The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-21
fHE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEAD ?

mon OF the Democratic party. But W,
| venture the assertion that the Herdh
has In this instance been little TOT
hasty. In relation to Mr.. Tilden'i
speech at the recent reception at thu
Manhattan Club, that great journal hal
said some very reasonable and proper
things; but it has also said some veal
and unfair things; and when 1t pro
| claims In it's oracular manner that the
Democratic party Is dead, and that Til
den did 1t, 1t seems to us that tt exhibfts
q very remarkable ignorance OF the po'
litioal situation and OF the strength and
tendencies OF parties.
We have nothing to say In favor Of
Mr.. Tilden. We concede that. having
abandoned his own rights and the great
trust majority of the American PEG.
pie confided to him without a single
manly effort to defend and main
tain them. 1t iii becomes him to COM
plain of the issue or, In grand words
and swelling sentences, to admonish
the country Of the danger to our institu-
tions Of the success OF fraud. The Dem.
ocratic party washes It's hands of Mr..
Samuel J. Tilden. It has no use for
such men as he. The Herald may ex.
coriate the New York ring smasher -
to It's hearts content; amuse all its idle
hours In writing his political obituaries
and It's spare columns In printing them.
He is no longer our dog, and the New
York paper may kick him as much as 1t
pleases.
But the Herald could not have done a
more silly thing than 1t did when 1t an
nounced that the Democratic party was
dead and that Tilden had killed it.
Never has the Democratic party been
stronger than 1t Is to-day; never was It's
vitality 80 manifest, or it's usefulness 50
patent. In November last it swept the
country by vast popular majority and
held q decided majority Of the Electoral
College. It is needless to repeat the
history Of the conspiracy by which that
victory was wrested from 1t and OF the
disaster which resulted from the
imbecility Of its chosen leader. The
story Ia familiar to every one.
But thus thwarted and thus betrayed
by the cowardice of its chief, has it dis
bandedp Has 1t lost the moral or even
the material results Of it's victory2 Has
its national policy been defeated7 Is it,
in short. as the Herald says, deadp Ger
tainly not.
Mr.. Tilden had not the nerve to crush
the political thimble-rigging Of the con-
spirators Of the defeated Republican
party, and they made President a man
who had been defeated; who had been
run as the representative of military
supremacy in the South, Of the carpet
bag governments, the bloody shirt and
the extravaganza and profligate civil SER
vice system Of the Grant Administra-
tions. II the power of the Democratic
party had been broken by Tilden's i'm.
becility and failure, Packard would
now be Governor Of Louisiana and
Of SouthC Carolina; the Fed
eral troops would to-day be garrisoning
both States and the Cabinet and policy
Of the Administration would have been
dictated by Blaine and Morton. But
Mr.. Hayes understood that he was
made President through a miserable
or trick-the Electoral Tri-
ounal Invented and employed to legal
re the frauds Of the returning boards
If Louisiana, Florida and Sout h Caro-
ina. He knew that the trick was an
,phemeral and weak invention which,
hough 1t placed him in the pres
Dental chair, could not maintain
him there, nor shape the publ Q
sentiment Of the country. He knew
hat the public sentiment through
'ut the country was overwhelm-
ngly Democratic and, b gliding his high |
'ffice through fraud and as q usurper,
le understood that 1t was necessary,
for him to pursue the policy |
which the public sentiment had de-
Jared for in the November election
he Democratic policy. Thus it was
hat the Administration, installed by
he conspirators Of the Republican
'arty In the first week Of its existence,
truck its colors and surrendered to
he Democratic party. Thus we fnd
he Democratic party to-day, with
old and unbroken front, debating
he policy Of the Administration, with
he Republican party broken into fac
ions, demoralized and disconnected,
arning its fleeing and Ill directed
rtillery upon the administration Of its
wn creation.
Mr.. Hayes. his Cabinet and his
riends or faction refuse to acqui-
see in this theory of his posi-
on; but, nevertheless. the fact, as
o state it. stands before the whole
ountry and Mr.. Hayes cannot help
imself. He, and the faction of the Re-
party which supports him,
rust sooner or later cast their fortunes
18th the Democratic party, or reverse
T. \ |