New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-16
DKrE41ED BY ITS OWN B1UyDERs.


The Democratic party of the country has
illustrated nothing so successfully during the
past twelve months as its capacity for blum
dering and perverse instinct for fritterlng
away great opportunities. For twenty years
it has done nothing whatever to entitle 1t TO
public confidence. Two or three times 1t has
been trusted with taste of power IN some OF
the States, not because Of anything 1t had
done, but simply because its opponents had
gone wrong and been careless and fieadstrong
under bad leadership, and had received from
the people deserved rebuke. And yet 50 soon
as the Democrats gained the least success,
they turhed to and upset it ali by such beha-
vior as drove away the strength and support
which brought them victory. They have never
profited by any wisdom of their own, but only
by the fOllies Of their opponents The Repub-
licans have always brought them into power
wherever they have gained it, and they them
selves have as invariably turned themselves
out. So constant has been this process that it
almost assumes the character of Providcntial
interposition. Whenever the Republican party
became reckless and beadstrong through its
uninterrupted possession of power, the people
have brought the leaders to their senses
by the chastisemenE of defeat, ana II
must be said that no party was ever
so quick TO learn the lesson and 50
ready to apprebend the meaning OF defeat as
the Republican, while none was ever so Ill
calculated as the Democratic to bear prosperity
and keep upon an even keel before fayoring
gales. Two years ago, when the leadership OF
such men as Butler and their influence in the
marty and with the Administration had brought
disaster to the Republican party, and nitro
duced the Democrats to what seemed to be
only foretaste of larger and more extended
political successes, the whole current OF public
opiniOn seemed to he running in favor of the
Democracy. They had one branch of Congress,
and had gained largely in the Senate, and IN all
the States seemed on the rising tide. One
sessiOnsOf Congress has changed all that. Had
the Presidential election been held before the
Democrats of the present Congress began TO
show their ineompetcncy and insncerity, they
would no doubt have carried it. But the
fatality of laundering has been following them
from their first moment of triumph till now,
when, as it seems to MS, their last chance OF
carrying the country has disappeared.
IL is not necessary to enumerate the blum
ders they have made. Much less space would
lie required to name the instances in which
they have exhibited ordinary sense and plu-
dence. Their whole Congress from the descent
OF the hungry bordes upon it mt the outset, to
the final carouse in which it had its ending,
was O succession Of blunders, almost unre-
lieved by wise or polite act The blunder-
ing of the Presidential campaign began with
the outbreak in the party organs of q series
of wild and inexcusable personal attacks upon
the character of their most prominent candi-
date for the nomination, was followed by the
selection Of Hendricks for Vice-President,
and has been kept up ever since, con
slant pattering of mistakes and blum
ders, abortlye tricks, and weak expedients,