The New York herald., 1877-10-26
The 'Republioan Leaders and tho
= raEf~4 Country.

| mltlgated nOStlllty 10 tne freSluenIS Poi-
icy. They will have none OF it.
Less than fifteen republican members, we
are told, can be drummed into promise to
vote for resolution in the House OF Repre-
sentatives approving the Southern policy.
In the Senate the democratic Senators from
Louisiana were contemptuously sent to o
committee, and the certificate of Governor
Nichols, recognized by the President, was
thus put on level with that of Mr.. Packard,
whom, as Mr.. Conkling said last March, no
department or agent of the federal govern
ment had ever recognized, but whose claim
to the Governorship obtains thus from the
republican Senators quasi recognition.
The Cabinet too, pleases these republi-
can leaders no better than the Southern
policy. They demand the dismissal of
Messrs Evarts, Schurz and Key, the three
men who distinctively and positively repre-
sent the Presidents policy and it is evil
| dent that they will not rest until these gen.
tlemen are turned out and replaced by
others more to the taste of the leaders.
Finally, the civil service policy is spoken
of with boundless contempt and dislike
| they will have none of it. No effort of Sec
retary Sherman, no amount or thickness of
sugar coating will make it palatable to the
anti-administration leaders. They demand
it's abandonment and q return to the old
system which fourished under General
Grants
This is the attitude Of the leaders of the
republican party toward their President
and his policy at the outset of his term.
Now. what does this mean? The plain
truth is that the Presidents policy has the
support of the great mass of the American
people, regardless of party lines. The
country rejoices in his efforts toward con-
ciliation. 1t sees with relief and delight
that industry has revived and commerce
has recovered in the South under the be-
nign influence Of that policy that peace
and brotherly good feeling once moro OBJ
tain between the sections. As to the
Presidents efforts to purify and revitalize
the public service the country is equally
with him ; it sees him endeavoring to re-
move the taint which was brought upon
that service during the last administration
it is prepared to stand by him as long as he
courageously continues his efforts in this
direction, no matter how the professional
office-seekers and the machine politicians
may struggle and howl. And as the coun-
try hailed the news Of his Cabinet appoint
ments rs the dawn Of better and purer
day in our politics, SO it would not see him
dismiss the three gentlemen whose removal
is SO specially demanded by the politicians
without a dolorous sense that the President
had fallen from his high purposes and had
surrendered to the baser elements Of his
party.
The republican leaders, then, stand
openly and dedantly opposed to the best
sense and the best wishes and hopes CT the
American people They mean to reopen
the Southern question, which the President
has SO wisely closed in fact, they have re-
opened it. They are opposed almost to
man to the policy Of pacfication they OPP
pose with even greater bitterness the puri-
| fcation Of the civil service and if they can
carry the day, if they, astute, adroit, peril
nacious and bold, with the courage Of men
who have long misruled, can force the Presi-
dent to submit. they will undoubtedly
plunge the country back into NIL the vio-
lence, bitterness and scandalous malad-
ministration of the last seven or eight years.
What is the duty Of the voters under
these circumstances? Elections are soon
to be held in four Of the most important
| States of tho Union-New York, Pennsylva-
MIA, Massachusetts and New Jersey. How,
/ md ~ m etap pcac wa hou ua al
described, should those vote who wish to
see the policy of pacifcation continue. who
do not wish to see the country again torn
by Louisiana and South Carolina questions,
who desire to soc the public service purified
and the jobbcrs put away from the Treas
ury? 1t would be absurd to say that only
democrats favor the Presidents policy.
large proportion of republican voters in
all the States approve it heartily. But
in these November elections how are
these republicans to vote? How can
they give an expression at the polls
to their sentiments? Certainly not by
voting the republican ticket, for this will
be to vote for the opponents of the Presi-
dents policy; to give their support to the
men who are determined, rs recent events
in Washington show, to break down the
President and force him to surrender his
policy. In New York n vote for the repub-
lican ticket means approval of q set and
most bitter attack on the President. In
New Jersey it means approval Of Mr. Robe
son and contemptuous opposition to all
parts of the Presidents policy. In Penn
sylvania it means success to the Camerons
and contempt for the Presidents policy.
In Massachusetts alone was the policy ap-
proved in the platform, but the candidates,
il they were catechised tomorrow, would
approve neither Of the platform nor the
policy.
II seems clear therefore that whoever