National Republican., 1880-10-08
IXrERIMENtING.

| lmes experiments are safe. 1t is by trying
new things that we find out better ways,
aud this fact always has a large influence
in securing votes for change without very
much reference to the nature of the change
proposed. \ great many minds are highly
speculative and given to the study of some
other way Of doing things At any gather
lug for outdoor amusement if one man
leaps ten feet the whole crowd will begin TO
hunt for fellow that can leap twelve feet,
and this propensity runs with tremendous
force in the human intellect and renders
the cry for n change extremely popular.
People tire for sameness and will take GER
tain risks merely for the sake of seeing n
new hand at the bellows.
The democratic party very cunningly
play upon this propensity in the present
campaign, and it is their best card. with
out it they would not have q hand worth
playing, and with II trum ps are exceed
ingly scarce and there are no honors In
sight In harping upon the great import
ance of having n change, however, they can
not expect to influence only such minds rs
are gifted with good degree of natural
shallowncss or u large measure of accumu-
I lated ignorance. We do not mean by this
that the democrats are all shallow or igno-
rant, but speak of the recruits who must be
gained from the body OF the Indifferent and
lukewarm classes who have no interest in
OF appreciation of politics in general.
There are times when change can work no
i'll. There are times when any change
must necessarily be an improvement. When
the republicans united with the opponents
of Tammany and overthrew TWEED and
his gang in New York city any change was
an improvement. When the people Of this
country took hold and snapped off JAMES
BUCHANAN and his sweet set Of enemies to
the constitution for ABRAHAM LINCOLN
the change was at once noticeable for its re-
viyal of patriotism and for the return of
the people to the principles of WASH
INGToN and MARSHALL and HAMrG-
TON and STORY. The experiment was
worth trying; it was more: it was
salvation. Bat how different things
are now The republicans have more than
met expectation. Twenty years ago the
great minds of Europe-GLADsToNE Lord
JOHN RUSSELL, LOUIS NAPoLEoN-and lead
! ing statesmen Of all countries 10 oked at us
and almost unanimously gave their opinion
that we were gone-up concern, and said
our efforts to crush the rebellion would
fail. Tho great JEFFERSON DAVIS, the
mighty STEPHENS, the profound TooMBs
and their compeers were of the same opin-
ion, but nevertheless the nation was saved.
Later on the great minds of the demo cratic
party said we could not sell our bonds,
could not pay our interest, could not reduce
our debt, could not manage the finances.
could not resume specie payments, could
not If we did resume make business good.
could not make the amendments stand,
and could not keep up the respect of other
nations. All these things have been done.
and done pre-eminently. GLADSTONE has
expressed amazement ut our wisdom and
success. No democratic convention has
been compelled to drop some pet
theory and go back upon some for
mer declaration. In this year, 1880 they
are making huge efforts TO convince people
that the democratic party actually nc
quiesces' in the ma in policy which the re-
publicans have pursued. 1t comes hard.
It makes them squint and draw down the
corners oftheir mouths. But when all the
world is sounding the praises Of LISCoLN,
STANTON and GRANT, how inefIably con-
tamptble would it appear for DAN VooR-
HEEs, Sunset Cox and WINFIELD S. HAN
COCK to stand up and express pride that
those great men met their profound disap-
prOyal They cannot face the worlds
opinion in that way, and so HANCOCK
writes that the amendments must be ac-
cepted, and BAYARD claims that democracy
secured resumption, and Cox or some other
feeble piper squealls out that the democrats
put down the rebellion, and so on.
The nation has been saved, slavery
cleaned out, currency made sound and bus
mess made good under republican admin
istration, aud now the men who have
fought tooth and nail against evcry ono of
the measures which have proved successful
say; Let us havea change, try us uud let us
show what we can do. 1t is bad time for
that kind of q cry. The discount on asses
in lions skins was never 50 great as it is
now, and the country has had all it wants
Of experiments which meet the commenda-
tion Of JEFF DAVIS and his loud-mouthed
Il D. Il .I..y1