New-York tribune., 1878-04-16
THE NATONAL PARTY.

Whether the so-callcd National organiza-
tion is only another mushroom or a new party,
many persons would like to know. Like other
ephemeral things, as yet il draws the larger
proportion of its vote from the Republicans,
and thus helps the Democrats. But the con-
tinual panderng of Democratic demagOgucs
to the worst sOcialistic hercsies may presently
produce a different result. Every knayish or
foolish thing which the Nationals propose,
Democratic leaders are teaching Democratic
voters to accept On w Republican side the
very necessity of self-presorvation must in
time force leaders and journals to expose
and uproot these heresics. When it comes
to be seen that paltering with this
form of communism only insures Demo-
cratic victory, in the Nation, in States and in
districts, and that the Republican party must
| fight it or die, then we shall see Republican
voters won back, rs they were from Granger
! ism and from Initiation. The appeal to former
Republicans will become very strong, when it
is seen that Independent votes can only insure
the complete triumph of Democracy. When
| ever that time comes and Republican voters be-
gin to refuse to act as catspaws for Democracy
either the new organization will perish, as other
mushrooms have perished, or a very different
result will follow the persistent teachings Of
Democratic demagogues.
II is quite within the bounds of possibility
that these teachings may so intensity the
| repudiating and communistic feeling of Demo-
cratic voters at the West that, hopeless of con-
trolling that party, they may in large bodies
break loose from it altogether. In some local
tiles, Democratic leaders will cOuntenance
support of National tickets as a piece of STRAIT
| egy, to arrest the return of Republicans, by
making it appear that the new organization is
| growing, and Us no longer mere tender to the
| Democratic machine. But voters, once started
from motives of profound strategy, sometimes
stay. The hostility between Eastern and
Western Democrats is not diminishing. Votes
and speeches this year will increase it. Nation
ais will take pains to foster it by pointing to
the control of Eastern Democrats in the last
canvass, in the organization of the House, and
in the legislation of Congress as to many mat
ters. 1t will be seen, too. that the South,
essentially aristOcratic in organization, and
above all things hungry, will inevitably and
always take part at the pinch with Tammany
and the compact Democracy of the East
Out of these things, it may come to pass
| that Western Democrats may go over to the
National organization in such numbers that a
permanent force arises Then all the discOur-
agement of many years of defeat, under the
Democratic name and with the Solid South to
revive continually recollections of the war, will
have effect Many sagacious leaders will say
that it is time to change the namo of the
party, and to get rid of the perpetual mort
gage which the South has upon it, They will
reason that, with the growing West, with some
part Of the South, and with communism SPRING
| lug up in all the manufacturing towns of the
East, the new party may have better chance
of success than Democracy can everhOpe tohave.
Then the sly Eastern managers, whose only
principle after all is TO succeed and get n
share of the spoils, will go with the tide,
while Democrats of honest convictions will be
drawn to the Republican party as the only
defence of good order, rights of property, and
public faith.
These things are merely possibilities. But n
great many Democrats are considering very
seriously whether the Democratic party is long
for this world. II has no common purpose, ex-
cept to get Office. and in the intense strife of
Eastern and Western factions il is seen that
one faction or the other must lose the hope of
power and the control Of patronage Its record