The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-11-21
WHAT THE ELECTIONS OF
TUESDAY SIGNIFY.

read.
WHAT THE ELECTIONS OF
TUESDAY SIGNIFY.
All over the country the politicians
are weeping because the people have
escaped from time. worn leading strings
and most men, except Senegambians,
| for the first time, have used ballots of
their own making. Parties have lost
much moral power and cohesiveness
and both the old organizations
are real gsiners The people are
freer to think and act than
ever before, and the weight of moral
despOtism! is slowly uplifted by the
growing intelligence of the country,
and by the absence of local or Federal
deSpotisms. New issues have sepa-
rated political thinkers, and however
disagreeable the confession, it is true
that the recent contest in this State has
given no additional strength to the
vIctors, and in little has it harmed
the yanquished. Issues on which par
ties were separated were very narrow,
and if the Democratic platform of the
State be accepted as definition of the
financial theories of the party, there
was no great yawning chasm between
the moderate Greenbacker and Reagan
Democrat half as deep as that dug by
the personal ambitions of candidates.
In many instances it was simply
struggle for Office, and question as
tc the relative fitness of men.
But now a grander contest on a
broader platform approaches. 1t in
wolves the presidency and already party
leaders, looking over the battlefield of
the last week, are studying the conse-
quences of the struggle. as these may
affect the mightler event of 1880. Es-
peciaily do the thoughtful men
of the country deplore the
fact that the North and the
South are still compacted against
each ether. Parties are too nearly ge-
ographical. President Hayes sought
to change this state of things, while
ostren,ists ho~o only sought its Porpot
uatiOn. Hancock's election would haYe
been as deplorable an event in the eyes
of ConklIng and Blaine as in those
of the seashore philosophers who
published that little jeremiad. In
very truth the aspects of affairs and re-
suits OF elections demonstrate the
failure of those who have sought to
eviscerate the negro from the body of
partianship thus wrestling the bloody
shirt from the flagbearers of Northern
partisan armies. 1t is painful to reflect
that these elections in the South
and the triumph of the anti
podes of the seashore philosophers
in New York bode no good to these
hapless Southern commonwealths, and
only point infallibly to the reprCduc-
ton of Grants absoluLism. His strength
consists in sectional politics, and by it
his reelection is made almost absolute
ly certain. He is of Blaine's and Conk-
ling's and not of Hayes's sort. He is
the embodiment of inextinguishable
hatred of secessionism. and of those
who love secessionism and its memo
ries. Even so do our sesshore philoso-
phers, who expressed hostility to Han
cock, hate Conkling and Hayes and
Blaine and Grant, and in this fierce
hostility consists Grants omnipotence
and our helplessness. Our worst enc
mics, it seems, are they who love us
too desperately. The Cincinnati Ga
sette expresses the opinions of the Re
publican press when it says:
"There car be no mistaking the
elections this fall. They mean that q
South politically solid is hostility to
the North-still more a South made
solid by savage reign of force-shall
work united North, and that the
North shall again take possession of all
branches of the government"
The indianapolis Journal says:
"In contest between the Republi-
cans, led by either GRAFT, Conkling,
Edmunds, Blaine, Garfield, Harrison
or Washburne, representing sound
financial views, on the one hand, and
the Democrats, led by either Thurman,
Hendricks, Mcdonald, Pendleton, Til
den, Bayard or Wade Hampton, on an
equivocal platform, like that adopted
at st. Louis, and the result would be a
sohd North against . solid South,
counting Indiana, if you please, as be-
longing to the South. There is liter
ally no show for the Democracy to
get possessAn of the government. Con-
slider for moment the feasibility of q
canvass led by Mr.. Hendricks or Mr..
Thurman on the Ohio idea What
State besides Indiana can they hope to
add to q solid Southi Not one, unless
a perfect coalition Is formed with the
Nationals and the race made upon an
equivocal Greenback platform. This
is the only roSd to even possibility of
success for the Democracy in 1850.
AIr. Bayard was about right when he
said the doctrines of Mr. VOORHEES,
would carry the party to HI"
1t is well to see and hear what our
enemies say of us and what they pro-
pose to do, and how to accomplish it,
aud with this aspect of the future po-
Itical fortunes Of the South before US
We may begin to provide agencies and
select leaders whose candidature would
render evils contemplated impossible.
EVEN that solemn newspaper, the
7slsgyasi, that most delights in o6ltn-
aries and solid sense, and never could
discover the fun in joke, delares
GslvestOn's maintenance Of quarantine
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