The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-02
PANIC STRICKEN.
NUMBER OF LEADING DEMOCRATS
FRIGHTENED AT THE RESULT
or THE LATE ELECTIONS.
The Democrats Following the RepubII-
cans and Calling on the south
- Take n Back seat


rive from various parts ~ the country, 1t is i'm
possible to avoid the conclusion. based upon
their casual outgivings touching the general
situation, that the result Of the November cleo
tions has. rs the boys say completely ratified
them" Some sf them, TO use the words of n
distinguished Democratic statesman and polit-
ieal man agsr arc as badly scared Mt the late ap-
partition Of the bloody shirt as II they had seen
a whole graveyard full OF ghosts. Men like
Phil Cook Of Georgia. and even Chalmers of
Mississippi seem disposed to plead guilty to
the Radical arraignment Of the solid South by
eonceding that the election Of Southern man
to the Speakership would be bad aud erhaps
fatal policy. II occurs to mo that the coming
short session Of the Forty-ifth Congress will
mark crisis In th8 fortunes Of the Democratic
party; not indeed. with respect to the popular
effect of Its legislation upon the country at
large. but as regards the cohesion Of Its own
organ ization and the consistency of Its own in
terna management.
II is melancholy fact that the Democratic
party whether IN Congress or among the peo
pie lacks that close. symmetrical organization.
and that thorough. allSDervading discipline.
which. in the Radical party. does SO much to
cpunterbalance its steady losses OF power and
popular support. As a consequence the Dom
stampedes. while their antagonists are as
steady as veteran regulars In conflict. and. iik o
WeIllngton's troops in Spain. are never so dan
gerous or desperate as when retreating from an
unsuccessful field
or this fact the experience Of the late cam
paign affords two striking illustrations. one In
each direction. When Maine and Vermont
hitherto IIadlcal beyond dispute, led of il Sep.
tember by reducing their Radical representa-
ton in Congress- from eight seats to five. and
then when Indiana. Ohio aud Iowa rolled up
against them an additional loss Of seven NOM
bers, the natural inference Was that November
would be little more than the funeral ceremonies
over a corpse already laid out. But those who
drew this natural Inference or at least such Of
them as had opportnnity 70 see and feel tho &c
tvitV OF the Republican managers during the
last half Of October, were speedily undeotived.
| doubt II the annals OF party management in
show another such an instance oi recovery in the
face Of almost hopeless defeat or y rasurree-
ton from the stupor OF almost certa " death, as
George 9. Gnrhams reversal Of the political
tide in the States Of the Northeast and the ex-
ueme Northwest. In the last fortnight Of tho
campaign.
calculations away no on the strength of the
September and October results. In ace6 dance
with their usual happy go-lueky style 0f rea-
soning. they took 1t for granted that God was on
their side, folded their bands and sat down to
wait Tor the Millerite millenniup to come right
along Of It's own momentum. Men who reaeon
In that way always estimafe any given result
hy the standard Of thair own expectations
rather than by that of actual facts. Thus he
Democrats calculating from the results in Sop
tember and October TINT November must natu-
rally and inevitably increase their majority In
the House from the present twenty to n pros.
peeive fifty, were taken dead ahack when the
raturSA showed that they had only held their
own. The result was hat, Notwithstanding they
had held their own and peruetua'ed their con
tFf, ,l,,Et tfle r1a aft in
leaders and managers regarded It as defeat.
and some of them actually began to cry snpipo
an peut until their stradier comrades bad to
slap hem across the mouth and toll them to
shut no. rs you have often seen soldiers do In
battle.
Had the reverses of Sepember md October
stead of tho Republican | verify believe the
conseau4 nee would have been u total rout and
the capture OF the House by the Radicals.
We'll, this peculiarity of the Democrafin party
il q weakness which must ,ways be heaviy
discounted In my calculation Of future potti-
cal chances and prospects The common
phrase employed to describe tho situation ia
want of n leader or leaders" But that Is an
error. The real trouble L too many leaders, o
natural consequences perhaps Of the theor los Of
the party itself. but still dreadful disad van
tage in view Of the mpaesness discipline and
mobility. = to use a military term. Of tho op-
position. i must also be remembered that tho
Immense preponderauca of the Radicals In the
press OF tho most pppulOue. wealthiest an
most powerful States and sections Is tremen-
exalt Successes rs tho case may be. know of
my own knowIodge, that right hero In
inc P"oG "@a '"fs nG @s
and Senators is iunGeneed by
the Now York 7tibupe and Times Infinitely
more than by any Democratic publication that
reachHs here. In short, the conflict bstwspn
Republicanism and Democracy has berpme
little else than struggle batweer the great.
unwiedy ana pauirky mob Of tho Gopula"e on
tho ono hand and the small but compact, we'll
appointed, thoroughly disciplined and ably
handled army Of the money power, backed by
the greatest newspapers and supplied from the
most exhaustless cOmmissariat in the country.
If not In the world Whatever tho Democrats
gain they gain 6y the sheer e, IT, force q good
strategy skill and intrigue that m oney can buy
or Ingenuity invent. The machine" of Radi,
i ,estonds to the motion of every other part;
instantly, accurately and faithfully. The word
is passed from headquarters and the next
of either flank. For example. we al
ready 500 that the Issues for 1880 have
eeped @ a. By T he e. rank % and Ale. f and are being
echoed to reverheratton by every organ from
the New York Tribune down to the Memnhre
magOg WeeklV "Reminiscences Of Salem Witch |
csoG, with tho perfect time Of an orchestra
This brings me t. the main burden Of these
few remarks which is to say that a great many
Dem ocrats are beraying an inclination to do |
lust what the Radicals desire. by accepting the
lssues the latter have formulated, and meek y
parting their own c0attai Is to facilitate the kick
That Is to say, in response to the Radical |
howl about Solid South. many Southern Rep |
are already crying out: Oh, |
certainly: we confess 1t all Just show rs your
back scat. and ws will sit down in 1t just as fat
md stay in It Just as quiet as We possibly can
any way In the world |"
Now. It strikes me that right here ls where the
Democratic party will cut its own throat. II such
suicide be possible In the econnmy ot late. AT
al events 1t is exactly what the Radicals are do
pending on. and every time they hear q South |
ern man hedging In the back-seat direction |
they fairly howl with glee.
There IL @ time for everything, and now is the
lime for the grmme6t kind Of nerve and the |
savagest sort Of defiance on tho part OF the
Democratic leaders in Congress and out OF it. |
can think Of nothing so apropos Of the sit |
uation as q remark attributed - that magnth- |
cent old hero. Beaeonsfield during one of the |
periodical eHe,ttes in his weak -kneed, timber |
backed Cabinet. One of his timid colleagues |
urged certain concessions to tbs camor OF the
opposition. to which Beaconsfeld Is said to have
retorted:
Sir. whom I conceive that the welfare OF
Great Britain requires the adoption of the poll |
oies Of the opposition. shall retire from Office
and advise her Majesty to call In an opposition |
ministry to carry them out"
Now. as the friends OF Mr.. Randall arrive In |