The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-14
THE ELECTIONS.
vrHE CAUSES OF DERaOCRATHC LOSSES
T#gE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

vrxsu CAUsEs OF I'D EHHO d CRATIC LOSSES
THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.
rnEnw tine Radical Party Gam he Beaten I'm
1850 by UnEon of ALI Oppos-
ing Elements.
Jgnecial Correspondent os of the Democrat
WASHINGTON November 7, 1873
Az Won may have Inferred from the tenor of
INV last two letters on the subject Of George c,
Gorham's
RESURRECTION OF THE BLOODY SHIRT,
Twas to some extent. at least. prepared for the
manifestation of old fashioned Radical venom
In the Northeastern States generally and In one
or two States of the Northwest. afforded by the
results of Tuesdays elections. It would be
useless and oven silly for Democrats to deny
shat the loss Of sixteen COngressmen In such
Rtates ps New York, Now Jersey, Connecticut,
Illinois and Michigan in November is consd-
erabIe of u reaction from the apparently easy
tide of victory which began with gain Of ten
In euch States as Maine. Ohio. Indiana and
iowa In September and October. There are, 1t is
true local circumstances to be offered in eXpla-
nation of many of these reverses but there Is
elearlv n general cause underlying them ali.
which. whether merely serving to reinforce the
local circumstances or being reinforced by
them in each individual case still operated
sufficiently in all to arrest the attention of the
National Democracy and challenge its re-
swer the purpose to say that divisions in the
Democratic ranks on the finance, question in
New HAMPSHIRE. Connecticut. New Jersey
Michigan and Illinois caused US to lose seven
Congressmen in them. ln9 or that the senseess s
us q loss of six In New, York. Those causes
were indeed operative; but they only serve to
explain tho confusion, Generalization and divi-
sion of the Democratic vote, leaving still
another element. to wit: tho comparative
SOLIDARITY OF THE RADICAL VOTE.
TO be accounted for. Now 1t happens that. leav-
ing out ali other considerations. and viewing
the situation sololy from an economic stand
point, the Republican masses in the States
frst named are as badly divided on 'ho ilnqnce II ne,
tion. q sqHabbIe between Conkling and the Ad,
ministrntlon almost tho exact counterpart of
the Tilden- -Tamnuny foud. The figures Of tho
election returns show indeed that, the Republi-
cans are in u minority everyWhere, even in
show that this minority amounts TO o, plurality
when measured against each of the oppo-
Thersfore % rs n pIuraity answers all the pur-
poses of q majority for practical results. we are
bound to consider tho Republican organization
In the States named as holding Its ntornle and 41nd
maintaining It's discipline better than the De-
moeracy. This brings US to to the Inquiry, What
r. h9 bqpd int ha Is ba cobov oTe
which tho Democracy seems IRON the lace OF
The returns to lack?
each phase of this inquiry. The bond thnt
holds the Republican, ranks II line Is partly the
ae h2 the n m nJ 9 1e and e1r4f pay v19 T m
fact that. through its possession OF the eXocu-
tive resources Of the Eoyernment its inciltlos
for raising money for political uses, and above
Mi through its largo prGponderhnce n the press
of the North, and Northoast. the hepIubllgaa
rphsT t 70 S IN any "S
emergency. This fanattcism IS
THE BOND THAT HOLDS TIE REPUBLICAN RANKS
TOGETHER
sufficiently to show, o plurality in triangular
contest long after tho party has ceased to pos
sess even q possible majority in any square
contest on the real merit of living Issues: And
this fanaticism, We ar0 compelled to admit,
finds its prOvoGhl0n In
THE BuGBEAR OF SOLID SOUTH
ingeniously pnraded by the Radical man
ayers. belief has become rooted in tho
try that the sentimental school of pol,
itics Is superseded by an economic school, |
and that tie DAYS Of erusadlng feTy2r M r n n
tality in politics taken by itself is concerned.
Tfali the people who beleve In letting the South
nlone and who recognlze tho right Of local solf |
government in South Carolina Hs absolutely us |
In Massnchusetts. were or could be grouped
les who hold that the North is necessarily
Russia to The Poland of the South, the latter
of the glacial epoch would be young things of
life in comparison to them. But when the for
mer class Of people are divided among hem
selves on economic questions. and when in the
terceness of their contention about forms and
systems Of currency or finance they lose sight
itself, the fanatics who hang together ty ce-
ment of mutual ignorance and common preju-
dice can rush in and carry off by slender .plu-
amounts to going out to battle and leaving an
enemy in the rcnr to plunder both camps. The
yHs M m29T hs OF IT, 2nTS ana Is we'll Is onR
are engaged in discussing the relative merits Of
two forms Of
CURRENCY
and two systoms Of finance Their veWs take
a wide range and embrace many. different
shades of Wow notion Or whim. but in general
they may be cassed under two heads, those In
favor of the na' Onnl banking system and those
fav ,ring the exclusive issue Of paper currency
by tho government in the form OF greehbacks,
The various d crimes of monometalistn. dou~
fact excrCsconces OF extremes upon one or the
other Of these grand schools OF financial phil
osophy., 50 that for tho uses of general survey
of the sftuatiOn the Simple classification OF the
financial Wrnnglers 1utO
NATIONAL BANK1TEs AND GREENBACKERs
is sufficient. But while these two popular
forces are working up q canvass tho miserable
covertly nursing their ancient venom ready at
the last moment toHpring upon and capture the
substantial fruits OF power at the m9mHent nc, when
volved with each other. This Is the true OK,
pIan"'hion ho the sidcidna aiSt9Gishng resqt
U
Northeast and in the extreme Radical States of
the Northwest. The Lesson to be learned is. that
no matter what issues may command the atten-
tiOn of honest and enlightened people for the
time being, there will remain for many years in
the Northeast and extreme Northwest an on-
ment Of psnm-siuging fanatics ever ready to |
follow the load Of a gang Of praying thieves and !
smOck fuced highwnyuen in sWoop upon the |
treasury. and In the name of
THE POOR, pERsR,UTED NEGRO
This fact Is rs clolr to me rs the MONDAY sun, |
IL TACT Importance
cannot be left out of the calculations for 1880 |
The Radical leaders understand il fully, aud. |
as we have seen. know exactly how and when to
cratic calculations will be accurate or safe |
that do not admit n proper margin outside Of |
all other questions and issues Of current poll |
tics. for the malign possibilities Of this most |
vicious Of all elements that ever distracted q |
political situation in any country. For exam