Year: 1879

| this year so manifest IN AHellcaE poiiticS
make it difficult to cast the horoscope of
parties. If we were two or three years dis
tant from Presidential election, instead of
one year distant the signs of the times
would seem to point to diss olutIon and
reconstruction of political parties. The
near approach of Presid ential election
has a strong tendency to preserve the old
parties in existence; but even with the
unifying pressure of Presidential election
close at hand the disrupting forces are too
strong to be held in allegiance.


The republican party has principle OF
cohesion in the vigorous stalwartism which
has become the new corner stone of its
political faith, aud by means of it it has
barely succeeded i'll carrying the California
and Maine elections. But even in these
States politics are in state of chaos.
California is split up into strange
factions, and in Maine the republican
party had u narrow escape from defeat by
throwing the election of Governor into the
Legislature. AS against the democrats the
Maine republicans would have had an easy
victory, and have "walked over the
course" but the greenback party made
such inroads into it's strength that it es-
capped defeat only by strenuous exertions
and o profuse expenditure OF money.
In Massachusetts,, once the impregna-
BILE fortress of republicanism, Gen
eral Butler is organizing canvass
which makes the success OF the
republican party doubtful by his ability to
rally around him the dissatisfied elements
of both Of the old political organizations.
The hopes and chances which animate the
piebald Butler faction would be impossible
| except in state of things which portends
general breaking up OF parties.


| In our own State the causes which tend
to political disintegration are not so active
as il California, Maine and Massachusetts, !;
but they are too apparent to>be disregarded
in any estimate OF the probable result
of the election. Laying out of view the
minor elements of dissension and distrac-
ton, we are confronted with the broad
| is satisfied with its State ticket. At least
two-ffths Of the New York republicans were
strenuously opposed to the nomination Of
Mr. Cornell at least two-fifths of the New
York democrats were strenuously opposed
to the denomination of Governor Robinson.
The dissent against Robinson has taken
the form of an open and determined bolt !;
the dissent against Cornell, though less
open and defiant. shoulders like subter-
ranean fires which are not quite potent
enough to burst into Volcano 1t is quite
certain that large minority of each party
is dissatisfied and disguised with its State
ticket, and it would be unsafe to predict
that the sullen republican mutiny against
Cornell will not be as effective as the bold
democratic rebellion against Robinson.


The recalcitrant republicans have pub
lished manifesto which means mischief
They do not contemplate an organized
bolt and the substitution of new ticket
but they proclai1n their purpose to scratch
Cornell and Soule, and they invite the
large body of dissatisfied republicans to
do likewise. Boiling and scratching are
merely different modes OF opposition, and
one may prove as effective as the other.
The names signed to the anti-Cornell mani
festo are among the most respectable in the
city, being those Of rising lawyers and en-
ergetic business men, against whom nothing
can be objected but their youth. Many of
them are the sons and representatives of well
known families of high standing. This
assemblage of names will make opposition
to the Cornell ticket respectable, and the
movement may be expected to extend
through the State. Unlike the Tammany
boilers, they are not pledged to vote for
particular candidate for Governor, and
they are therefore at liberty to give
the utmost efficiency to their opposi-
ton to Cornell by voting directly
for Robinson. The Tammany boilers
have bound themselves to vote for Kelly
and a vote for Kelly is only half q vote tor
Cornell. But if the republican recalcitrants
vote for Robinson each of them not only
takes away one vote from the republican
machine candidate but adds that vote
to the other side. Ten thousand of
these republican scratchers would there
fore cancel the ballots OF twenty
thousand Tammany boilers. 1t is waste
of votes to bestow them on boiling candi-
date who confesses that he has no hope of
an election; but the mutinous republicans.
who not only withhold their votes from
Cornell but give them directly to Robin
son, will make the most effective use oil
their ballots.


There is another element in the New
York canvass of which the machine politi-
clans have not taken due account. We refer
to the party which has nominated Mr..
Lewis, who represents the rising opposi-
terests of the State to the abuses and extor-
tions of the railroads. This opposition is
active, bitter and widely diffused. Mr..
Evarts seems to be the only prominent re-
,,ubI;oon wbo hos not rnderestimatal itc