Year: 1868

tion Of the Republican Party.


The Christmas holidays are gone. The
delightful vacation to the boys and girls at
home from distant schools is ended in q return
to their books and studies and so it is with
those children of larger growth, our national
lawmakers at Washington. They arc back
again to business from their Christmas dinners
and New Year visits among their constituents,
and "great expectations" are entertained in
many quarters of substantial relief to the coun-
try in wholesome legislative measures touching
our political and financial cmbarrassments. We
fear, however, that all such hopes will prove
delusions, like the mirage of the shining lake
in the burning desert for never has the dOmi-
nant party in Congress been more seriously
crippled and demoralzod than it is to day.


We are on the threshold of the Presidential
contest, and the republicans, who but year
ago deemed themselves invincible against all
accidents and possibilities, are now all at log
gcrhcads and all at sea. How we shall hlrmo-
nize and who shall lead us in the campaign
for the succession are among the questions to
be considered. The party cut up into rival
factions and blcst with numerous conflict
ing leaders and organs, is truly in
bad way. On one little bill adhering to the
radical scheme of Southern negro reconstruc-
ton we have the evidences OF cohesion, but we
have it in nothing else. All these internal
disagrcemcnts, however, may be summed up
in the contest between tie adherents of Mr..
Chase and the believers in General Grant.
We are satisfied, TOO, thai with all tho profess
sions among the radicals of faith in Grant, they
are working their party machinery to crowd
him out Nor do we ih'nk that it would be
saf, to build upon the nomination OF Grant by
the Republican National Convention as a fore
gone conclusion. The machinery Of he party
is in The hands Of Chase and his radical faction,
while the activity Of the New York Seward
clique in behalf of Grant, instead OF advancing
his cause, is, we fear, oriy neutralizing the
substantial labors OF A. 7. Stewart and COM
| pany in the same direction.


President John on has now the whip hand
over The radicals on Southern reconstruction.
We are tod that hey iltond at all hazards to
| fight out this fight with him, and that in this
view they will in the Senate make test case
OF the removal of Stanton. Very well. Let
them try it. We suspect that it will soon
be found that the party is not unit
even upon Stanton; that among some Of
the radicals Stanton has fallen from grace, and
that from this fight johnson will come off,
as from the impeachment experiment, with
\ flying colors. On reconstruction, however, the
| republicans have gone too far to retreat sue
cessfully by flank movement The enemy is
too close upon them for that, and they know it.
1t would be the retreat Of Mcclellan across the
Richmond peninsula Nor can the two houses
OF Congress in tie interval to the Presidential
battle do anything 10 better the republican
cause on our financial affairs. The best that
they can do is to leave this financial problem
an open question by leaving it for another
| year or SO to work ont Itself. AS the last
resort we guess they will come to tais, which
will be disposition OF the question in the
republican camp the most advantageous to
Mr. Chase, in concentrating the Presidential
controversy on Southern negro reconstruction.
| In this view Andrew Johnson of all men
stands out in the boldest relief as the repre-
sen alive and embodiment OF all the conserva-
tive elements of the country in opposition to
the radicals and their Southern negro suffrage
and negro supremacy programme. Against
any candidate OF the copperheads and against
any halfway candidate of the war demo-
Gratis Mr. johnson holds the balance OF
power. lie is, in fact in o good position
to compel the democratic and other
elements opposed 10 the radicals to unite
upon Andrew Johnson as Union candidate,
because upon his platform they all harmonize.
Thus, while with the full consent OF General
Grant Nr. Chase viii in all probability be the
republican nominee, the chances are equally
favorable Tor Mr.. Johnson as The opposition
standard bearer. We shall not be surprised,
therefore, If some six months hence The stone
which oil the democratic builders since the
death Of John Van Buren have rejected will
become the head Of the corner. The case is
simply this: If johnson can DO nothing without
the democracy, they can do nothing without
johnson, and SO the naming Of their candidate
rests with johnson.


The SHORTEST RoUrE TO THE NOTES.-The
facts that have come out in the past few
days in iho uaa nf tha telaOro nh have oivpn