Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-01-09
PARTY ISSUES.
Relative POsit ions Of the Two Great Parties
-HOratiO SeymOur's Advice to the
DemOcr0cy.

A representative of the New York |
World has had an interview with Horatio !
Seymour at his home in Decrficld, near
Utica, The interview seems to have been |
reluctantly accorded by Mr.. Seymour, and
he spoke at last with the understanding
that he was giving his views once and for
all. He spoke as follows:
In looking over the political field it is
evident that on the Republican side there
arc sharp controversies and much bitter
ness. The Republicans are in far worse
way than the Democrats so far as feuds are
concerned. 1t is true that the divisions
in the ranks of the latter are more open
and conspicuous, but they have reached a
point where they admit of healing rcme-
dies. Hatreds and iealOusieS in the ranks
Of political organizations are like erysipe-
las in the human system-half cured when
brought to the surface. Concealed hate
and feverish jealousy poison the blood of
the Republican organization. The party
has no remedy for this state of things. Its
disease is internal. and therefore danger
Gus. perhaps deadly. Ifit could be brought
to the surface it might be cured, but now
it is fostering inwardly and with very bad
symptoms. The poison has permeated
the whole system, and there is no sage so
skillful as to be able to prescribe success
fully for hidden distemper.
On the other hand there is one advant-
age which the Democratic party possesses.
1t always comes up smiling after 4 defeat.
Its vitality is wonderful. 1t has Outlivcd
a dozen opposing organizations, and it has
held to its ancient creeds while others have
caught at every excitement OF novelty
brought to the surface by events. In the
country especially the Democracy have
made their adherence to sound party prin-
ciple matter as personal as their religion
though in different way. 1t is 4 mat
ter on which they have permitted them
selves to become enthusiastic. You can
not change them. The hard listed Demo-
cracy cling to their faith under defeats and
trials, and are withal imbued with senti-
mental feelings never seen in the cOnglOm-
crate ranks of their opponents. The Re-
publicans fall to pieces unless they can he
kept at a welding heat by passion and cx-
citemcnt. II these cannot be kept up
against their opponents they break out in
their own ranks.
Under these crcumstancest there is every
reason to hope for the success of the Dem
Ocratc ticket in the coming presidential
state last fall, under the circumstances, was
| a marvellous one. To my mind it amounts
| to a demonstration that the state can be
| carried by the Democratic candidates who
| ever they may be. We have had our fight
| and it is over. There are no fcuds nor ,jcal-
Ouscs left to rankle inwardly.
There is another element now coming TO
! the surface which will tend strongly to i'll
| crease this harmony. The town meetings
and elections arc ut hand About twenty
| Thousand town officers are to be elected
and there is probably an average of three
| candidates to an office. All these men are
| doing everything that lies in their power to
unite the party and concentrate its undi-
vidcd strength on the town elections. PeO-
pie in the country really care less about
| who shall be president of the United
States than who shall be supervisor of
| their town, or justice of the peace, or per
haps school commissioner. They will al
vote for supervisor and will work with re-
! newcd energy to secure the election of
their party's candidate. This is especially
true of the Democrats, much more
SD, think, than in the case of the Rcpub-
licans. The old sores of the Democratic
party, as have said, arc on the surface, and
therefore not only are not dangerous but
ever healing process is necessary will. no
doubt, be completed by the spring elec-
tiOns.
As to candidates on the Republican side,
the men who have opposed the present ad-
ministration appear to favor Grant, and
his strongest opponent now is Blaine. The
fight is SO sharp that it may end in bring
ing up a new man, as has happened before.
The third term is against Grant, and
Blaine is too much of 4 Republican to suit
his party. The Republican party does not
like violent men in office, though it always
praises them for their bOldness in the fight.
Morton, Chandler, Blaine and men of that
stamp were thrown over in 1876. and the
more malleable and less wellknown man
from Ohio was picked up and made presi-
dent. Something of the kind is likely to
be done again.
On the Democratic side there is a rcadi-
ness to take up any man who can unite all
factions. AS they are all anxious to har-
mOnizc way will be found to carry out
their wishes. Outside Of this state Bay
ard, Thurman, Hendricks, English, and
others have been spoken of as presidential
candidates, and either of them, l should
think, would prove acceptable. The
Democracy cannot 90 astray in making
mate has every prospect of success.
The controversies in the Democratic
party in New York are much less danger
Gus than they seem to be. There are great
and enduring reasons why this state should
uphold the Democratic party and its prin-
ciples. In the first place, there is here
much less of sectional feeling than else
where. Our business men, merchants and
manufacturers arc constantly brought into
contact with the people of the South in
the course of their transactions whereby
they learn the difficulties under which
they labor, and they dosire not only to
promote their own interests but in so
doing the interests Of the country at large.
This intercourse has much more influence
than congressional debates or the appeals
i'll our journals to political prejudice. The
same thing is also felt to a degree in rel-
GiOus and other organizations. The war
upon the South has been Over-actcd. 1t
has been carried so far that now there is a
reaction, and this cannot fail to benefit the
Democratic party which is the party of en-
Hghtencd conservatism.
There are other and stronger reasons
why New York must be Democratic. It's
commercial position demands that it shall |
oppose the centralizing policy of the Re-
publican party. That policy is destruc-
tive of the interests and welfare of the |
state. With its great wealth and popula-
tion it has the least relative representation
in the United States senate of any state in
the Union, and all questions of centraliza-
f,I