Litchfield enquirer., 1880-05-06
A Grant Bolt?

| am glad to hear that Connecticut has spok- en so decidedly for Edmunds as candidate for President. He has been my candidate for year or more, but 1 think he has slender chance to get the nomination. Grant will probably be the man. He is popular down here, and, they say, would carry several south- ern states. I have hardly a doubt but he would carry Florida as think any Republi- can who will be likely to be nominated would. The colord folks would go for Boss Grant" with rush. l was talking with colored man the other day, and he said his folks would vote for any Republican who might be put up but Grant is the favorite. A ticket that would be very popular at the South, would be Grant and Settle. If Grant is nominated, although he is not my first or second choice, should consider it nay duty to vote for him. l don't think any man will say he is not patriotic, and if he is nominated, it seems to me, every true Republican should vote for him. As l look at it, third term is no fatal objection, and the best interests of the country demand Republican rule awhile longer Nododbt many of the southern people accept the situation in good faith and are truly loyal, but there are plenty others who submit, because they can't help tt, and the only thing they regret is that they were not successful, and they hope to get a redress of grieUGnces, through the Democrats | It is well to use all the means that "GOd and nature" have put in our hands to get the best men nominated, but when the thing is done, think every man who prefers Republican to Democratic rule, should "pocket his wrath" and go for the ticket. ''Them's my senti- ments." P. s. B.
 Our Lyons correspondent also deprecates Grant bolt as will be seen from letter on an outside page; and,, furthermore, attributes a certain political crankiness which he thinks he discovers in the Enquirer to an inherited "virus" of Democracy in It's editor. If both our friends were here in old Lihehfield as they once were, and as we regret that they are not still, they would hear great many of our stanchest Republicans declaring that they will never vote for Grant again. No doubt, if he is nominated, many ''never" of May, 1880, will subside into a ''hardly ever," on the % of next November but there will remain a serious defection-how serious, we can only guess when we see the result of the Cincinnati Convention. Even those who personally pre- fer Grant concede this, and have little hope of carrying Connecticut for him against any Dem- ocrat but Tlden. For our own part, we can safely say that we have never had anything like so strong backing in our independency as since the Conklng- Cameron capture of 128 Grant votes in New York and Pennsylvania. The prevalent feeling is one of intense dis gust with the politicians who are trying to force objectionable nominees on our party, in spite of the repeated and most earnest protests of the better men of that party.
 | There ia m ovmpothv houavar our | Lyons correspondent seems to suppose, be- tween Independency and Democracy. We bolt not one but all machine candidates. To fv from Cameron and Conkling into the arms of Tilden and Barnum would be simply to change masters whereas Independency repu- diates the political boss altogether. The great mistake made by the Liberals of 1872 was not so much in leaving the Republican party, as in going over to an organization that seems to have lost all capacity for progress; and to purpose nothing but reaction. Not only has Democracy repeatedly neglected excellent opportunities for becoming real party of the people; but, in clnging to the old heresy of | State-rights, and in favoring the new heresy of fiat money, it has demonstrated nothing but an utter incapacity to read the signs of the times and to satisfy men who are thoroughly dissatisfied with machine Republicanism.
 A glance back at the recent history of par ties will show how important and how gradu. al growth Independent Republcanism has | been Johnsonlsm was premonition of the movement; but Grant, then no-party mon, | united all the important elements of Republi- canism into one invincible phalanx. Four years of absolute Republican sway followed Reconstruction was completed; and, as con- pleted, disgusted its most earnest advocates (of | which we were one). What might have been the result in 1872 had the Democrats earnest. ly sustained Greeley, it is impossible to guess In 1874 came the crash which the public de- teststion of Grantism and Carpet -Baggery combined had been so long preparing. In 1876 the Republican machine saw sure defeat ahead in case it forced Grantisnl once more on the people: it temporized, and finally acqui- esced in civil service reform platform and a candidate to match The Independents came to the support of Hayes, and turned the tide once more against Democracy. Then follow ed four years of Hayes and marked revival of Republican feeling throughout the North Now comes on a presidential contest in which the Republican candidate apparently stands an excellent chance of election. It is just here that, assuming the revival of Republican ism to be revival of Grantism, the apostles of that creed propose to dictate his third nomina- tion tD party which accepted his second nomination with reluctance, and utterly repu- diated his claim to a third nomination. Sup | posing however, that the machine succeeds in forcing their candidate upon us. Can Inde- pendent Republicanism be reasonably expect ed to come to it's support? To answer this question intellig, ntly let us look at the causes of the present Republican revival in SO many Northern states which has marked the four years of Hayes term
 l Paradoxcal as it may seem, we attribute the Republican revival at the North primarily to the collapse of the party, South In turn ing over South Carolina aud Louisiana to the Democracy MT. Hayes effectually rid his par ty of the load of Carpet-Baggery under which it had been staggering for years. The party lost votes but it regained moral tone Later came Resumption, prlcking the Greenback bubble, and seriously damaging Democracy, the party which had given it most counte- nance. In the meantime the Independents, having the Administration on thelr side, have fought the Stalwarts within the Republican organization and have waited for 1880 to get another verdict of the people in their favor. Moreover, Republicanism has been more than usually fortunate in the character of the op- position it has had to meet. The cry of Re publican fraud has been more than met by cipher disclosures in New York and the Flu sion criminalty in Maine. At the very mo ment that Republicanism is freed from its