New-York tribune., 1878-10-15

very significant that we hear no more or
such demonstrations. At the time named, the
Greenback party seemed to be the coming
thing. It had swallowed Democracy In Maine,
and broken up Democracy in Massachusetts,
drawing off in each State some former RepuD-
liean votes. At the West and in Pennsyi-
wanna, It's ideas had been far more prevalent
than in Massachusetts or Maine. Men who
we're least alarmed at its growth, believing
that the repudiating and cOmmunlstic ten
dency in this country could never AFFORD 10 DC
permanently unmasked, but must seek In the
long run under some disguise that success
which it could hope to gain in its naked de-
formity only in some localities and IN tenn
pOrary emergency, nevertheless feared that IL
might for time sweep everything before IL
ut the West, and gain enough strength and
prestige to do serious mischief in Congress
this Winter. But the October elections nave
completely changed the prospect.
The Greenback party has not only been
beaten at the West; it has begun to run down
hill. Its vote in Ohio is now reported at less
than 10000, or one-twentieth of the total
vote. In Indiana it made no serious difference
with the relative strength of other parties. Id
Iowa, it barely succeeded in two Congress
sional districts. but there, rs everywhere eise'
succeeded only by selling itself wholly to the
Democrats-a sort of success which Is sure 10
deprive it of all former Republican votes mere
after. In brief, the verdict OF the west whcre
the repudiation and cOmmmistic tendency Is
strongest. is that nobody can want
marty TO 60 further in that direction
than the Democratic party goes. Hence
the Greenback movement can only serve
TO smash up the Democratic party at
the East, where that tendency finds no sur
fcient EXPRESSION. But no sane person sup
poses that it can carry Eastern States. and
the proof that it is impOtent at the West,
where the Democratic party abundantly rep
resents its purpose, puts an end to its chance
of permanence. 1t has been very useful.
II has served TO make the Republican party
more united and outspoken than ever for
sound principles and for public faith. 1t has
helped, and Will help to make the Democratic
party moro plainly and exclusively the party
of Communists and repudiatOrs.
But the elections have also proved that the
Communists and regulators cannot carry
Ohio. nor any other Western State except In
diana. The result in Ohio already moves
leading Democrats elsewhere to observe that
illicit intercourse with soft money and repu-
diafion means certain defeat to Democracy in
1880. III that party on such platform is
sure TO be beaten in Ohio, and must come east
ward with not u single electoral vote save
those of Indiana, no Democrat is so blind as
not to see that the chance of carrying
New-York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be
I,r,i,fabaH hv onnptfnu Of fha
notions of repudiators. With Mr.. Thurman,
who sold his convictions for mess of pOttage,
and then saw the pottage spilled on the ground
before he could even taste 1t, OF with Mr..
Hendricks as its candidate, the Democratic
party can now fOresee sure defeat in Ohio,
and also sure defeat in New-YOrk. The
&" Ohio idee and the Indiana lunacy share the
same fate. Democratic politicians, if they are
shrewd, will not dare to court defeat by openly
adopting either.
These events would naturally have gwen
tremendous impetus to the candidacy OF Mr..
Tilden, save for the exposure of his dOings IN
1876. But that exposure puts an end to Mr..
Tjlden's chances. IL he were rich enough and
willing enough to give "half hundred hest
" United States documents" for every vote
cast for him in the next Democratic Conven-
tion-and he is neither-he could not find
men enough to damage both themselves and
their party by his nomination. This day,
but for the deciphering of secret dispatches,
Mr.. Tden would have been immeasurably
the strongest Democratic candidate; as mat
tcrs stand, he is sheer impOsSibIlity. Not
even Denmark PeltOn nor Moses Marble will
waste time in seeking for him another NOM
ination and the keen sunlight OF further pub
licity, But this is not all. This ex-
posure strips off a mask behind which there
has been partially successful attempt TO
hide the real nature of an entire party.
Mr.. Tilden was the one and only Democrat
who had ever pretended to do anything i'll the
way of reform. His nomination enabled his
party to wear the mask of Reform. And his
exposure strips off that mask, and shows the
hideous rottenness of the party which sought
success by fraud. Mr.. Tilden was the one in
whose behalf the cry of fraud in the last
election could have been effective. Now that
gun is more deadly at the breech than at The
muzzle, and the speaker or writer who uses 1t
runs the risk of being kicked TO death.
Without entire fidelity, Mr. Thden had repre-
sented, to men like Wells, Goodwin, Bigelow,
Adams, and thousands of others in the
Eastern. States, the hard-mOney traditions of
the ancient Democracy. They had voted with
it only because they trusted that Mr.. Tilden
would control it. One must profoundly pity
these men, az they look upon the wreck of
their idol, and realize that they tired to turn
over the Government to a set of repudiators,
in their blind reliance upon cipher-using ne
,xntiatnr in vntaa