The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-28

|
The campaign of the democrats is more
promising than any they have known since
the election Of Pierce and King The ad-
ministration of General Pierce WAS wrecked
on the Kansas Nebraska bill, and although
Mr. Buchanan succeeded him the fight to
elect that statesman was really q battle for
organization on the part of the republicans.
1t was their Bull Run which led to Apo
mattox Anti-slavery strong enough to
menace the democrats under Fremont was
able to conquer them under Lincoln. The
war and the tremendous issues arising out
of the war have given the republicans their
continued existence. 1t was the war which
reelected Lincoln and gave Grant his two
terms. 1t is the war which will elect Hayes,
if he should succeed. The republicans
may add as many planks to their plat
form as they please-about currency, civil
service and the Pope-the living thought
underlying their party is the war. Once
withdraw that question from our politics,
| once unite the North and the South on a
basis of peace, fraternity. the acceptance of
the war amendments and conceded political
equality, and the republican party will be
as dead as was the whig party after the COM
promise measures in the administration Of
Fillmore. Outside of the fancied necessity
for government that will protect the
negroes there is no pretext for the re-
publican organization. It's leaders have
never dared to take new ground, to adapt it
to any one of those vital problems the con-
sideration of which must absorb the atten-
ton of parties in the future.
The reason why the republican leaders
have never dared to identify their party
with questions Of free trade, finance, the
constitutional relations of the States to the
| government, and so on, is that on every pos
sible question that now attracts the atten-
| ton Of thinkers the republicans are as hope
| lessly divided as the democrats. For this
reason the elimination of the war from the
politics of the day would destroy the re-
publican party. That is the bond of its
existence. 1t is bond which grows weaker
as time heals the wounds Of the war and
brings the sections into a closer union.
Every new cotton crop is step toward
reconciliation. Consequently the demo-
Gratis have grown by the weakness of their
opponents. They have an almost united
South in their favor, as they had before the
war or, rather, they will have it, unless, as
the democrats profess to believe, Don
Cameron's three. thousand soldiers should
trample all life out of dozen sovereign
States. In addition to this steadily growing
strengths strength based on passion
there is deep-seated craving for reform. 4"
The country is tired of Grant. This is be-
cause eight years are long enough to wear
out tho patience of any people with
President. especially of people as mer-
curial as the Americans, who fretted over
Washington long before they were through
with him. This craving arises also from
the blunders Of the President and of the
crimes Of many Of the men upon whom he
| bestowed his confidence. There is feeling
that the government will be improved by
the admission of new men into Office, and,
in answer to this feeling, the democrats have
named a candidate whose highest claim to
the Presidency is that he is representative
| reformer.
| No party could enter upon a canvass with
brighter prospects than the democrats had
three months ago. All the auguries pointed
| to the success Of Tilden or to whoever the
democrats would nominate. Why is it that
these auguries fail the friends Of Tilden
now? 1t is because the republicans since the
beginning of their campaign have. with all
their obstacles to success, made no mistakes
and fought to win. The democrats, with all
their hopes and promises Of success. have
| made blunder after blunder and fought to
lose. The treatment of the financial ques-
| ton, Of civil service, of the one term in
Tilden's letter was blunder. There is no
explanation Of the surrender of the Resump-
ton act by Governor Tilden. It was the
violation of pledge, which must run more
than three years before fulflment, of one of
the pledges upon which our national credit
rests, at o time when we are trying to borrow
| three hundred millions at four and a half
per cent. This pledge did not bind Gov
ernor Tilden, because he goes into Office
upon the assurance, triumphantly re-
peated by his friends, that in a
very short time, much less time than
the Resumption act comedies, he would
be ready to resume Now, if Mr.. Tilden as
President is certain that he can resume in
less than two years. why is it that he throws
away the pledge now? For no other reason
than to oblige Mr. Hendricks Mr.. Pendle-
ton and the infationists. In other words,
this paramount and ostentatious reformer,
who would go into Office to war upon wicked
| ness, makes terms in the outset Of his
campaign with the worst feature of wicked
ness in the Countrywide party Of repudia-
ton and imitation. Cautious conservative
| democrats who remember how Buchanan
was bullied into secession, even at time