The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-30
JUDGE BLAaR,s PREDICTIONS.

of twenty-one.
JUDGE BLAlR's PREDICTIONS.
The Contest In 1890 Ono Between Tiideu
and Grant.
Hon. Montgomery Blair has written
the following letter TO Mr. Samuel NJ.
Shaw, editor of the Frseman's Journal
1t cannot fail to be read with inherent
"MY DEAR SIR: have been i'll ever
since your letter Of the 11th ult. came TO
hand, and only read it day before yes.
terday. lam not wcll yet, but the subject
so presses upon me that ,nudt attempt q
brief reply.
The most obvious fact in the political
history of our generation is that our con.
tests have been struggles for sectional su-
premacy, in which the Democratic or
ganizatiou has been regarded and treated
by the people of the North "a the in-
strument Of Southern dominion over
them. 1t was jealousy of power-as
natural to communities as TO individuals
and not sympathy for the slave, which
solidified the North to install and main
tain the Republican party in power. The
abplitionists were not o corporate guard
till, by the use of the slave question, the
South had been consolidated, and, By its
control of the Democratic organization,
rnade the governing power of the Union.
Then it was that the ataunchest Demo
Gratis in the North broke away from the
national organization. and the strongest
Democratic districts and counties Of New
York and Pennsylvania, and other great
Northern Democratic States, became the
strongest Republican districts aud coun-
ties, and made the North solidly Repub.
lican.
This was the assertion for the people
of the North by the then recognized
leaders of the Democratic party there, of
the great Democratic principle of the
right of self-government, and this it was
which vitalized the Republican party.
Dy tic WiiuaoS provi5o they sought 10
prevent our accession of territory from
aggrandizing the political power of the
South land when that power was strength
ened by the addition ofthe vast territory
OF Texas, they were the men vino pressed
on the war for the acquisition of Cali
fornia and other free territocS TO uphold
the power of the North: and they sepa-
rated themselves from the Democratic
party in 1548, carrying with them in
New York great majority Of it, and de-
feated it liz the election of that year. to
prevent the South from debating the
settlement of the territorial question in
the interest of its power.
Believing that the question had been
finally settled, and the rights of the
North secured by the act of 1850, nd
mitting Califor 10 as n free State into
the Union, the great majority of these
men returned to the party and restored
it to power 10 1852. The renewal OF the
struggle by the repeal of the Missouri
compromise, the bred Scott decision,
and other measures, carried the greater
part of them again into Opposition.
Those who remained with the party
when the war came on were war Demo.
crate, and rendered iuestin,able service
to the Union by preventing the alliance
Of the party with the rebellion. OF these
Illden was the chief, and, having stood
by the North in the war, as we'll as in
the antecedent struggle under Van Bu-
rem and Wright and Preston King
against Southerns upremscy, his nomina-
tion in 1876 enabled us 80 far to with
stand the pressure of the sectional issue
as TO carry four of the Northern States,
The politicians of the Southern school
having allowed his election to be set
aside. and making no secret since of their
preferences ior Hayes, we have lost three
of those States aud will lose the other in
1880 If Southern ascendancy las the
abandonment of Tilden will unmistaka-
bly, indicate To De the purpose) is again
to be the watchword Of the party.
No one, indeed, can conceal from him.
self the fact that our success depends al
together upon the question whether the
politicians who obtained position in the
party while it was dominated IN the
interest Of the South shall continue to
control ita nominations and policy.
Their persistence in attempting to do 60
will only show that they prefer perponal
power to party success. But take pleas
ure in eaying that this Is not true of this
class of politicians generally. They are,
for the most part. patriotic men, and It
was Governor Seymour their recognized
leader, who led the way to the nomina-
tion of Iilden. He understood 90 we'll
the irreoistible power of the sectional is
sue against his class of public men that
he was able 10 foresee its effect even in
his own case. and waa, therefore, sincere
ly disinclined to accept the nomination
thrust upon him in 1868. And it is far
more honorable for Governor Seymour
to have cnmnrehended the necessity of
yielding the Leadership of the party to
the head of the opposing faction, 80 as
to secure its triumph, and TO have had
the magnanimity 70 make the surrender,
than to have been himself elected to the
Presidency.
The people are utterly Indifferent 10
the dissensions of our party chiefs grow
ing out of their rivalry. What the peo-
pie of the North are concerned about is
sghetherthe men who have etood M fer IL 9
rights OF shho Northern St=s.ttsss SStt=sttsss aud The
power of the citizens Of those States in
the control Of, the national government,
shall be prescribed by the party organi-
zation. That concerns their own rights,
and the rights and dignity of the COM
munity to which they belong. Tilden
belonged to the dominant wing of the
Northern Democracy when that party,
by its control of the great Northern
States, was essentially a national party.
The overthrow of that wing of the party
by the South, through its control of the
national organization, Lost the partv all
power in the North and made 1t essenti.
ally Southern sectional party. It il
manifest that it can only become ma
tionsl again by reinstating as its leaders
the school of statesmen who gave it that
character
This is the feeling of the great mass OF
the party North and South, and the
nomination of Tildcn was made ia ac-
cordance with that feeling. BY adhe.
renee to this wise and patriotic policy
We can eliminate sectionaliem from our
politics and restore efficient and honest
administration. Otherwise, Grant will
ho reelected and Radicalism perpetua-
ted. You're truly,