The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-19
Our New York Letter.
MIR. Hewiirs sPronunciam mento-The Dem.
Ocratic Method of Solving the Ques,iou-
Hnfaming the Public IIind-The Union
League and the Newspapers.

New YORK Dec 16, 1876.
That was a remarkable pronuaciamento
which Mr.. Hewitt issued at the beginning of
the week, announcing the election of Tilden
and Hendricks. Considering that everybody
| knew Just rs much about the state of the case
as Mr.. Hewitt did, and could Judge quite as
capably what was likely to result therefrom,
there was something of the Chinese style in
thegrand flourish with which the proclamation
was made. The amiable chairman of the
| Democratic National committee has put his
name to several queer documents since the
campaign begun. Knowing him to be-out-
side OF politcs-a clear headed man with uu
usual aptitude for business, aud high sense of
rectitude, have an idea that the act of attach
ing his signature to such papers is often ''pure-
| ly Ministerial. There is some evidence that
III this particular instance there had been a
| conelaVe and discusson-that an elaborate
| argument and appeal had been drafted for
publication-that the parties in counsel could
not agree in reference to its tenor-and that
| finally the whole thing ended in fizz, provok-
| ing rdcule in spite'of its manifest tendency to
| infiame rather than allay the public uneasi-
| ness.
MIR. Tilden's friends have not been wise in
their mode of conducting themselves since the
election. The hardest thing the Democratic
party had to encounter was the popular dis
trust of its peaceful acquiescence in the results
of the ballot when constitutionalIy as,ertained.
Instead of endeavoring to con .uer the feeling
By abstaining from acts or expressions of pas
sion and violence the Democratic leaders have
shown turbulence of spirit and a spostion
to toment strife, that recall with vivid painful
ness the scenes Immediately preceding the civil
war. La this way they fill the minds of order
loving citizens with such shrinking dread of
| Democratic restoration that they are fast
| getting reconciled to an unquestioning accep-
tance of the prima facie returns which elect
Hayes and avert a great national calamity.
The opinion is widely prevalent and it certainly
has substantial basis, that it is not safe to in
trust the governing power to the Democratic
party. Even the poor dolts who "wanted a
| change, the most witless Of all voters, are
not so absolutely bereft of the faculty of reason
but that they see that all the survivors among
the originators of the rebellion at the South
and the sympathizers with the rebellion at the
North are supporters of Tllden to-day. They
| disputed the accession OF one President in 1861
at the point of the sword, they threaten to pre-
vent the Inauguration of another in 1877. 1t is
not unfair to judge of what they will do BY
what they have done. The only wise course Of
| procedure under such circumstances is to keen
| hem out. 1t they once ensconce themselves in
place it will be difficult to dislodge them with
out force, for if they will fight to get in, they
will fight all the harder to keep in. 1t is first
rate time to try conclusions with them on this
point The country is in an admirable situa-
tion to deal with treason. There couldn't pos
| sibly be better, frmer, stronger, cooler hand
at the helm than the President who is now in
the chair. We have already an earnest of his
| provident thoughtfulness in the gathering of
several companies Of soldiers at the Capital.
They are there as a gentle reminder of what
| may happen if an attempt should be made to
overthrow the government Being there moth
| ing OF the kind will happen. The President
| by the way, cites an amusing instance of the
| efficacy of the presence of troops in recent
| message to Congress- In the 4th Congression-
| al district of Virginia the Republicans outnum-
Der the Democrats nearly two to one. In 1874
the count stood 1898 Republican, 806S Demo-
cratic. This year we came very near losing the
| district by Democratic 'bull-dozing," and would
| have lost it in all probability if it had not
chanced that couple dozen soldiers were sent
to Petersburg just before election. Your South
ern Democrat breads blue-coat worse than
| New York repeater breads registry oath.
Well, there are two potent and conclusive
reasons why the nation will not in this crisis
fall prey to anarchy. The first is that Grant
| is President; the second that the Democrats
| who rebelled before have had all they want of
that sort Of exercise. The indammatory talk
all comes it will be noticed, from men whose
| prowess has never been tested in combat. In
war of words they would distinguish themselves
| no doubt. But one of their Southern brethren
has given these volube patriots decoration
which will last them as long as they live, EN-
Uincible IN peace, invisible in aoar" 1t is clever
phrase and so exquisitely applicable that it will
be popular byword until the breed it describes
becomes extinct.
There is and has been for some weeks good
deal of uneasiness felt in this city lest turmoil
should arise from the coseness of the electoral
vote. A great many rumors are afoat in re
| spect to the existence Of secret organizations
strong in numbers and fixed OF purpose to in.
sst upon the Inauguration Of Tllden at all haz-
ards. There is said to be considerable talk of
this kind in the slums. 1t cannot be denied
| that the elements of such a conspiracy abound
here. A gentleman connected with manu.
featuring establishment which employs large
number of hands tells me that he has been in-
formed that there is league of this kind, and
that there are 10000 men enrolled in it, OF
course that sounds very extravagant, and l ad-
| vised my friend, when he unburdened himself
OF his porentous secret, to consult his ph sican
aud take something soothing to the nervous
| system. Still there are large masses Of men in
New York Ignorant, vicious and uukempt
whom very little of the poison of demagogue.
ism would lash int incontrollable frenzy.
They have not thriVed of late aud are all the
more reckless because they ara pihohed in Cir
cumstances They are under the stimulus of
a great Democratic victory in municipal poll
tics, an event for which they are indebted quite
as much to the incomprehensible folly OF our
local Republican guides as to their own numer.
ical strength. They get their IDEAS of the stu.
| alton mainly from the talk of the bar rooms
and they have a confused aud vague notion
that Tilden actually was elected, and is in dan
ger of being cheated oat of the seat. Taking
all these things Into consideration it, will be
seen that this is formidable recruiting station
for tremendous mob. If all that could be per-
suaded into enlistment in SO perilous a service
could find arms and leaders, they might do a
large business in church burning aud negro
hanging before they were subiued and routed.
My friend insists that they have weapons of
warfare, but that l look upon as extremely apoc
ryphal. AS for leaders, it is not at all likely
they would be able to find any possessing ca
pacity enough to withstand the drilled soldiers
of the army. A traitors doom is not fate
many men with brains would have the hardi-
hood to invoke. crime against ones country
involves the utter ruin of the perpetrator.
| whether he lives or dies
However, there is enough in this talk about
resistance to the constitutional methods of es-
tablishing the succession to occasion a scare.
and symptoms of disquietude are manifesting
themselves in some quarters. A conference
was held day or two ago of prominent busi-
ness men to consider the subject and discuss
hA ayn ne k1lx +