New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-30
Especial Correspondence of the Republican,
NORTHERN POLITICS.


NOh1n6nN xVAkx4NSe
The Fight for Position.
NEW YORK. May %, 1876.
On Saturday, after finishing my letter to |
the REPUBLICAN, met on Broadway one of |
the leading Liberal Republicans Of the |
State. After some preliminary converse
ton the following dialogue took place be-
tween us:
Correspondent of the REPUBLIcAN-Do |
you think that the late conference st the
Fifth Avenue Hotel will strengthen the ma
ticnsl Republican party9
New York Liberal-Yee, do. It will
harmonic the party.
the Republican party will 20 into the presi'
dental contest uniteds
Lucrative must 60 in united. A Con-
federste Democratic restoration lyon see
that this name is creeping into the polit-
ical vernscular of the North is simply ante
bellum. 1t is that, pure and simple.
Correspondent-You don't want that.
then2
Liberal-No; nor We chant have it. That
"stan'r" is not an elegant word, but it has
an ugly meaning.J Under such reetora.
ton the l35 electoral votes Of the South
would once more govern the nation.
Correspondent-Moret than l35. The Con.
federate power represents l3S votes in the
electoral college; forty-two added makes
the government.
Liberal-So much the worse. I say such
q state Of things means ante-bellum. l am
opposed to any "third" party movement
this year on any issue, under any pretext
whatever. We must unite and hold the
government.
Correspondent-Do you think that the
Confederate Democracy possess any ad-
vantage because of the fact that the Re-
publicans hold their convention frsts
Liberal-Yee, think the opposition pos
sesses an advantage in this.
Correspondent-In what reepects
Liberal-In many ways. 1t will enable
the opposition to take advantage OF any
mistakes we may make at Cincinnati, either
: in our platform or in our nominations.
Here the conversation tel minated, the
distinguished political leader going his way
and nine.
1: will be observed from the above con-
versation that the preliminary contest be-
tween the Confederate Democracy and the
national Republican party is for position.
The chief object Of the Confederate Dem
ocratic leaders is now not only to divide the
North. but to divide also the Republican
party. They wish double victory. In
word, "divide and conquer is their motto,
and conquest here means on the old issues
which produced the late war. First Of
dividing the North. This is to be done by
arraying the West against New England on
the bond and tariff issuee, by stimulating
the sentiment Of reconciliation and by ap-
peals to race prejudice. The Re-
publican party is TO be divided by
fcmenting discord IN its ranke. by
playing upon those feelings of personal
rivalry. jealousy and ambition which are
COMMON to all men, and chiefly be promot-
ing the formation OF so-called Independent
political movements, such as the temper
ance,Movement, the reform movement. the
Liberal movement, etc. In this aspect OF
the canvass there are three dangers ahead
of US which must be guarded against.
They are plainly to be seen, it all view.
Il is folly to ignore their existence. 1t is
worse than madness to allow them to
wreck the ship of freedom, as after her
long and tempestuous voyage sine is now
entering the final harbor of rest the
..hayen where she would lie." These dan
gers consis. in the strong hold which tie
sentiment and policy of reconciliation has
upon thousands of Republican voters in
each Northern State; in the sectional
tendencies of the West-tendencies which
have been studiously fostered for years
past by Confederate diplomacy in the
Grange movement, and in the new &C.
called temperance reform party, which,
like the Grange movement, has It's origin
in Kentucky, and is rapidly spreading over
the Western States.
If the Northern States or the Republican
party can be divided to any considerable
degree by the inf 1uences above alluded to,
then the forty-two needed votes to be
added to the 1873 furnished by the "com-
pact" and undivided South will be obtained.
And they will be obtained from the West.
Thus we see the lines Of party tactics as
drawn at Washington last winter converg-
ing more and more on q Southern and
Western alliance tor the control of the
nation. The fight tor position and which
is to determine the final issue in the pres
Dental contest this fall began therefore in
the election of Kerr as Speaker. AS skill
full chess player determines by the very first
move of single piece early in the game
the conditions in which he will ultimately
crv "checkmate" to his astonished and
beaten antagonist, so the opposition is
moving slo WY, carefully, but with fixed
and determined purpose along it's lines OF
approach to the combinations" for which
it prepared the way when it's leaders turned
their back on Randall last winter and
rejected Pinchback from the United
States Senate. This fight for position
involves therefore sectionalism against
nationality, and race prejudice against
the cause of the political brotherhood
of man. In itself it is strong posi-
ton. Every experienced player OF political
chess who was mere locker on saw the
meaning and strength of che move as made
nv the Confederate Democracy last winter.
/ say every "looker-on" saw it, because the
self conceited Republican player who was
L. o1c psov1