Year: 1878

Stock Inn Trade of BRO0dy-ShErt Cam


dtdates-The Democratic Party and


the Presidency.


Especial Correspondence Of the Democrat.J


WASHINGTON, D. c.. September 10, 1878,


During the past week I have been at consid-
erable pains to ascertain the views Of leading
Republican politicians here regarding the
effect of the recent elections in New England
upon the situation enerally and upon the pros
poets for


THE NEXT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
in particular. y have sought Republican i'm
pressions rather than Democratic, because
when party is dying or supposed to be in
dying condition we naturally take more inter-
est in the symptoms of it's fate than in the
casual remarks of the bystandars. You will
remember that. in letter from New York more
than two months ago, I indicated belief that
the Republicans would lose one or two districts
in Maine, at the same time setting forth that
there would be no more strikes, for the reason
that the workingmen Of the North had deter
mined to try their fortunes at the box in
stead of wasting their strength and discrediting
their cause by unseemly and as the result had
abundantly demonstrated, futile violence /
sought at the time to make my meaning clear
by illustration, but I do not suppose that sue
ceeded in conveying to the minds of your read
ers an adequate idea Of the thoroughness of the
revolution which has lately occurred in
era en5 e sennfP R5 5aGe o The The fe56 bgo
cRAT have been long accustomed to look
upon the majority Of the Northern people as
I and party I impuse from the @ memories 3p tpadi
tions and preiudices OF the rebellion. The un-
interrupted tyranny which your people en-
in the theft of your electoral vote, naturally in
stillod into your minds the belief that so far as
this generation was concerned, at least, the
relations between Northern Republicans and
Southern Democrats must necessarily be that
Of armed peace. as they say IN Europe; Of con-
slant jealousy and of sectional antagonism
amounting to latent state of war.


WITH GRANT OR MAN LIKE HIM


at the head of the government, and with the in.
huence OF the Northern Metho list Church, led
by Simpson and Gil Hayen, paramount in the
OF ae p the steeng
as 1t remained possible for the miscreants at the
head OF kadicaiism to constantly re-. elect them
against the South. and lying TRADES against the
Southern people. so long the North was bound to
be an object OF distrust and apprehension in
words do not break any bones and that the clap
trao about Southern outrages" and the Solid
South" by. which the Republican ranks have
been kept In line since 1872, prac ically amount
ed to nothing. being ,sDringes to catch wood
cock only, and ending when the demagogues
who used i had accomplished their purpose of
capturing the votes Of the Northern peasantry.
But while this was undoubtedly true, still the
constant slangwhanging at the people Of one
section by the demagOgues Of another served
to keep up a state of irritation. in which


THE SEEDS OF FUTURE WAR MIGHT EASILY


SLUNBER.


This fact. however, was of little consequence to
the unscrupulous and in some cases deviish
men or criminals who controlled the Radical
party machinery, and who cared nothing for
the country or the people so long as they could
keep themselves in office and get rich, through
or ont of no la


Well, at the outset of the present campaign it
became apparent that the Republicans were
going to make q desperate effort to retrieve
their hold upon the House of Representatives
10 compensate for the loss of the Senate; mas
rendered presidential defeat in 1880 foregone
conclusion. In their preliminary councils Of
war they canyassed the merits OF great many
tunes on the old ,well-worn TACTICS thai had
served them so well In the past. They organ
and the committee promulgated as the key note
Of the campaign the old fashioned Address to
the country" reciting the perils Of a


RESTORATION OF THE SOUTHERN DEMOCRACY TO


POWER.


the terrors of rebel CLAIMS" and all that
sort Of thing. To this document was appended
the signature Of Eugene Hale, chairman"


Now it would have been supposed that If there
was any district in the United States where this
Of the. general-in- chief. Eugene Hale. The
stronghold of Radcalism, the hotbed Of puri-
tanism tai and the garden spot OF prejudice were
all centred in his district in bleak Maine. Hale
sounded his keynote from Washington and
then went home, as he supposed, to go through
a district Of whose ealty to himself he felt as
sure as the British government does of its DOS
session OF the fortressed rock Of Gibraltar. He
was nominated without opposition and his col
leagues in the campaign committee expected
that, after he had arranged the details of his
local canvass, he would return here to assist in
orn1 F,,+h hrl
Foster, Gorham and the others waited and
wondered. Finally Hale wrote privately that
there was some dsaffection In one Of his couu-
weeks in q personal canvass to alIay it. Still
his colleagues waited, but he did not come. In
lieu Of him came another letter saying that the
movement against him was assuming fOrmid-
able proportions and that it appeared to defy
all methods Of treatment laid down In the
books. He had tried


THE sCARECRoW OF REBEL CLAIMS,
but nobody needed 1t. Next, he had dwelt upon
the sacredness Of our national obligations and
the inestimable blessings of the national banks,
but that only added fuel to the flames. Finally,
he had turned loose with his bone rake and had
disturbed all the grave yards Of the late war,
but got laughed at for his pains. And then
came the news of his defeat.


This and its causes was what desired to hear
the Repu ublicAn view concerning.


Accordingly have communed with my Re-
and the result is Interesting. It would not bo
quite fair to quote here the expressions of those
Republican leaders who have talked with me On
this subject, for they did not understand that
they were being ,interviewed and doubtless, ex-
pressed themselves with more freedom than
they would have done for publication; Bntt 1
nay SUNNI narize their expressions in bulk with
out violating any Of that social confidence
which. in my, estimation. should take pre-
cedence Of all political considerations. The
first, foremost and al,;Dervading impression
which this defeat of Hale has made upon the
Republican managers is that there is no longer
any party virtue or political force in anti
Southern war cries.


One Of the most sagacious among them said
to me. I'VE must formulate


A NEW SCHOOL OF PARTY PHILOSOPHY.
til plain that we cannot hold our voters to the
teachings Of the last twelve or fourteen years.
More than one-third Of the voters of to-day
were little boys when the war closed. and 1t is
impossible to Derpetuate In them the feelings
that were shared by men WhJ felt the actual


What are you going to do?' I asked.


I don't know. The party must be reorgan-
lied. As it stands now, controlled as it IS by
men who came to the front during the war it
can only operate to keep the Democratic ranks
solid. II 1t were to reorganIze and give a
chance for new men to come in, we might break
up the solidarity OF the Democracy. For the
present, however, | don't see that anything can
be done.