Year: 1874

make no mistake in reading them.
The laundering stupidity and increasing
dishonesty of the Republican party leaders in
Congress did for the party what no sagacity
or strategy on the part of its opponents couid
effect, and it was through no strength OF
wisdom of their own. but by the weakness
and folly of the Administration, that the
Democrats succeeded to power In tho two
States named. They are not such fools rs not
to know this. They must see that they have
done nothing to regain public confidence, that
there il no new issue upon which they as
party have taken the popular and their oppo-
nents the unpopular side, and there has been no
change in public sentiment upon Old questions
that should reverse the position OF parties.
The fact of Democratic ascendency is simply
a vote of lack of confidence in the Admins
tration. With this state of facts so patent as
to make mistaking them almost Impossible IL
is curious study to observe how the party
newly arrived at power carries Itself. III mas
been trusted so many times before, ana Deeh
made dizzy and drunken with 1t, that one
would suppose the lesson might by this time
have been learned-the lesson OF steadiness
and nerve Has ;t


In New-Hampshire these gentlemen are
showing their appreciation OF the trust re-
posed in them by the people by engaging IN
a wild and drunken scramble for place anu
plunder AS if the object of political parties
was political plunder, and the only effect OF
elections to turn one set of men out of office
and give another set their places and salaries,
these people have devoted themselves to upset
4 o1u in ia
dividing among themselves the of1ciai pun
der. And these poor, hungry wretches pre-
tend to believe that the party they represent
and lead has come fully into the pubic
confidence. and that the people looking on
this borrid debauch will not revolt from
sucb n spectacle, but will be ready to open
the whole country to it. They learn nothing
from experience. On small scale, so far
as they had the power, they did the
Same thing IN that State IN 1911. "hen a
coalition of Democrats and Labor Refofners
was able to work its will to a limited degree.
The taste of power they then obtained in
toxicated them, and their selfish and sense
less attempts to grab the offices disgusted the
people, and gave the State back to their
shrewder and moro sensible opponents
the following year. This year they are
again drunk with power and repeating
their old excesses. In Connecticut it has been
pretty much the same. Last year the Demo
Gratis were only held in check by an OPP
| position Senate, which prevented their using
| their victory to reward mere partisans with hlgh
judicial positions. This year they have had
things all their own way, and though the
| scramble for Office has been less tumultuous
| and little more decor0us than in New -Hamp-
shire, there has still been so much OF 1t and OF
such a character as to disgust sensible
people. With little more regard for appear
ances and little more discretion than the
New Hampshire politicians have shown, there
has been still very manifest disposition to
make the most of the victory by dividing the
spoils among party runners and small pollti-
Clans There is so much uncertainty WIN
regard to the future that they are eager to
make the most of what they have already Sc
cured. A short life and a merry one seems to
be the sum of their philosophy.


If the Administration leaders have demon
strated their unitness and lack of compre-
hension of public sentiment i'll the past two
or three years, much more are they to whom
the people turned in despair for some sort OF
change demonstrating their inability to gov
ern wisely and their lack of capacity to learn
| anything from the lessons of experience.
The party of the Administration sut-
fers from bad leadership. the opposition
from having no leaders. Many honest and
patriotic Republicans believe it is possible and
practicable to reform their party from within /;
to turn out its Buffers and Carpenters and
Camerons, its spies and informers, carpet-bag-
gers and plunderers, and give the country
honest administration. The opportunity to
begin the work is offered in the coming Con-
eressional elections. The Democratic expert
ment does not promise success Will the Re
publicans heed the lesson of the hour and
seize its opportunity