Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-06-09
LOS AEe ELEs COUNTY TICKET.
Things We Have observed.

Things We Have Observed.
w henever the Dem ocratic party
puts up a weak candidate for any
important Office we have observed
that our Republican friends are in
. splendid humor. A man whom
they can beat easily they don't
think of abusing. In Presidential
elections this has been remarkably
illustrated in the case of Mcclellan,
Seymour, Greeley and Tilden. 1t
required a perfect avalanche of mis-
representation and bigotry to de-
feat Mcclellan in 1864. This gen.
tleman, with perhaps the except
ion Of Gen. George H. Thomas
another modest and patriotic man
was altogether the finest officer
the Union side developed in the
late war. His plan of campaign
against Richmond-which Grant
was ultimately compelled to adopt
was purposely defeated by Stan
ton, who detached from MeClel-
ian's army Mcdowell with eighty
thousand men, because the con-
splrators at Washington thought
that no human conjuncture could
prevent Mcclellan from being
President if he were allowed to
succeed in his Peninsular CAM
paign. 1t required an extraordin-
ary amount of abuse to prevent the
modest victor of South Mountain
and Antietam from from being
elected President in any event, and
the ooze and slime of the detesta-
BILE phase of American politics were
at once forthcoming, in unlimited
quantity, to submerge him.
Next came Horatio Seymour.
Since this superb old gentleman
has distin ctively retired from pub
lie life how the Republican press
has overfowed in eulogies of the
man! Horatio Seymour, the splen-
did Democratic Governor of New
York and candidate for the Presi-
dency in 1868 was an infinitely
fiuer man than the grand old
cheese-lnaker who is still to be seen
in the streets of Utica in the glory
Of hale old age. He was so pano-
piled with craftsmanship and with
the civic virtues in 1868 that the
Republican press thought it neces-
sary to pour out upon his devoted
head o tremendous stream of the
vitriol of political vitu peration.
Had he been weak or unpatriotic
man the campaign would have
been lifeless. No men knew better
than Republicans the folly of vast
ing powder on "dead ducks" They
knew that this patriotic Democrat
and American menaced their pos
session of power and plunder. and
they abused him accordingly.
Next came Horace Greeley-one
OF the oliginators of the Republi-
can party ald a man who was re-
pelled by the mephitic odors which
emanated from it after it had been
corrupted and deteriorated by the
place-men and plunderers who,
under Grant, made it synonym
for all sorts of moral obliquities.
They simply killed Greeley with
calumny.
But the m ost interesting chapter
Of our political observations began
when Samuel J. Tilden was nom.
mated for the Presidency. Here
was a specially strong mana
giant overthrower OF wrong. Such
Republican journals as Hdrper's
Weekly and the New York Tim es
had beloved themselves hoarse in
his praise before it was thought
that he would be a candidate for
President. What magical change
came over the spirit of their
dreams when they found that it
was necessary to bring out their
stinkpots and sling dirt at Tilden
with an hundred-fold the energy
previously developed? We watched
keenly the course of Hdyper's
Weekly, which processes to be
ditettanU and honorable. 1t ap-
preached the matter by slow stages,
but 1t finally wrought itself up to
the right pitch of fury, and all its
previous recognitions of Mr.. Til
deus services as Democratic
Governor only intensified the bit
terness and contemptibleness of its
calumnies OF Mr.. Tilden as Dem.
ocratic candidate for President;
and. all the while, Mr.. Tldel, ac.
cording to Harper, had done moth
ing post-daiing that journals
praises to make 1t decent to abuse
him. The senior member of the
Haypey's, who lived next door to
Mr.. rIIden, in Ora mercy Park,
must have looked rather like O
shsep thief when he encountered,
socially, the man whom lie caused
to be abused SO roundly.
The Democratic party may rely