Year: 1871

NEW YUKl
THE Psusleal Hsrlzsa-whieh b - he the


Dsaiaaas Rartys sad whe shs Csaiss
Mans


Political movements throughout the country
become moro interesting every day. Tho
great Presidential prize, With ell its power,
Offices and spoils, is stirring up the political
elements everywhere, and from present ap-
pearanoes we are likely to have an exciting
time for year and seven months to come, till
Il shall be decided who is to be the next Presi-
dent and which shall be tho party In power for
another four years.


But these movements are chiefly within the
republ can party and arise from two causes.
Tho drst Is the rivalry Of aspiring leaders In
that party for the Presidency or for
. controlling position under the next
prehension which began to seize the
minds of the President and prominent repub-
licans, after the New Hampshire election, the
st. Domingo fasc0 and Summers attack on the
administration, that the party might be losing
ground, and that, without an extraordinary
effort were made, it might lose the election in
1872. Hence the motive for, and object of,
that remarkable gathering In Washington last
week, which, as we said, was q sort Of pre-
liminary convention to renominate General
Grant, and at which both the President and
Vice President assisted. Not only were
General Grant and his friends deslrous Of
heading of the rival Presidential aspirants, and
of placing the General fairly on the track for
the race Of 1872 by this early movement, but
they saw, no doubt, that some such action was
necessary to check the threatened disintegra-
ton Of the party and to give the republicans
ground on which all would rally and be ex-
pected to stand.


That the administration and the leaders of
the party which support it and favor
the denomination of General Grant as
the best, if not the only, chance
of success, have we'll considered the
political situation and carefully matured
their plans, there can be little doubt. The
speech of Senator Morton, who is evidently the
mouthpiece of the administration, at the meet
ing referred to, covered the whole ground and
was good and well prepared one. It was
the platform of the administration party, and
foreshadowed the plan of action in the cam
paign then and there opened. Then the
measures that have been brought forward in
Congress, either for immediate action or as
holding out hope to the people, have direct
reference to the approaching political contest.
The Ku Klux bill is intended to strengthen the
republicans In the South and to reawaken the
feeling of hostility to the democrats among the
voters of the North. The proposed amnesty
bill, whether carried this session or not, has
been brought forward at the same time to
and to make a show of liberality. Now we
see, too, that Senator Sherman makes move
ment to head off the revenue reformers and to
take the wind out of the sails of the democrats
on the subject of reducing taxation~ The
resolution he introduced in the Senate on
Tuesday is comprehensive and goes as
far as almost any revenue reformer
or democrat would desire. By this
resolution the Committee on Finance
is instructed, during the recess of Congress,
to carefully examine the existing system of
taxation with view to repesl certain taxes,
to reduce both ..c Internal taxes and The
duties on imported goods, so that the aggre-
gate of such taxes shall not exceed the sums
required to execute the laws relating to the
public debt and the current expenditures of
the government administered with the strictest
economy-that, in fact, the taxes may be dis
tributed 80 as to impose the least possible
burden upon the people. Mr.. Sherman said
this resolution represented the views of every
member of the Finance Committee. It is
clear, therefore, from these and other move
ments and measures, that the administration
party are determined to leave nothing undone
to secure both the denomination Of General
Grant and his reelection, If possible, In 1872.


1t is evident, then, that the breeze which
| Mr.. Sumner made, even with the aid Of
Schurz and others, on the st. Domingo ques-
tion, will not prove serious and was only q
little political diversion for the time. The
President has wisely taken the sting out Of
that by giving up st. Domingo out Of defer
ence to public opinion, and what he may have
lost in reputation for want Of knowledge or
sagacity on that subject he will gain
for showing his good sense in yielding to pub
lie opinion. We think 1t likely, too, that Mr..
Sumner, having had his revenge, will cling to
the party to which he naturally belongs and


which he has done so much to build up. There
is more reason to believe this when we reflect
upon the news from Washington to the effect
| that Mr.. Sumner is about to make thorough
radical speech and to define his position in
the republican party. Nor do we think the