The New York herald., 1878-09-19
Are tn. Ola Par.ie. Breaking Ups

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of an association Of citizens "who think
the same things concerning the Republic,
by which he of course meant sameness OF
view respecting pending questions OF I'M
mediate urgency. Parties cannot stand
long on obsolete questions or spent issues.
No political party can be efficient whlch
does not consist Of men who think alike
and act in concert on the live issues OF the
period. Judged by this standard we are at
present destitute of any well-compacted po-
litical parties in this country. Our parties
may think alike on past questions, put
they have no unity of sentiment on present
questions. We have, therefore, no real
parties, no honest and genuine parties, but
only humbug parties that is, shams.
This truth is brought home to popular
apprehension by the striking events OF the
last three weeks, beginn ing with the Maine
election and eliminating in the flight or
'hegira' Of the regular Massachusetts, dem
ocrats from Mechanics Hall in Worcester
toward Faneuil Hall in Boston. The Maine
election was regarded as startling only be-
cause the old parties are blind. Amovement
so wild, SO stamped with ignorant fanaticism
and folly, as the greenback craze in Maine
/ could have made no impression on the
regular parties in that State if they had not
been moribund, if they had not been Sin
| the hour and article of death" They were
so easily disintegrated because they had
ceased to think the same things concerning
the Republic, and therefore lacked any true
| bond of cohesion. structure does not
tumble into shapeless mass of ruins at the
first stroke of battering ram unless the
cementing mortar has already crumbled
| away and the walls have been thrown out
of perpendicular by sinking or giving way
| of the foundations. When SO utterly ira
tional and contemplate n crotchet as the
greenback heresy can shake both political
parties in q naturally hard money State
like Maine it is conclusive proof that
neither Of them any longer possesses any
strong cement Of principle or even cohesive
party pride to stand in the place Of princi-
pie and hold the party together. This
truth is, if possible, still more signally illus
| trated in Massachusetts,, where both parties
are put in mortal dread and peril by man
so little fitted to inspire public confidence
as General Butler A majority Of the Mas
sachusetts democrats are abjectly licking
the feet of a man who has been the fore
most reviler Of their party since he deserted
it many years ago. How utterly the party
pride of the Massachusetts democrats must
have been prostrated in the dust before
o majority of them could become enthu-
siastic supporters of General Butler And
| this same man, who, having been per-
petual mischief maker in the republican
party, has now become an open renegade
and disorganizer, is able to carry with him
a considerable portion OF the republican
rank and file. When Andrew johnson de-
serted the party that elected him he
strengthened it by rousing its indignation
and made its unity more compact and zeal
GUS. The reason was that the party had
not at that time outlived its principles, and
that it was still bound together by the pow
erful tie of thinking the same things con-
cerning the Republic. But at present there
is no great living question on which either
the republican party or the democratic
party cherish the same views or are united
by common aims. Each party bears more
resemblance to quarrelling mob than to a
disciplined army,
1t is difficult to say whether there are
more elements of dissension and discord in
the republican or the democratic party. A
large portion of the republican party has
been in state of mutiny against the re-
publican President ever since he came into
Office and if the quarrel is transiently
hushed for the present it is only because
the whole party is struck with alarm and
CONSERVATION by the probable result of
this years elections. In this State, for ex-
ample nothing prevents u war to the
knife between the Conkling republicans and
the Hayes republicans but restraining
dread that the democrats may carry the
LEGISLATURE and elect the next Senator. 1t
is not common aims, but common fears,
that have led to temporizing truce while the
election is pending On the real vital ques-
ton OF the time-the great question OF the
currency-neithcr the republican party MOI
the republican Cabinet is unit. Since
the Maine election even Secretary Sherman,
who is charged with the high responsibility
of resuming specie payments, has shown
decided symptoms of weakening on the
vital issue In n recent interview, which
he revised for publication and thereby
authenticated, Mr. Sherman assumed
an apologetic air respecting his
resumption measures, and went clean
over to the position of Senator Thurman on
the question of substituting greenbacks fol
bank notes. He went clean ovor in princi.
ple. and differs from Mr.. Thurman only on
n minor point of time Senator Thurman
would substitute greenbacks for bank notes
ut once, and Secretary Sherman, while ap.
proving Of the substitution, would defer il
20 n more convenient season when it would