Year: 1866

| 1t is said that there is a serious division in tn
| ranks of the Republican party. This division
represented by the radicals the one side and tn


socalled conservatives on the other side. On tbi
assumed rupture some persons have founded tn


theory of new party organization, which, the,
| tell us, is to sweep the country from one end t.


the other and to expel the radicals from the posi-
ton of supremacy which they now hold in Con


gress, and throughout the Northern States, Bu


great parties are not formed in any such way


They are not invented by political theorizers, O.


ambitious aspirants-but are the necessary pro


duct of the intellectual forces and political tenden


ces of the times. Apart from this fact, however


there is no necessity for any such change of part.


'front.' Call parties by what name you will, tina


organization now known as the Republican party
will for long time yet represent the idea of cen
tralization--of unlimited Federal power-of sec
tIonal supremacy and ambition. That organiza
ton now known as the Democratic party, will, OF
the other hand, just as inevitably represent tht
idea of decentralization State rights-of lin
tied Federal power--of governmental non-inter
ference wirh the rights and duties of the citizen
Between these two parties lie the great body O
men of loose convictions-the make eweights of poll
tics-whose translation from one side to the othel
carries with it temporary political preponderenct
and supremacy. For some years these men have
voted with the Republican organization, thus driv
ing the Democratic party from power, and appa
rently consigning it to premature defeat and sub
jugation.


1t is the secession of this class from the radicals
that constitutes the assumed division in the Repub
lican party, and gives rise to the vastly exagger
ated estimate of the extent of the mutiny agains
the leadership Of Sumner and Stevens. When any
very large proportion of these persons abandon
the Republican party, that party will be on tht
eve of defeat; and that the process is now goins
on with very encouraging rapidity can scarcely be
doubted.


Rut it does not by any means follow that the
Democratic party should dissolve its organization
and discard its name for the sake of gaining recruits
who will be forced to come to it in any event
Notwithstanding the absolute supremacy of the
Republicans in all of the Northern States, the pop
ular vote is very close in many of them. A change
of one in fifty would give New York to the
National Democrtc party. A change of one il
two hundred and sixty-six would rescue Connec
ticut from the radicals. OF course 1t is entirely
absurd to suppose that the Democrats who cas-;
over two hundred thousand votes in New York ant
more than forty thousand votes in Connecticut are
going to merge their organization in that of ter
thousand recruits in the one State and three hun
dred in the other


The fact is, that the radicals have fast and firm
hold of the Republican party. They control il
absolutely IN Congress, and in all those bodies
which are agents of representative opinion. It is
impossible that party entertaining aims so pro
nounced and direct, and influenced by ideas which


seems resolved to enforce in spite of the protests
of its more moderate adherents, can yery long
command the adhesion of those who dissent from
its ideas and its policy. The masses of the party
are, of course, under the dominion of its general
IDEAS and approve of its particular objects; but
that class of floating voters, to whom we have
before alluded, already manifest disposition to
change sides, They support the policy of the
President, in preference to the policy of Congress ;
and they must ultimately, attach themselves to
the party which sustains that policy. Mr. Ray
mond, and Mr.. Cowan. and Mr.. Doottle may not
like to ally themselves with the Democratic party.
They may insist that even while, to some extent,
supporting the President they are still Republicans
They might, perhaps, be willing to join new
party got up for their benefit and in which they
might be the magnates and leaders. Their indis-
position to go over to the National Democracy is
very natural and very comprehensive. But, GER
tainly, it would be neither natural nor comprehen-
sible that the National Democracy should go over
to them. Among the people the voters are not
influenced by the pride of position and the tradi-
tional antagonisms which have SO much weight
with the Congressional malcontents. They will,
probably, vote according to their convictions, and
will not be guilty of the folly of asking great
party which commands more than two millions of
votes to sacrifice its existence merely to crafty
the vanity of few gentlemen who do not like the
name of Democrat. There is no necessity to dis
solve the Democratic party, and people who i'm.
agine that there is any prospect of such consum-
nation are very much deceived.