New-York tribune., 1876-03-04
RELKytP AND TIE PRESIDENCY

"Tberc ia this comfort IN the situation
SAID Carl Schurz the other day. At any rate
"thngs are not crystallizing, in the interest OF
"either of the old parties. Everything is still
Gin chaos.' Since the ex-senator from Mis-
souri, said this, the political ka eidoscOpe has
taken one or two new turns, and the contu-
sion is worse confounded. Everything is atloat
again. Two or three fixed points, however,
can be seen in the moving debris:-
|. Secretary Relknap has made an end OF
the Administration party. 1t does not need
the other Secretary, whose swiftly following
fall is expected to finish the work. SubStan-
tally it is done already. Every man init
mately connected with this Administration IL
to-day hors du combat. The people would no
more trust Grant, OF anybody supposed to rep
resent Grant. or identified with Grants Ad-
ministration, than they would trust Belknap.
.. The curse goes further. Every man who
has been in any way a conspicuous leader OF
the Republican party ia to-day put upon his
proof. He must show that he is not thief.
The suspicion is against him. The dlstinc-
tive Administration candldates-Conkling,
Morton. and the rest-have no more chance
for success before the people (whateyer may
son Davis. There is no creature whom the
average American people more fervldly hate
in any times, and particularly in hard
times, than thief; and after Bel
knap there is no Administration man
who is not suspected Of being n thief. So,
too. there il no man who has been Il cOnspicu-
GUS Republican leader, identified with the man
agcmcnt of the party at Washington. who Is
not damaged by the late exposures Blaine
suiIe A among the rest, and the prominence OF
his leadership makes the damage these ex-
posures bring him the greater. He must in
some way cut loose from the Administration,
and all its works, or 90 down in the common
ruin.
3. There is no necessary gain 10 the Demo
Gratis in all this. The people of the country do
not believe them to be one whit better. IbeE
management this Winter has been disgusting.
They have shown no capacity for government,
and until within few days not even ca
pacity for investigating. They have no
policy, 10 leaders, practically no organlza-
ton. 1t has scarcely been fort
night since they were dodging around
irving to escape tho responsibility for the APP
pointment of shameless liar, who was so
delighted with the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln that he named his child for the
assassin. 1t is a party without conference,
without leadership, without principles, DIS
cor,lant in policy, rent in twain on
the money question, absolutely without
unity on any subject save the desire to get
into office thousand times within the past
twenty -four hours, honest men rs they met
each other on the streets have said, "Oh,
"if the Democrats only had any sense or any
"honesty"
There never was time 80 near the assem-
bling of the Conventions when mere character
would count for so much. There is no dis
tinct dividing line between the parties. At
such n time principles are common, men are
everything. Tilden gains, Bristow gains, Nor
gan and + sh gain, every man who is known
as a relentless foe to corruption gains and
everybody else loses.
Such is the situation. The National Con-
vention of the Republican party meets on
June Il. The National Convention of tho
Democratic party meets on June 27 What
ora hopoat and nntriotic oiti2ena IN do 2