Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-10-04

administration OF the Government which
was saved from their conspiracy, and for
the enforcement OF constitutional amend
ments which they desperately opposed
and denounced as revolutionary and void
Before intrusting the National Govern
ment to sucn hands, however, intelligent
and patriotic men will long and carefully
deliberate. They will hardly find in the
fact that Belknap was dishonest Secre-
tary OF War sufficient reason for putting
Wade Hampton in his place, nor because
Of the ofienscs in the Whisky Ring will
they think it wise to fly for refuge to Ben
Hill or Tucker. They will, on the con
trary, ask whether party Of which these,
! with others, are the chosen representa-
tlves, party which really wishes Horatio
| Seymour and him only in New York
which replaces Schurz with Cockrell in
Missouri, and Ferry and Buckingham
with Eaton and Barnum in Connecticut,
is IN any sense whatever party Of reform,
or any other than the old familiar Demo
cratic party which for sixteen years Amer
lean patriotism and intelligence has
spewed ont of its mouth. To this ones
ton they will find but onpanswer. Nor
can single good nomination here and
there change the general impression
The real drift and instinct of the Demo
cratic party were shown in the nomina-
ton Of Mr. Seymour in New York, not in
that OF Mr.. Adams in Massachusetts. Mr..
| Seymour was the resistless and enthusiasts
TIC choice, oyerbearing all the canny and
crafty plans 10 impose another name as "a
| pretense OF reform Mr.. Seymour is and
has always been a Democrat, and the rep
resentailye OF what the country most pro
foundly distrasts in Democracy--the
apologist of slavery, the Copperhead of
the war, the candidate of reputation, and
the foe Of the amendments This was the
| natural, ardent, instructive Democratic
choice, and the choice reveals the spirit and
! tendency Of the Democratic party. But
Mr.. Adams was in no sense the earnest,
natural, instructive choice Of the Conven-
ton that nominated him. The managers
did not pretend 1t. They asked his nomi-
nation for effect elsewhere They pleaded
! for it because il would give to the party
which idolizes Mr.. Seymour an air of re-
| form, II would enable Democratic news
! papers to declare that the nomination was
| proof of change of heart. In other
words, 1t was proposed and carried as n
fraud 1t was trick to carry an cleo
ton, like the nomination Of Mr.. Greeley
at Baltimore. We do not believe that
| there is q single intelligent voter IN Mas.
sachusetts who believes that Mr. Adams
represents the Democratic party in that
| state or in any other, in the same sense
that Judge lIoar represents the Republi-
cans. lie is put upon the ticket TO catch
| the dissatisfied vote. He does not stand
for reform within the Democratic party
| for II that were the spirit of the party it
| would not have taken candidate who is
| not now and never was Democrat, but it
would have nominated one of its own
members. Ii did not do it, because there
is no conspicuous Democrat in Massachu-
sets who represents reform either in or
out of the party. The nomination of Mr..
Adams merely shows that when the Dem
ocrais wish to prove that they are a reform
party, they must select candidate who
not Democrat.
All these facts are duly weighed by the
people, whose Intelligence the Democratic
leaders underrate The consequences in
voyed i'll change of party control of the
Government ut this time, are very much
more momentous than those Of an ordi-
nary election However indignant a man
may be with instances of dishonesty in
public position. he will reflect that to
bring in the Democratic party is To do a
great deal more than change the officers.
Not only will change not necessarily
bring reform, but change would neces-
sariiy bring somewhat into question and
doubt the settlements of the war. 1t
would do this because it would be de.
liberaie preference 10y the country of the
party which has been relentessly in OPP
position TO ali that has been accomplished
since 1860. This might, indeed, be risked
il the Republican party were united in the
defense of all defects of administration
which naturally arise under party long
in power. 1t might then be plauslbly
urged that the only method TO reform
abuses would be to take the portentous
chance of a Democratic restoration But
no such argument is now tenable for the
fact, OF which every Republican is con.
Scious, Is that the nomination of Hayes
and Wheeler, with the letter which New
York Republicans declare to be "the
platform of the party" is the sign of that
reform within the party which, by seour-
ing reform under Republican ascendency,
Is the real purpose OF the people
Ha}pey'S Weekly.