The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-09
70 che Democratic Lsadsrs-If There
N

Washington know what they are doing9
Do they know that the victory in 1880. on
| which they count, as il seems to us. with
entirely too much certainty. Is slipping out
of their fingers? Have they not learned
by tho experience Of many weary years
of defeat that II they want to secure sue
cess they must first Of all teach the country
TO trust them? and that it will never trust
political organization which parades be-
fore the voters with its heels uppermost!
which allows its Communists and its dsma-
gogues to control its policy:
The elections Of this week ought to teach
| the real leaders Of the democratic par.y--if
| it has any--that there is no such tidal wave
in their favor as some of them seem to have
hoped or looked for. The majorities give
no signfof suchca freshet as could land a
lot OF political dead wood in tho White
House in 1880. In spite Of the demoraliza-
ton Of the republican party, whose chiefs
have. like tho leaders Of balky four-horse
team, turned around to stare the coach in
the face--in spite OF tho memories
Of last winter and the rage OF the
republican machine politicians with their
President, the democratic victories have
been made by the voters judiciously
small, and yet the democratic leaders If
there are any-show not tie slightest sign
Of alarm or uneasiness they allow free
| scope to the eccentricities of their young
men they are playing at politics at Wash
ington in way which is slowly but surely
convincing the country that General Grant
was not far wrong when he said, in an inter
view with HERALD correspondent not long
| ago. that tho democrats need not be feared,
because they would always commit some
timely folly which would prevent the coun-
try putting them in power. = h2i
The Southern question is past The re-
publicans cannot get any advantage from
that in 1880; but has it ever occurred to
the democratic leaders-if there are any
that neither can they hope for any advan-
tage from it three years hence? Already,
to-day, there is no South already in every
Southern State the ''independent" ticket
gets votes, and occasionally elects its candi-
dates. Do the democratic leaders-if there
are any-imagine that they can keep the
Southern whites oil bottled up in one big
junk-bottle Tor three long years, ready to be
uncorked in 1902 Can they not see that
the divisions which have begun there will
increase rapidly and constantly that there
will be, as there ought to, two parties in
those States, each containing share
Of the wealth, intelligence and influence
Of the community? This division is
going on under their noses In Mississippi
to-day, as a Vicksburg democrat bitterly
complains to US in private note, the inde-
pendent democratic candidates are already
SO troublesome that the regular democrats
had only the carpet-baggers opposed to
them. Audit is so in oil the other South
ern States. And yet the democratic leaders
are fddling and dancing at Washington;
passing silver bills with "Hurrah, boys;"
attacking resumption, or allowing their
young men to do SO; attacking in every way
the credit of the country, as though this
was the best instead of the very worst, time
in the world for them to blunder.
If the democratic party means to elect a
President in 1880 it will have to be united
its leaders-if it has any--will have to devise
O policy on which they can unite their fol-
lowers; and if they have any idea Of doing
this their first business must be TO get out
of the way the one great, troublesome, end
less question of the currency, on which the
party is split apart, on which its Eastern
wing and its Western wing are as wide
apart as the two poles, or, let us say, ns q
communist like Mr.. Ewing and o sensible,
hard-money man like Senator Bayard.
But, instead Of taking pains to get this ques-
ton out Of the way, and by settling it maxi
ing it at least possible for the party to unite
on some of the new questions about which
Senator Lamar spoke last summer-instead
Of this we see them apparently careless
lookers-on while the ignoramuses and
demngognes OF their party put this question
entirely beyond settlement. Has it oc-
Cured to the democratic leaders-if there
are any-that tho Silver bill and the Anti
Resumption bill, if they are passed, force
these measures and policies upon the demo-
cratic party in 1882 Has it occurred to
them that they are allowing Mr.. Ewing and
his supporters TO drive still deeper the
wedge which is splitting their party: Can
they not see that to succeed in 1880 they
ought by all means, by every effort, to secure
resumption OF once so rs to get this question
out Of the way? II Mr.. Ewing were re-
publican in disguise; If he were engaged in
deep design to ruin the prospects Of the
democratic party three years hence, he could
not do q shrewder or more effective thing
than that which the democratic leadcrs--if
there ore any--arc just now calmly allowing
him to do. The republican party was split
to pieces by just such wedge as Mr.
Ewing's. Tho Southern policy, on which its
leaders 80 long and stupidity insisted, made
irreconcilablc differences in the party; diff
fereuces which could not be healed in any
<,ther wav than that which President HIVES