Year: 1866

The Toronto Leader, q paper which du
ring the war openly sympathizod d with tn,
rebels and has since consistently enough
been pleased with the course of President
johnson, is reluctantly compelled to aban
don all hope of the success of his friends. -
The following extracts from an article il
the Leader, written before the results oi
Tuesdays elections could have reached the
writer, are significant:


The Philadelphia Convention was agrsat
meeting. 1t was composed ofeminent men
and laid down platform of clear and states
manlike views, strongly calculated to bridge
over the existing difficulties in the States
and to restore harmony to the people and
councils of the nation. It was based upon
the presumption that the Republican party
which had controlled the Government since
1860 had outlved its power and usefulness,
and that the Democratic party was more a
relic of the past than vital entity of to-
day. These were two great mistakes. The
Republicans are not willing to merge their
party peouliarities in national organiza-
ton, and the Democratic party declines to
accept any other alias. The attempt to
found a National Union party" has failed.
Its chief engineer, to avoid utter shipwreck,
has been compelled to desert it. Mr.. Ray
mond, seeing how hopeless was the success
Of the good work he had attempted to do,
has hacked down from the position he so
firmly took few months ago, and is now
an humble suppliant for re-admission to the
Republican party, and, approaching to the
extent to which he lost caste among those
from whom be had previously obtained po-
litical support, he has had to forego his
natural inclination to be member of the
next Congress These are stern admissions
of defeat, and they are the more significant
as to the strength of the Radical party from
the fact that in his political course Mr.
Raymond is mainly guided by MIR. Thurlow
Weed, who, though never in either State
Legislature or the national Congress. is ad
mittedly the shrewdest political manager in
the Northern States. He has the tact to
see when he is beaten. II was he, no doubt,
who originated the Philadelphia movement
Backed by the President, he had strong
hopes of glorious triumph. He now sees
that he did not count the whole cost Of the
movement, aud falls back with as good a
grace as he knows how to the party he has
so earnestly striven to break down. In Au-
gust he acted the part of a statesman. He
is to day but common place politician -
And yet no one can censure him for the
course he has taken. 1t was necessary to
the salvation Of his friends.


Whilst the firm stand which the Rerubli-
can party has taken evidences its determine
ton to be guided by the old landmarks, it
cannot be denied by those who might have
wished it otherwise, that the late tour ofthe
President has, in no small degree, centrihu-
ted to this result On that trip he managed a
good cause badly.


Situated as be is, his views should he ex-
pressed with crcunspection and through
certain recognized channels. He degrades
his position when he descenas to the clap
trap Of the politician, His late speeches,
however correct, we're entirely ont of place
and wsntingin that respect to his opponents,
which ought to characterize Presidential ut
terances. He lost the opportunity ofadding
strength to the cause. At Niagara Mr..
Seward somewhat boastfully stated that he
would carry the State of New York by 90
900 majority. There was a prosnect once
that he would have done it. We don't
think they can do it now. They have blum
dered and been hoist by their own petard.