Year: 1865


Tho President and the Political Parties


in the State or New York.


The position of political parties in this State,
as disclosed by the action Of their conventions,
il both amusing and gratifying. They rival
each other in sustaining the President and his
policy, and each is begging to be adopted by
him. Apart from the extreme factions, which
both have sloughed of to some extent, they do
not differ professedly in their principles Gf
either have any besides the loaves and fishes)
or in their platforms. Old party names and
claptrap phraseology, by which they endeavor
to make q distinction when there is no differ
ence, amount to nothing. The only real issue
before the country consists in sustaining the
Presidents restoration policy. or opposing it.
And upon this both agree.


The republicans claim Andy johnson because
he was taken up by them and elected Vice
President by their votes, which brought
him, by the accident of Mr.. Lincoln's
death, to the Presidency. They look upon
him, as all political parties in this country have
been in the habit of looking upon the Presi-
dent of their choice, as their property inheri-
tance and agent for dispensing the patronage
of government And, according to established
precedents, they appear to have some show OF
reason for their claim.


The democrats, on the other hand, 60 back
to Mr. Johnson's antecedents, and appeal to
his declarations of principles and policy to
show that he always has been, and is now, a
thorough going democrat. There is no doubt
this party has the best of the argument on this
ground. They assert, too consistently enough,
that the President is not man likely to
change his political creed like changing an
old garment, as so many of the politicians do.
Upon this view of his history and character
they base their hopes.


The struggle for ascendancy and to mono
police the President is not one Of principle, in
reality, but for the sake of power and the
spoils now and hereafter. 1t is mightS stake,
and the plotting, scheming and labor en-
ployed to obtain it show the magnitude Of the
prize. This, in fact, is all the principle
there is in the contest, as far as these parties
and the politicians who manage them are con-
cerned. We suppose, consequently, the mass
Of the people will not feel great deal Of in
terest in it,. But, as regards the President, the
success of his wise and conservative restoration
policy and the welfare of the country, it may
be matter of some consequence as to which
shall succeed.


Looking carefully over the whole ground,
and being altogether independent of these
parties, we can form an impartial opinion as
to what would be best under the present state
of things. We think it would be best if the
democrats should triumph in our State election.
The copperhead faction is small and has little
or no influence, nor is it likely to have, in the
democratic party. As that party stands to-day
in the State it is far more conservative and re-
liable than the other. The republicans, on the
contrary, are still much under the influence Of
the radicals. Although their Convention ap-
peared to give the cold shoulder TO these
extremists and disorganizers, the success
OF the moderate men must be attributed more
to able management than to numbers. Greeley
claims that there was majority Of fifty of his
stripe-that is, radical opponents OF the Presi-
dents Southern restoration policy--in the Syra-
cuse Convention, but that they were over
slaughed by trickery. How far convention
composed of such elements was sincere in its
declaration 10 support the President or of ap-
proval of his measures is q question. At all
events it is evident that the influence of the
radical faction is still great, though latent, and
il may yet gain the ascendancy in the republi-
can party.


Should the republicans succeed in the cleo
ton in this State ii would have a powerful
effect in strengthening the party everywhere;
for New York is the heart of the whole coun-
try, and It's p,tlsations reach all the extremites
In that case it is reasonable to suppose the
large party Of radicals in Congress, particularly
in the Senate, would be so elatcd that they
would probably show their teeth to the
President, embarrass his administration, keep
the Southern States out of Congress and
throw the country into state of agitation and
disorder. If the republicans should be de-
feated it will have happy effect in subduing
these Jacobins, or at least in making them
comparatively harmless.


On the whole, then it is desirable that the
democrats should win the race. The small
coppcrhcad portion of them can do no harm.
On the other hand, the powerful radical faction
Of the republican party, which is SO strong in
Congress, II warmed into life by the success of
the republicans, may be very troublesome to
the President and the country.





BRAZIL Nor THE PLACE-It hos been reported
that, in consequence of the abolition of slavery,
considerable numbers of recent Shareholders
in our Southern States contemplate removal
to Brazil, where the African race are still kept
under the restraints of the peculiar institu-
tion." But to all parties who entertain this
idea oflinding the slavery of South Carolina
down under the equator the testimony Of
writer in the Mobile Advertiser on the subject