Year: 1868




Y ork Herald, indicates that the name oi
Grant has no magic 70 change the verdict
against the Republican party chat Is written
in the mind Of the whole people. 1t also
shows that the deep conviction of the dan
gers of radicalism to the country-the con.
viction that made itself felt at the polls in
California Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio
New Jersey and New York, and gave those
States to the Democrats by good majorities-
is a deep conviction still; that it has not
worn away with time, and that nothing
whatever OF promise for the better is felt in
anything done by the radicals in the period
that has elapsed since a State last recorded
the Judgment of its people against that party.
Within that time have come two great party
events-the impeachment and the nominal
tion of Presidential candidate Impeach-
ment it is sufficiently notorious, has deep
ened everywhere the conviction that the
domination of the Radical party is not con-
sistent with the safety of our Institutions
but how it might be with the nomination of
Grant no man could possibly say. Party
men Of one side or the other and all who
pretend to be weatherwise in the political
atmosphere, could predict to their own sat
isfaction just what would come to pass ;
but the truth is that no one can divine the
secret currents of a peoples thoughts-no
one can accurately estimate the hidden
forces that yet seem to move the whole mass
of the nation by electrical unanimity to the
same result But the ballot box tells all
The seam crops out at an election and the
mind Of the people is shown. Hence the
significance of this election in Oregon de
termIned with unequivocaI clearness for the
Democrats right on the heels Of the nomina
ton of Grant by the radicals Grant, to put
it at its lightest is notso great man, not a
name so thoroughly satisfactory to the people
that they will venture another four years Of
radicalism to have him. He is too evidently
only the gliding Of the pill, and the people
thrust him aside Ind this is settled, not
on the arguments or declamations of parti-
sans, rot on the forecastings of those who
believe that Grant viii be beaten because
they hope it, but it is settled on that only
positive source of information under our
system-a test at the polls, an experiment
before the people, the honestly delivered
vote Of a great State.


The growth and progress Of such convic-
tions in the public mind as have produced
the Democratic triumphs of which this in
Oregon is the most noteworthy nothing can
now arrest, and the inevitable consequence
viii be a complete change Of power. Hith-
erto the same change has occurred in much
the same way. Scott was once expected to
walk over the Presidential course somewhat
as Grants adherents expect him to walk over
it now; but this promenade ended in great
disaster, Grants seems very likely to end
in the same way, This steady, constant but
undemonstrative change in the minds of the
people results from the general feeling of
the necessity of saving the Constitution
from the assaults of the political despcra-
does who find it an obstruction to their
schemes People hardly realized the neces-
sity for constitution. They have heard the
discussion one way and another over con-
stitutional points, and have given little at
tention. They have heard the declaration
of the radicals that they would govern
"outside the Constitution" and hardly re-
allied what it meant But when they see
in the acts of these men just what it ali
means; when they see law and civil govern
ment trampled down in ten States, and q
great section of the Union ruled by mill
tary despot; when they see the whole power
of great branch of the government used
to destroy the Executive, and to strike down
the Supreme Court they naturally consider
what result the success of these efforts would
producei and the fear to continue the Gov
ernment in the hands of such n party
changes the vote of every thinking man. Il
is a change that goes on silently and appears
only in its consequences, as is the case with
all great operations of the national intellect.
In that great explosion OF national purpose
which followed the firing on Sumter appeared
the thought of many months and it was so
magnifcently unanimous only because every
man had determined what must be done and
was ready-because the national thought
vas prepared like a mine of gunpowder and
waited only the match In election after
election following one another in different
States we now see the growth and progress
Of a great change, and it is clear that count
ing on this the party that avails itself of the
great fact in the right spirit will best utilize
1t for the national welfare.