the state; to have
1pprooted and elected its halfot the Canal
Ring, running the same risk again, but
this time VIGOROUSLY, this time despite an
lOpen ayowed alliance Of the Republican
party with both halves of that shattered
ring these are moral victories which far
outweigh in value to a party the more
striking numerical results that alone
attract the eyes of shallow prophets and
hand t. mouth journalists and politicians,
For moral victories breed n.ajorities, if
Desides the physical order of the universe,
there is a moral order,as stable in its laws,
and as sovereign in events N Y. W0rld.