The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-13

The Next Presidential Election Not Yet
Decided.


Decided.
One might infer from the tone Of the cur
rent political literature of the day, that the
result Of the Presidential election in 1880 is
foregone conclusion; that the Democratic
candidate is sure to be chosen; and that the
only question remaining open Is, Who shall
be the Democratic candidate? Democrats
habitually talk in this way; and the voice Of
n Republican Of note was recently heard in
the United States Senate entreatlng the
Democrats to be merciiul on their accession
TO power
We take somewhat different view of the
political outlook, and do not regard the sue
cess of the Democratic candidate in the next
election OF President as already assured by
any means. If the combined and powerful
effort which is being made to identify the
Democracy with the spirit Of the rebellion
shall prevail 1t will prove mortal faint to
the party. shipwreck made memorable in
story furnishes an apt precedent for this
fatuous policy. The ship was going to
pieces. and all on board appropriated what
ever they could lay hands or-thc one
chair, another table a third plank-in
hopes TO float until they should bc picked
up. There was one fool amon4; the passcn-
gers He seized upon the anchor, and coll
ing the rope attached to it round his body.
leapcd into the sea
This FOOLS chance TO float was rs good a.
that Of the Democratic party with the rebel
lion tied around its neck,
There are few former rebels in Congress
who. if they have ever heard the war is
over, seem to think the South was the con-
queror; and there are few Northern
doughfaces in Congress Of such abicct ma
ture that they PROSTATE themselves TO the
names of the departed institution Of
Slavery, and, remembering the despotic
sway it once held, conceive that It's very
ghost may lift some one Of their number,
more fortunate than the rest, into the White
House
Vain and fatal delusons, II is said the
Democrats will start in the contest in 1850
with all the old slave States solid In their
favor and that they are certain of the COM
paratively small additional number of elec-
toral votes requisite to majority. That
makes easy reckoning. 1t is a simple sum.
Anybody can do It,
There happens, however, to be another,
just as easy and just as simple. If all the
old slave States can combine, SO can all the
old free States. The only thing needed for
this is an OCCASION made plain to the COM
prehenson Of the masses. Then there Is this
difference: all the old slave States com
bined still require help 10 elect their candi-
date; whereas the old free States combined
need no help but in themselves constitute "A
majority, and can elect their candidate
without extrancous aid.
The Democratic candidate in 1876 was fair
ly elected. So we maintain, on the evil
dence, at all events. Certain old rebels
IN the Democratic party traded of the
election to the friends Of Mr. HAYES. They
connived at the fraud by which HAYES was
counted in, and they now conspre with
their Northern doughfacc Democratic allies
10 block the way to an investigation which
would uncover and expose the great fraud
Do men who conduct themselves in this way
bnt no al tbp Mort harm np.
mocracy are 50 basc-bon, so absolutely
wanting in self-respect a. to continue t.
act, to cooperate with them? What guar
antce can these trcacherous men give that
they would not again sell out the party Oh
the heels Of n second victory?
The North the old free States-lrW no
lose sight Of the fact that the Democratic
candidate, UhO, after he hat been mwf,tlll
elected, lCas sold OFT by Southern rebels, lras
pledOed against he payment Of rebd irn
claims, 1t is evident that this now const
tutes the greatest barrier to an investiga
sion which would be liable to put HAYE
out and TILDEN in.
1t is all very well to talk, sontlmcntally
about burying the dead past only We wan
the rebellion buried at the bottom: tina
is all.
We regard the question Of putting an on'
to the election frauds Of 1876 IA the suprem
political question of the times. We ar
therefore for those who are with us on tina
issue and against those who are against US
ii pronounced Republican like Gen But
LER or Senator HOWE should take the lea
In exposing these frauds and destroyin
their fruits, we would support him for Pres
ident in 1880 in preference to any Demc