The New York herald., 1877-02-17
Tn. Political and Industrial Future.

politicians have generally accepted defeat
with equanimity and certain amount OF
good nature; but the struggle for suprem-
acy has been conducted of late with an
eagerness which is almost ferocious and for
which the terms reckless and INSCRIPTIONS
are not exaggerations. What is the matter!
We have not come to the end of the world
Whoever is beaten will be able to appeal to
the country next year. 1t cannot be SAID
that the safety of the country, or even Its
welfare, depends on the success OF either
party. We do hear occasionally of some
democrat who believes that if Mr.. Tilden is
beaten our liberties will be ruined, or some
republican who solemnly asserts that IT Mr.
Hayes does not go in chaos will come again.
But happily, these sentiments are the
exclusive property of few over anxious
and excitablc people who are quietly laughed
at by their friends.
The eagerness of the politicians of which
we speak, which makes the republican lead
ers willing to accept success on terms almost
certain to bring them into public odlum
and which makes some democrats despair of
the Republic if they should be beaten-this
spirit, so unusual among American or among
English speaking politicians in recent times,
comes, we believe, from the fact that the
leaders of both parties see that general dis
Indignation of parties is Mt hand and inevi-
table, and each side wishes to have posses
sion of the administration during the critical
period when new parties are forming and
new issues are to come up. The republican
leaders see that they have blundered through
twelve years since the peace, and they want
four years more in which to attempt
'works meet for repentance" They think
they see before them an opportunity
under Mr.. Hayes to pacify the South, to
win it over with generous appropriations
for internal improvements, to draw out the
old wings and incorporate them and their
followers into the new party, which will be
whig in nature whatever it may choose to
call itself in it's next national convention.
Seeing plainly that a reorganization of par
ties is inevitable, and that they must lose
part of their following in the North, they
want the more eagerly chance to intrench
themselves in some of the Southern States
by helping to oust the carpet-baggers, pro-
noting reforms and winning favor by levee
and other internal improvement appropria-
tions
The democrats, on the other hand, besides
their strong and natural aversion to seeing
long deferred victory snatched from their
hands, fear lest the inevitable whig reorgan-
ization, if it takes place under the auspices
of party possessing the federal administra-
ton, may become too strong for them. They
acknowledge freely, as well as their oppo-
nents that party lines are melting away
that reorganization Of parties is imminent
They, like the republicans, would like, for
the sake Of their own future hopes, to be in
power while this great popular change is
taking place. They would like it to crys-
tallize under their hands. Defeat now seems
to them to mean possible defeat four years
hence-precisely as it does to the republic
cans.
We speak of this partly as what we be-
lieve the true explanation Of the unusual
eagerness for success shown by the party
leaders of both sides in this election
struggle; but partly also because aside
from the hopes and fears of the gentlemen
who are so anxious to do our politics for
us, and immensely more important, is the
| question, What is the real interest Of the
people in this matter? The men who labor,
who produce, who earn, who support their
families, who pay the taxes and do not hold
the offices, how are their interests to be
affected? AS in a very few days the country
will have new President we propose here
to give briefly to that great multitude,
whose organ the HERALD IS, our conclusions
as to the future.
l. In the first place, whoever becomes
| President peace is assured That is very
great gain-the greatest possible for those
who pay the taxes.
g. Next it is certain that whether we are
to have President Hayes or President Tilden
misgovernment in the Southern States, per-
petuated by federal interference, will cease.
The reign of the carpet-bagger is over; no
republican politician, no matter how ex-
treme his views may have been, will be able
to persuade his party to hazard it's own fu-
ture and the peace of the country by any
longer interference in the local affairs of the
Southern States. Thus great element of
danger and industrial depression will dis
appear
! 3. AS to the reforms necessary to purify
| the government and liberate the wheels of
industry, while it is probably true that
new broom sweeps cleaner than an
old one reforms are now so inn
peratively demanded by the country
that no party can afford to refuse
or delay them. No one pretends that any
possible Cabinet, under either of the pos
sible Presidents, will be other than for
hard money for economy and for q re-